My dentist is trying to talk me into sealants for the kids.$$$

[My sister's princess]

Isn't that why we got to dentists and Dr.s? They are supposed to know what will keep us healthiest. I would think it was worse if he were trying to talk you OUT of them, so that he would have more business from you. As for a hard sell, if you were talking about not ever brushing your teeth I would hope he would hard sell you to do it.

FWIW I have them, and have never had a cavity.

 

[dreamin_disney]

just got my dd's 11 bill today. Hers were $56 per tooth and she had 6 done.
I have Delta and they dont pay for it. DH has atna and his covered it.

$$$ wise if your insurance covers it go for it. If not then it can be pricey. If your kids have good teeth and havent gotten cavities then dont worry about it just make sure they brush, floss and keep up with appt. If they are prone to cavities or dont do good at the dentist then get the sealants. Ask the dentist which teeth are must dos.Good luck

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We got them on our kids' molars. Insurance covered part of the cost - the dentist we like is out of network, so we always pay extra for visits, x-rays, etc. so we can keep seeing him.

 

[deerhart]

we have one kid getting it and one kid not. The difference being is that my youngest son has deep grooved teeth (like his dad) that are more prone to cavities. Thus the sealant is a preventive measure.

My oldest son does not have this and so they do not recommend the sealant yet.

 

[mrsklamc]

Isn't that why we got to dentists and Dr.s? They are supposed to know what will keep us healthiest. I would think it was worse if he were trying to talk you OUT of them, so that he would have more business from you. As for a hard sell, if you were talking about not ever brushing your teeth I would hope he would hard sell you to do it.

FWIW I have them, and have never had a cavity.

They are there to advise you, but not bully you. They also need to respect your decisions, even if they would advise something different.

 

[sjmmclark]

I am a hygienist in Canada. Usually sealants are only done on 6 year molars because they have deep grooves and pits that plaque can get easily trapped in and children around 6 years old when they get them until about age 12 or sometimes even older can be horrible brushers. Kids are notorious for rushing their brush and missing lots of places such as the deep grooves of their molars. