Sealants

Hi J.,

I have had no experience with sealants.
We also live in Palo Alto, and go to a fabulous pediatric dentist in Los Altos. Dr Nick Gorgani is fabulous fabulous fabulous. They are up on Altos Oaks Drive.

Good luck!
K.

I had sealants put in my molars when i was a child, it was painless and has never had to be redone. I had many cavities when I was younger, but have had less since the sealants (don't know if it is because of them, or better brushing, or what) and have never had any problem with the sealants. It is just a precaution, but why not?

All of my three had sealants and I believe it helped. I had to pay out of pocket for this service. They are 28, 25 and 19 yrs old.

Hi J.,
After 20 yrs in the dental field, I have to tell you that I will have sealants placed on my daughter's permanent teeth as soon as they come in. Sealants are a great preventative measure. They are usually inexpensive and worth it. Deep groves on the occlusal (biting) surface of a child's tooth are difficult to keep clean. The two most common areas for decay are the occlusals and the interproximals(between) of teeth. Fluoride is not enough to keep occlusal caries at bay. It sealants are place correctly, they do their job. Some reasons for failure of sealants are: not remove all debris from tooth with pumice, insufficient etching, and contamination (saliva). The tooth must be kept completely dry during the procedure which is pretty hard to do if you have an uncooperative child. Not only have I placed sealants on MANY children, I also have some. In fact, the teeth that had sealants are some of the only ones I have never had filled!
Sincerely,
L.

Sealants are a good preventative measure and why not just do it? Kids are not the best brushers, but even if they are and have strong teeth through genetics (which you can't be sure of), I'm a big believer in preventative measures.

Don't assume that b/c you have strong enamal and no cavities, your kids will too. My twin sister and I had the same diet and genetics, but I had cavities in nearly all my back teeth and she's yet to have one. We did both have our molars sealed sometime around 10 or 12 yrs, and it saved a couple of my molars. Perhaps it helped preserve her perfect record, too! My husband's perfect teeth were sealed as well. My kids aren't old enough yet, but I do plan to have their molars sealed when it's time. Avoiding the pain of drilling and filling cavities is SO worth it, believe me! The sealant isn't a cap or anything, it's just a clear or enamel-colored gel that "seals" the creases in the molars, which are the most likely places for cavities to develop. It can't prevent all cavities (especially the ones that form between teeth), but it helps along with good brushing, flossing and dietary habits.

J.,

We are out of your area.

The SEALANTS are excellent. I wish I had them when I was young.
Preventing cavities is the first step but preventing root canals and extractions, dead teeth and all that comes with it is the other.

You may not have had a lot of saliva or cavity prone teeth but your kids might and that is a painless way to prevent.

I'm not an expert of any kind, but I have sealants and both of my kids have sealants, because we all have deep grooves in our molars and it seems to do a pretty good job of preventing cavities. It is a simple procedure, and I could be wrong, but I am for them.

Sealants fill in the deep crevasses and indents in the permanent molars helping to prevent cavities. Most insurance companies pay for sealants as long as you have them done within two years of the molar coming in (ie 12 yr molar = 14 yo). Sealing is a preventative measure and is entirely up to you to decide. Sealants can save you and your children expense and pain of cavities later on into adulthood and the dentist will replace them free as your child's mouth grows, their bite changes and the sealant wears away. I know young people in their 20's who have never had one cavity due to sealants. I only wish they had sealants available when I was a child as I have cavities in every molar in my mouth! I recently had to have all those old cavities redone due to deterioration of the fillings and it cost me $3,000 over three years after my insurance paid...and I have good insurance!!

Considering that you are not prone to cavities, you may be okay in denying the sealants for your children. However, you need to take the children's dad's dental history into consideration also as cavities and/or gum disease tends to be somewhat hereditary. If you change your mind, you can have the sealants done later, but you will have to pay full price...the per tooth price is not bad, but x4 is a lot!

