Looking for Advice on Dental Work for Two Children

Get the sealants. It was the best investment my mom ever made for me. They last about 8-10 yrs then might need to be touched up. I have never had a cavity and I'm 31. It's worth it.

Hi D., I say do the sealants. I have 2 children and my old dentist talked me out of them, well hundreds of dollars later on cavities my new dentist told me we should have did the sealants it would have saved us money and time in the long run, 80 to 90% is better then 0. Why wait till its to late. It is costly but better then nothing. Good luck.

Both of my boys had the sealants put on and neither one has had a cavity. My boys are 18 and 20 now. I thought the sealants were worth the money.

DEFINATLEY WAIT!!!!!!!!! Soundl like your dentist is looking for some extra cash to me. My son is 7 and has never had a cavity. take good care of teeth and they will re pay you:)

I would say yes. $208.00 may seem like a lot of money now, but it most likely will eliminate your child to have a cavities fill (with is painful). I had sealants when I was younger, because I do not have enough enamal to protect my teeth from cavities. I have been told several time I should have sealants placed on my teeth again, but I would never spend money on myself unless it was absolutly necessary. If you do not want to spend the cash, I would make sure your child brushes and then you ACT mouth wash with floride every night (that is what I do).Jenn

I recommend getting the sealants done. I had them done as a child and at my last appointment my dentist was surprised that they were still on my teeth. I am 30 years old. I have only 2 cavities and they are on the sides of my teeth where I had the banded type braces brackets on for 10 years and unable to get a tooth brush in there to clean them. I agree with the heredity issue with cavities as both my parents have lots of cavities but neither none of the children have any in the places where they put the sealants so I think they are helpful and I will be getting them for my children someday.

As a Dental Hygienist, and mother of 3, I agree you should try to get the sealants done for your children. Yes, the alternative is wait, and let them get numbed & drilled for a cavity down the line. Many children now a days don't get as many cavities as the older generations because of fluoride treatments and SEALANTS. It is quite normal for sealants not to be covered by insurance, you might ask if your office can put you on a payment plan. Or get your older child done now and 6-12 mos. later the younger one.
If this could be put in perspective as the cost of a toy, clothes, video game for your child, this is something that will protect their TEETH. And you only get one set of adult teeth, it would be a great gift to them as their parent. BTW, besides opening wide for a long time, it is painless. Just like painting a fingernail, but it has to be kept completley dry to ensure it sticks.
I personally had some sealants on my molars that lasted 10 yrs. (they usually need replacement every 5-10 yrs as they wear away) and it was cool not to have to worry about cavities there. It is cool technology how the sealant material fills in the deep narrow grooves on the top of the teeth so bacteria can't get down in there to cause decay. Best to you and your family!

D.,

Have your children lost all of their baby teeth? I wouldn't consider sealants for teeth they will lose. However, I agree it could be a great benefit to prevent pain and possible tooth damage further down the line.

There are some dentists across the country that are willing to negotiate their services for people who are struggling with money problems. Try talking with your dentist and see if there is any type of deal he/she might be able to give you.

Some dentists are bartering their services, take a look at what you and your family have to offer and ask if your dentist might accept a partial payment with in-kind goods or services.

Don't be afraid to ask the question, you never know what their answer will be until you ask.

Good luck!

I agree genetics is a BIG factor. Its a hard call, since my husband's family has bad teeth, mine are pretty well all filled, but my mom's were perfect. They seem to recommend them across the board now. I chose not to because my kids are older (10, 12 & 14) and only my oldest has a cavity but I KNOW he hasn't brushed and flossed enough last year and I hope the drill will "inspire" him. Since our old dentist never mentioned it, and we never did it, I'm guessing they have good teeth AND take good enough care. So, if the family is pretty cavity free, and you know they're taking good care, save the money. Being a skeptic, I wonder why the DDS recommends them and the insurance won't cover? Wouldn't the insurance want to save money not paying for fillings later? And what in the world costs $55/tooth??? It might be worth doing some google search on the effectiveness?

I never had sealants on my teeth when I was younger (I don't even know if they offered them) and I only had 2 cavities ever. I think that if you teach your children good dental habits and limit their sugary snacks (or at least have them rinse their mouths well when they do have them, it will help a lot.

I worked for a dentist for 11 yrs, and the biggest reason to do sealants and not to wait until a cavity forms, is because once you have a filling, that tooth is more prone to breakage and other problems. When you have a filling, they have to remove more of the tooth than just the filling in order to get the filling to stay in. If you have silver fillings they have to remove a lot more of the tooth, because it doesn't attach to the tooth, it just sits in there, and over time it shrinks, which allows space between it and the tooth, and thus the bacteria finds a place to hide and start decay. The other, white filling, attaches to the tooth and less tooth is removed, however, your insurance will only pay 90% of the cost of a silver filling, not a white filling(on a back tooth) and 90% of a white filling on a front tooth, so if you want white on back teeth (which is better, and where the sealants would go) you will have to pay an extra 30 to 50$ per tooth for the filling, depending on how big the cavity.

