Lesson #7: The Truth Behind Caring for Your Child's Oral Health. Get Sealants

Lesson #7: When First Molars Come in, Ask Your Dentist About For Sealants for your Child

One way to prevent 80% of cavities in children is...getting sealants. 

When the child gets her first molars, ask the dentist about sealants. Maybe you already know about them. If so, good!  I wish we had heard about sealants.  Sealants get applied by dentists to cover the child’s teeth, like a rain coat, to keep food from getting stuck in the deep natural crevices of young, groovy teeth. Sealants get applied by the hygienist the time when a child’s molars come in, around age 6. And sealants get applied again when the 2nd set of molars come in, at around age 12. 

Just do it. Get Sealants for Your Children’s Teeth. Sealants are so effective at cavity-prevention that most dental insurances in America cover 100% of the expense, including CHIP and Medicaid. For most children between ages 3 and 13 sealants are a smart option.  School-age children without sealants have almost 3 times more cavities than children with sealants. It’s worth noting that, even when insurance covers 100% of the cost of the sealant and kids benefit from them, just 30% of children who see the dentist get sealants.   

This is a reminder that oral health requires parents’ attention, asking questions and staying involved. The evidence that sealants prevent tooth decay is overwhelming.

what works?

Sealants and Two Minute Turtle Timer

Lesson #6 The Truth Behind Caring for Your Child's Oral Health

Lesson #6: Should you Wait Before Filling A Cavity?
This is possible: reversible tooth decay.

Sometimes Waiting is Best.

A scenario: Our dentist sees a small cavity.  She gives me the option of filling the cavity or waiting.   My instinct was to fill it as soon as a cavity was spotted so it doesn’t get any larger.  

Not all cavities need filling. In fact, at their earliest stages, cavities can be stopped so they don’t advance beyond the outer layer of the tooth Cavities on our teeth may actually “remineralize”, disappear on their own, with good oral care. The first layer to wear away is the enamel. It can take 4 years from the first lesion til the cavity progresses to the next layer of the tooth and needs to be filled.

How to stop a cavity? Be a Cavity Cop--and arrest it! When a child brushes twice a day with fluoride, for 2 minutes, and is not high risk on the risk assessment, the cavity may never progress. So when a dentist “keeps an eye on the cavity for the next few visits”, this is another key time to be diligent toothbrushers and flouride -rinse users and to avoid sugary foods. Sometimes waiting is best.

For more great reading on this hopeful topic of oral health care go to the new oral health report:

http://www.dentaquest.com/pdfs/reports/reversible-decay.pdf/

Sometimes being passive -waiting and watching -really is the best policy. Take a lesson from adorable sheep.