Hi J., my kids are grown now, however they both were told to get sealants. My son is 22 and still goes to the pediatric dentist. They will see him until he graduates college. He just had some more sealants put on a few months back and at this age still no cavities. It protects their teeth from cavities. I always have had good teeth. My daughter is 26 she also had sealants when she was younger and has no cavities. Unfortunately insurance companies usually don't cover sealants. I think it is a good idea, however it is not a one time thing. They need to be repeated every so often. I only know a great dentist for the kids in San Jose. Dr. Wolkstein on Blossom Hill road. I don't know anyone in your area. Good Luck

My parents put sealants on my teeth way before they became the norm. We lived in Europe and it started back in the late 70's. I never had a cavity, but had deep crevices in my molars. My sealants have held up and I had them redone at one point too. I am a firm advocate of this procedure, especially for kids. I just spoke of this with my dentist the other day (not my kid's dentist) and he felt the same way. For kids he thinks it's a great idea. Kids eat between meals and that's what primarily causes tooth decay. Because they are natural snackers sealants are a good preventative measure that have been proven to work. My husband and I both have great teeth, very little problems, my daughter is the same way, but my son's enamel is not very good. He's had problems since he's been 2, but now after 5 years of flouride varnish, sealants and flouride rinse, he hasn't had a problem in over a year. For a kid who has had cavities and had to go under the drill, I am happy he is able to have a dental visit without any drilling. If something like a sealant can prevent a cavity, I'm all for it. Just my two cents.

I had sealants as a child and it definately saved me from cavities until I got older (20's). You can't feel it and never know it's there. The sealant naturally wears away but if you can afford to have it redone as an adult it's probably a great idea.FYI - just because your teeth are hard/good doesn't mean your childrens are. Think of it as plastic wrap for your teeth - food stays edible longer when placed in plastic wrap in the fridge. Teeth will stay good longer when protected with sealant. Tooth damage is cumulative over a lifetime, the longer you can delay the start of deterioration the better off your child will be.

I don't have any experience with sealants. They sound like a good thing. But, if you are not feeling sure about this step for your children, can you get a second opinion from another dentist? Maybe even ask your children's pediatrician's advice in the matter. Even though a pediatrician doesn't do the dental work, they probably have studied the issue enough to have a more 'expert' opinion.

hi J. :)
the only experience i have with teeth sealants is that my husband had it done 30 yrs ago when it first came out and despite his sub-standard tooth care (he doesn't see a dentist regularly, only brushes once a day in the morning) he has never had a cavity ...so it seems to work!!!!
i don't know what the side effects are or if there are any downsides -
:)
S.

i am a super conservative mom when it comes to introducing foreign things to my kids bodies. but i have to say i think i will try to get sealants for my boys. my brother and i had them at a young age -- 7 or 8 and his first cavity was around 30 and i have had a few (small cavities and on the molars i did not get sealed as we switched insurance and did not get them on the older molars), and i think they have made a big difference. my questions when the time come will be to further understand what the material is and how it will break down in the mouth and to consider that ultimately we are all eating these sealants. impulse vote=they work.

Pfft. Has your child ever had cavities? Are they good brushers? Do you have fluoridated water? If you take good care of your children's teeth then it is up to you. Most dentist recommend sealants because a lot of children do have deeper grooves in their teeth, eat far too much sugar and eventually get cavities in their molars. It is a GREAT way to make money for the dentist as well. BTW, as a dental assistant I saw just as many kids come in (including my own daughter, it is THE only tooth she has a cavity in!) with cavities because of FAILED sealants, meaning the person that put the sealant did a lousy job and left a crack in the sealant for a cavity to form. As a former Dental Assistant I will not allow my dentist to put sealants on my 6 year old's teeth. But that is just my opinion and choice...get a second opinion on that molar and/or teach your child to be aware of that tooth and take extra care in brushing.

My dentist also recommended this for my 3 kids. I didn't question it, and was surprised later when i got a bill. I had assumed that if it were as necessary as she said, insurance would cover it. If i remember correctly, they covered my older kids (over the age of 10) but not my youngest (she was maybe 6 or 7 at the time. This makes me wonder how necessary it is for the little ones. So, if you decided to do it, i would call your insurance first to make sure they cover it.

J. , my daughter had sealants and I think it helped her not to have cavities but it is an individual choice maybe a second opinion if you are not sure . AS for the the 6 year old some times dentists can reshape teeth but a sealant sounds like a good idea to me any way to prevent a cavity .good luck S.

I had creases in my teeth(fishers) as a child & had the sealents & I didn't get any cavities...

Hi there,

I haven't had time to read your other responses, so this might be duplicating someone else's...