Sealants are more cost effective. They are not 100%, and if the kids don't brush and floss, they can still get cavities and there goes the cost effectiveness out the window. They are meant to prevent the most common cavities in kids, in the tops of the molars and bicuspids, if the kid has large pits and grooves then food gets stuck in there, and the bacteria sticks to the food and goes to town.

I fluctuate between feeling that it is a way to get money and feeling that it is a really great thing. I will probably get them on my kids, but when the doc recommended them on me, I was a no go. Some insurances do cover them, call your insurance company. Find a dentist that you trust and make sure they are up on all the latest and greatest tecnology, I recently left a doctor because I found out that he didn't "clean out" the pits before putting a sealant on, when they fail it can be bacause the fall off (dentist will replace for free, this happens if saliva gets in tooth when placing) or if there is decay that is present when the sealant is put on. "Sealing it in, doesn't stop it. If they tell you that, then ask for it to be cleaned out or switch dentists".

D.,
I see you have gotten quite a bit of advice, but here's mine too. I work at a dental office (office mgr) and if they are only charging $26 a tooth jump on it! We charge $50 a tooth at my office so $26 is a great deal!! They should only be done on permanent teeth though and should last at least a few years. We usually recommend them as soon as the 8 perm molars erupt and then again down the road if the sealant gets worn down or comes off, which can happen depending on the child. Hope all the advice points you in the direction of getting them, it can help to save your child the discomfort of a having cavity filled :o)
J.

I highly recommendd sealants. I paid out of pocket for every one of my children I even had to do them one at a time with my third child... there are two types of sealants... one isnt as effective the other is permanent. Do your research and do what you can afford... even with good dental care no child is perfect - one filling is costly besides traumatic!

M.

Just my two cents...but I didn't have my teeth sealed. Im 34 this year without EVER having a cavity. It's all about taking the time to teach your chilren to care for their teeth!

~L.

We did it for our children too and our insurance did not cover it. I paid them what I could when I could. Luckily the dentist was okay with this. As long as I sent them something. It was costly and I don't know if it made a difference. They have had cavities/fillings. I just try to keep up on their brushing.

Just knowing that not all dentists can numb a tooth the first time which would result in additional shots for the child, I would do anything I could to avoid them having to go through that pain and the pain from the cavity. I am taking our 7 yrs old in the morning to have a cleaning and will be asking them about this option and costs, just to avoid the cavity problem. Dad has very nice hard teeth - ZERO cavities and I have very soft teeth with many of fillings from the past - with lots of painful experiences and memories from my childhood from the "bad" dentist.

My dentist has been pushing the same thing! However, they want ot charge me $40 per tooth! Anyway, I decided against them for several reasons. 1-my girls have never had a cavity. 2- they only dring milk or water, and never had a bottle. 3-I never had a cavity until I was 26. 4-they brush and floss regularly. I feel all these factors support my choice, once again, the insurance companies are trying to save a buck at their patients expense! Good luck with what you choose.

I hate that it's going to cost you so much but it is the best thing we ever did. My son is 12 and has never had a cavity! I wish I had mine done when I was young. It will save your children from the cavity fills later.

Im not sure how old your child is but I'll tell you what I went through. My daughter is 5 and my insurance covers sealants at 100% so I asked our pediatric dentist about this and she said to wait until she looses her baby teeth then when her new teeth come in do it then otherwise its a waste.

What dentist do you have and did he specify WHY he/she was recommending the sealants? I would ask them and want to know why the recommendation for them. Some dentists will recommend doing that stuff just because it's more money in their pocket (and most insurances will pay for those since they are considered preventitive).

My mom is a dental hygienest. My brother and I both had sealants put on our molars when we were younger (and we are both in our 30's now, and I've had only 2 fillings in my entire life and my brother has had 2 as well), and the dentist my mom works for had recommended it for our oldest son. I had asked her why we had them as kids and she said it was because the groves in our molars were really deep, therefor the sealants would really help. My son inherited my teeth because he has really deep groves too. We put them on for him and I think it's helped. He has had 1 filling (prior to the sealants being put on). So I would probably ask them why first before I made a determination. To say that they are 80-90% effective to me are really good odds if you've got molars with deeper groves in them. Could also be that their enamel is very soft. If not, then as long as your kids brush a lot and use flouride, they may be okay.

