When thinking about a child and dental health issues, the most obvious threat has to be tooth decay. A lot of progress has been made in recent years to help curb the number of cavities that the average child develops. For instance, there have been dramatic improvements in dental health products such as toothpaste made with fluoride and specialized toothbrushes designed to get into those hard to reach crevices. However, one of the most impressive innovations to come about in the fight against common dental problems like cavities is called sealant.

 

Cavities are caused by bacteria-not food or sugar. A kids dental health is threatened when these bacteria begin feeding upon food particles that accumulate in our mouth in between meals. If those particles are not removed using good oral hygiene and specialized dental health products, then the bacteria will produce an acid. The acid is actually a by-product of feeding but it is what causes the destruction of the tooth enamel that protects our teeth from rot and decay. Once the enamel is compromised, a cavity and other common dental problems (such as halitosis) become inevitable.

 

Sealants can complement and improve dental health and oral hygiene practices by protecting the teeth against the bacteria responsible for causing cavities. Actually a protective coating, a sealant prevents the bacteria and food from settling in the crevices and recesses in the teeth. Molars towards the back of the mouth are particularly vulnerable but even these easy targets are protected when a sealant is applied.

 

A dentist will not apply a sealant until the back molars have come in-usually around age six. A typical treatment will help complement other dental health products in the fight against cavities for about 5 years. The procedure is painless and can be repeated without problem once the original sealant wears off. Once in place, sealants do not require any additional maintenance on the part of the child and will continue to help protect the teeth against common dental problems like cavities until wearing off.

 

Unfortunately, the vast majority of the public is unaware of the benefit of using sealants to improve their kids dental health. Only about a third of all children have sealants in place despite the fact that they not only help prevent cavities-they have even proved effective in treating cavities that have already started to form (the cavity will not become worse because bacteria will not be able to make it worse).

 

If sealants were used in all school-aged children to help protect teeth into adulthood, then the startling statistics of the number of kids with cavities before the age of 19 would be lower. However, as things currently stand, cavities continue to ruin dental health in our youth and the most current statistics are:

• 50% of all children aged 6-12 have had tooth decay problems
• 68% of adolescents below the age of 18 have already had tooth decay
• Only 33% of children currently have sealants in their mouth

 

So, if you are worried about child dental health and want to prevent cavities from forming, ask your dentist about sealants and how they can truly make a big difference. To stop cavities before they start, you need to kill the bacteria that causes the cavities.