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Does My Child Need Sealants?

Find out how sealants could protect against childhood cavities. 

You understand that as a parent there is nothing more important than protecting your child’s teeth from decay. By maintaining good oral hygiene, you can prevent early tooth loss and other problems from occurring. Of course, sometimes at-home oral care isn’t enough, and our Cedar Springs, MI, dentist Dr. Andy Setaputri may recommend placing dental sealants over back teeth to reduce their risk for decay.

What are dental sealants? 

Sealants are very thin plastic coatings that are painted to the chewing surface of your child’s molars to prevent food and bacteria from getting trapped in all the grooves and ridges of those back teeth. Sealants have the ability to prevent about 80 percent of cavities in back teeth.

When are sealants placed? 

A child’s first set of molars usually erupt around 7-8 years old, after which it’s the perfect time to place sealants. If you are bringing your child in every six months for checkups with our Cedar Springs, MI, the family dentist then Dr. Setaputri and his team can decide the best time to place sealants.

We also recommend placing sealants on the second set of molars as well, which usually erupt between 11-13 years old.

How are sealants placed? 

This procedure is incredibly simple and completely painless. We can even place sealants during your child’s next cleaning, so you don’t have to schedule a separate appointment. After we’ve cleaned your child’s teeth, we will apply a special liquid to the tooth that will roughen the surface and make it easier for the sealant to stick to the tooth.

Once the liquid is washed off, we will simply paint the sealant over the chewing surfaces of your child’s molars and then harden the sealant to the tooth using a dental laser. The process only takes a couple of minutes per tooth.

How long will they last? 

You may need to replace your child’s sealants at some point, especially if they crack. We can easily determine when a sealant needs to be replaced during your child’s next routine cleaning and checkup. In some instances, sealants can last up to 15 years or longer.

Should your child get sealants? 

If you would like to reduce your child’s risk for decay and prevent the need for unexpected trips to our office then yes, we highly recommend getting dental sealants.

Do you have questions about getting dental sealants from our Cedar Springs, MI, dentist? If so, don’t hesitate to call or schedule an evaluation with the dental team at Cedar Springs Dental to learn more. Call us today at (616) 696-9420.

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