--K.
Mom to the A Team
Alex (11), Aaron & Aidan (2)

D. ~
I think alot of it has to do with genetics. My son must have decent teeth because he had 1 cavity in a baby tooth that they filled, he never had sealants, and he's only had 1 cavity since he's been older (he's 22 now). I know he doesn't brush as long or as well as he should, and one dentist said that his molars have alot of ridges in them, so he should be prone to cavities. I would just make sure they brush well, maybe use some of that rinse they have (ACT, I think). Some of them help to coat the teeth and there's a new one that shows what they missed when they spit it out (at least that's what the commercial says).
Good Luck!
D.

my insurance dosen't cover sealants either so I asked around before I had my daughters done and the general consensus was do it....my bf sister said her sealants are still there and she is in her 30s.

We adopted two little girls and our dentist told us the same thing.Their teeth had ridges in them and no matter how well they brushed thier teeth they still got cavities.It frustrated me so the dentist suggested sealants.Our insurance only paid for cleaning also but my neice was going to hygenist school and suggested I see if they could get there teeth done at the learning school. That is what we did and it cost us 5 dollars a tooth. this was about 6 years ago but the girls had exellent check ups at the dentist after that and no more fillings. See if you have a dentist school in your area and maybe that can help. Lots of good luck with it

D., Pardon my candor, but there is no question here. Protect the teeth your child will have for a lifetime! I had to pay for sealants too, and am now not worried about those difficilt to clean molars. We just tightened our belts for a bit...it is really worth it. 2 of our kids have them, and we will be getting them for our 3rd too. They really last. No pain for the child, and easy and quick procedure. I wish they did sealants when I was young!
Best of luck.
A.

I know that this discussion is closed, but feel I need to respond for future readers.

I am a dental hygienist, so I have seen the results of having/not having sealants placed. There are so many things that contribute to cavities, it is sometimes hard to know who exactly will or will not develop a cavity. If your children have a history of cavities in their baby teeth, that is a really good indicator that they will have them in their permanent teeth. Waiting until they need a filling is always an option, the problem is at that point we need to remove tooth structure to place the filling. This compromises the tooth, because different materials expand and contract at different rates. Eventually, the filling and/or tooth will "leak" or "break" (think: Michigan roads with patches in them, they always break down along the edges). In time, this results in needing a bigger filling, or even a crown if too much of the tooth is compromised. I have seen many people in their 30's or 40's who need crowns on their molars because their fillings they had as children break down. Since sealants have become a routine practice in most dental offices, the rate of fillings has greatly decreased. This saves a lot of hassles down the road.

A few people commented that the dentist probably just wants to make more money, and I understand why they said that. Dentists do make a lot of money. One thing that is not widely known, though, is that a dentist has extremely high overhead. The cost of supplies, employees, malpractice insurance, continuing education, etc., is mind-boggling once you actually add it up.(Trust me, I added it up once.) If a dentist spends an hour placing sealants on one patient, they actually LOSE money, because is is so time intensive and they can't be with another patient at that time. $208 is a lot of money if we have to spend it, but it just makes a dent in the cost of overhead the dentist pays in that hour. The good dentists know that sealants are good for their patients and do them anyway.

Many dentists are willing to only do a few teeth at a time, or to work with a payment plan. Maybe yours will work with you? Another excellent alternative is a Dental Hygiene school, or a Dental school.

Having said that, it is a wonderful thing if you can teach your children proper oral hygiene at a young age. This is a lifelong habit that will pay big rewards over time. Keep up the fluoride rinse, that also has gone a long way in reducing cavities.

One other thing, sealants have been around for decades, they are not a new treatment, they have been proven over time. 80-90% effective is a lot higher than most standard medical treatments.

Hope this helps!

My children never had sealants, they are 11 and 14.

Monitor their intake of sugar (including fruit juices) and have them brush their teeth really well, I believe that is just as good prevention as it is to seal their teeth.

Also, making sure they get a pure intake of calcium will help.

M.

Hi D.,
When we took out 2 children to the dentist for the first time, we asked him about sealants. My husband had it put on his teeth as a kid. Our dentist said that he did not believe in it. He also said that if there is already some decay on a tooth before it is sealed that it is not good and could cause damage.
I think that dentists are trying to "sell" many things to their patients that are not necessary. Just make sure that you help your children brush their teeth well and use an anti-cavity rinse every night. It works for us!! Just wait until you get to the orthodontist!!!
S.

Good Morning D.!

You have gotten A LOT of great information regarding the pros and cons of even having this procedure done. (And I know that you will make the best decision for your family and your kids!!)