Just wanted to say that several years ago I switched to a new dentist who I thought was great because she was so "thorough". I found out later that the filling she did was not necessary and other work she had planned for me was not either. I should have realized she was just doing work for her benefit (income) because she was always timing the work to be done before the end of the year when the deductible would start all over again.

Anyway, I'd just be sure to get a second or third opinion before doing any preventative dental work for myself, and most certainly for my children.

Good luck!

H.

I've been told by dentists (plural) that using sealants is NOT recommended any longer because they really can't guarantee that they have killed all teh bacteria on the tooth before putting the sealant on. And if you seal IN bacteria, then you can't even brush off the bacteria and you get cavities anyway.

I would do some reading and just say no thanks if you don't want to do it.

We use Cheryl Lee in Mountain View on Castro Street. I chose her because my son had a cav. and the ped. dentist we had (in Los Altos) refused to TRY to fill it with novacaine alone. He insisted on gassing my son (3 at the time). I asked him to just try and he actually kicked me out of being a patient. They said they were 'referring me out.' That meant, no referral, just don't come back, and I wasn't even rude!

So be careful - trust yourself!

(We eventually found Cheryl Lee and she filled a number of cavities by the time we found her and my son did 100 ercent great w/o gas, thank you very much.

Good luck!

J.,

As a child I got sealants placed on my molars. I have since had two repaired as they chipped, but overall I have been very pleased with them. I am now a mother of 3 children and have had only one tiny cavity in my life, in part to the sealants placed on my teeth when I was 8 years old. I recommend them and once my girls get old enough for them, I will have them placed on their teeth. I have white sealants so they are hardly noticeable yet they have helped me remain virtually cavity free for years. When they were first placed on my teeth, I had to get used to them, but this took only a couple of days. Sealants are a good option to aid in the care and protection of teeth.
- T.

You've already gotten a bunch of reponses, but I just wanted add something about dental insurance. I have always had excellent teeth and my parents never had sealants done for me (probably because of no insurance and little money for extras like that). Once I "grew up" and got my own dental insurance, it turned out that I was too old to have sealants covered by my insurance--it would have been out of pocket. And now finally in my mid-30s I'm starting to have a few minor cavities filled. I plan on getting sealants for my kids while they are still covered, because even good teeth have the potential for cavities one day.

The point is, find out from your dental insurance when the age limit is for sealant coverage, and make sure you decide before then.

Hi J.,
I am a mom of 3 currently an RN but used to be a dental assistant. the reason sealants are important for children's teeth is because molars are very susceptible to decay. the molars have grooves or pits on the biting suraces of the teeth which can be very difficult to clean well sometimes. which can then lead to decay (cavities) when applying sealants to the teeth the dentist would just "paint a coating on the top surfaces to seal off the deep grooves preventing build up" no tooth structure is removed and this is a very common thing to have recomended for children as this is the easiest spot to develop decay. nothing to worry about. my children have them on their teeth.

I'm 32, and I got sealants put on my molars when I was about 10. Not only have I not had a cavity since then, but my dentist(s) have been amazed that they've lasted this long! I highly recommend sealants, but only because I have personal experience with them!

I put sealants on my DD teeth at 9. They seem to be holding up fine. But I was concerned after when I heard that they have to sand away all the enamel to put the sealer on.

Since putting those in I have done research for other reasons on estrogens and xenoestrogens and was surprised to see sealants (BPA) listed. Excess estrogen wreaks havoc on the body, screws up hormone balance, and causes fertility problems, cancer of the breast and female organs, miscarriages, etc. It just happens that, of all the exposures of estrogenic materials, (and there are many) dental sealants give the most estrogen for the least amount of exposure.

Other research I have read in the past claims that giving a child Cod liver oil daily will help ward off cavities.
Also, if you are out and about and can't brush, give the child Trident gum with (XYLITOL). Xylitol is anti cavity- the bacteria cannot digest it and die. This doesnt help with in between teeth but does help with the surface tooth area, where a sealant would be. Keeping processed grains to a minimum helps too.

Gail

I had sealants put on my teeth when I was a kid, and I've yet to have a cavity! I think I'll put them on my kids' teeth as their permanent teeth grow in. Why not, if it can spare them the cavities?

I had sealants put on my daughters teeth and that was the best investment I made. NO Cavaties.

My daughter has them and several of my friends have gotten them for their children. None have had cavities so it worked well for us