Dental sealants: A plus for children

With Halloween and its sweet challenges looming on the horizon, now is the perfect time to talk about dental sealant, one of the best ways to prevent cavities in toddlers.

Dental sealants for cavities prevention

Our first adult molars grow at around six years of age. Our second ones appear in adolescence, between 11 and 13 years old. For a while, these new teeth are more susceptible to cavities. Just slide your finger on a molar and you can feel its ridges, which can retain food particles, even more so if your child is not diligent or effective in their daily brushing.

During the annual visit, your dentist can assess the risk of cavities according to your child’s dental health, based on the quality of their enamel, the depth of the grooves, the family’s genetics, etc. Food and hygiene habits will also be assessed. Your dentist may then recommend that you apply dental sealants to prevent new molars from decaying.

But what is a dental sealant? It’s a layer of composite material that is applied to tooth enamel to seal off risk areas. This sealant not only helps prevent cavities, it can also stop the progression of the onset of cavities. It is effective for nine years—or nine Halloweens!