What I wanted to add was: are you familiar with Flexible Spending Accounts? This is where you have money taken out of your (or husbands!) paycheck and set aside PRE TAX for the purpose of paying health, dental, and prescription related fees. (Like doctor visits, dentist, co-pays, braces.. a lot of things that your insurance might not cover.)
This link will take you to a site that does a nice job explaining Flexible Spending Accounts (it is from a specific health care company, you would need to contact your own benefits or payroll people to set it up for your family.)

http://www.asiflex.com/Programs/hcfsa.htm

This is a nice way to get the tax advantage and make your money stretch farther (without having to keep receipts and claim everything on your income tax.) Plus, once you determine how much you want put in the account, the full amount is available to you to use... and then the money is taken out of your checks evenly over the course of a year.. pre tax! (So for instance if you needed $5,200 a year to cover co-pays, sealants, braces... whatever. As soon as the account is set up the 5,200 dollars is available to you.. and then they will take $100 out of your check every week before taxes.) This is how ours works.. again check with your payroll or benefits/human resource for how your specific program works.

I hope this helps! It has definately helped stretch our dollars. And as for the sealants.... I could only afford to have my 2 top molars done in college. I have never gotten cavities in them.... but I have gotten 8 cavities in my other teeth. I also have the "deep groove" issue. My vote would be to get them!!

Have a great day!'
Peace,
B.

D.,

I don't know where you live but up here ( Montcalm County ) they have the mobile dentist that come to the schools that will do it for little or no costs. Ask the school if the participate, other than that it is worth the cost to avoid the pain of a cavity. When your child is in pain with a tooth ache at 3 a.m. on a saturday morning and you can't even call the dentist till monday, you might just wish you had done it. I wish I had when my daughter's dentist reccommended it, it was a holiday weekend to boot. I say go for it.

E.

You could always check around to see if your town or city has a dental school sometimes the students will do it for half the cost and sometimes free

I had sealants as a child and have only had 3 cavities my entire life. My husband did not have them and leaves the dentist office every 6 months with an appointment for a week later to get his cavities filled. Personally, I would spend the money. Try talking to your dentist about it. We don't have insurance and ours always gives us a deal. After a filling, he goes into the computer to change the fee and says "I don't feel like I worked hard enough for this much money..." lol

We have well water where we live and as soon as there adult molars came in I had sealants put on. My oldest is 18 and has never had a cavity in any of those teeth. I think it was money well spent.

I would say have the teeth sealed. I have 4 kids and I think that the sealants have helped. It is a lot less painful to have them sealed than to have the cavity filled.
I didn't have them as a child, don't know if they were around then and I had plenty of cavities. I also had very good dental hygene as a child, brushed after every meal, the whole nine yards. I have since had the silver fillings replaced as they wear out (the white do too over time). I have had one crown put on one of my teeth that had a filling as it cracked. Teeth once they have fillings become weaker and will need repairs from time to time.
You may be saving money in the long run if you spend some now.
Yes children still need to brush well after having sealants put on their teeth. It is not a cure-all, but it is an additional tool against tooth decay.
Even when your teeth are numbed you can still feel the work being done. It may not hurt but it still isn't pleasant.
Save your children the experence of having a cavity by having the sealants put on.

I do not see the ages of your kids...
Have they lost all their baby teeth?
I personally feel like "sealents" are a scam used by the dental industry to get more $. Teaching proper dental habits is a necessity either way.
The way our dentist explained it to me was that cavities are caused by a bacteria that is in your mouth... Some people, (typically the ones who say they have Hard teeth and never get cavities)do not have a prolific amount of this bacteria in their mouths... Others, (us soft teethed people) have the bacteria. No matter what you do, other than pulling out all your teeth, you still have the bacteria. Proper dental hygeine helps eliminate most of the bacteria for a few hours.
Unless they have found a way to seal the roots of the teeth (under the gums) the bacteria can still get on the teeth and cause havoc. If your child gets sick and slightly dehydrated the gum line shrinks and exposes more tooth until they are re hydrated... viola... exposed tooth...
I would save the $, make them take care of the teeth they have and if a cavity pops up, take care of it when its small with a dentist you trust and is a gentle kid friendly dentist.
My hubby has never had sealents and no cavities either...
Good luck!!

My personal opinion is to not invest the money. Dental care is so expensive and at their age their jaw lines are changing and I think that it could only create future problems and incur more cost. One question is do you personally know this dentist and would he or she do this to his/her children? Let us know how things turn out!!

I didn't read all the responses, but I am a dental assistant to a pediatric specialist. The cost your dentist gave you is really good, we charge $50 a tooth. We dont' recomend sealants on everyone, only those with deep groves or pits on teeth. The fact of the matter is, sealants don't stop or protect INBETWEEN teeth, which is where most of the cavities occur if your child is a snacker or heavy pop, juice or sports drinker. Flossing is also important in the prevention of inbetween problems. So if your child has deep groves, I'd get them with no hesitation. But if not, it may not be that helpful to them. We also check sealants during the cleanings, and if the sealants come off, we touch them up at no charge. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me. Good luck with your decision. But dont' let money be an issue, your kids will have those teeth the rest of their lives.