Fort Collins Pediatric Dentistry For You

Do Sealants work?

Do Sealants work?

Happy summer time to you all, we are hip deep in Lacrosse tournaments, but I did manage to catch some bluegill in a neighborhood lake using the kayaks. Fort Collins could be the greatest location on earth should you ask me, to have a pediatric dental practice!

This month I thought I would revisit Sealants in our Fort Collins pediatric dentistry practice. I had a Mom relate a story that she never had difficulties with her teeth until she got sealants. In these tight times, some families are electing to put off this preventive care. My question to myself is just how much protection is a sealant worth? The brief answer is, while not foolproof, they are really beneficial as a strategy to avoid cavities short and long term.

Sealants, or as we call them at Big Grins Pediatric Dentistry, Preventive Resins, are coatings of a polymer plastic that covers the grooves of teeth so bacteria cannot gather and cause cavities in these pits and fissures that can't be cleaned by a toothbrush. In 2008 and 2010 we had a bit of a scare that BPA was in sealants and causing our youngsters to mature prematurely or suffer brain damage. As is turns out, any sealants that did contain BPA had only a transient blood level and are not a risk long term. My Fort Collins pediatric dentistry office immediately reviewed our materials and discovered we were not making use of these products, and my guess is every single other office in the nation did exactly the same. For much more on sealants, the CDC features a very good information page at their internet site.

The question is, how valuable are sealants? Well, I am happy to tell you that various very large studies of all of the available literature shows conclusively that sealants do lessen the number of cavities an individual gets.

How much?

The Task Force on Community Preventive Services identified a median reduction in caries of 60% for young children 6 to 17. The thinking is when you have fluoridated water (18-25% reduction), twice per day brushing , (25% reduction) and sealants, you could safely predict no cavities for your kid unless anything else is an issue like extremes in diet or anatomical tooth anomalies.

Next question: What if the sealants chip out?

Excellent news here also. Seven studies have shown that completely or partially lost sealants were not at a higher threat of developing caries than were teeth that had been never sealed. Studies taking a look at school based sealant programs for low income young children identified that even when sealants became chipped and not replaced, the cavity danger reduction nevertheless was 70%.

Follow up: What if my kid's sealant does chip?

In our Fort Collins pediatric dentistry office, when we place a sealant, it's guaranteed. What does that mean? It means that we continue to check sealants every six months after they're placed and can repair anything that chips out or is lost. That doesn't take place very often, but we stand behind our work. We also use a glass reinforced sealant material that is substantially stronger than past materials, and I do believe in mechanically cleaning the grooves of your molars. This practice has not been shown to be of significant benefit in the meta analysis, but right here my clinical expertise tells me otherwise in terms of retention. For further reading I encourage you to check out the website of the Journal of the American Dental Association exactly where these stats come from. But rest assured, Big Grins Pediatric Dentistry in Fort Collins is on the leading edge of evidence based dentistry. Our patients don't deserve any less! For questions on this topic or any other dental question or comment, please contact me. I love what I do and I enjoy helping you raise healthy pleased children!

by: jacobp

POST COMMENT

How Hopeful Parents Can Find Infertility Clinics In Their Area This Is How My Income Tax Lawyer Saved Me From The Irs Professional Painters Need Titan Tools Rattan Wicker Garden Furniture For The Garden Has Wicker Garden Furniture Identified A Method Into Your Property? To Do The Job Right Try Paslode Signing Up For Supplemental Medicare How Referral Mint Works Generate Greater Roi From Industrial Ro (reverse Osmosis) Why Choose Wicker Garden Furniture? The Best Remedy Of Addiction To Alcohol Is In Alcoholic Rehab Facilities Top Activities For Your Garden Furniture Debt Troubles: Assistance For The Elderly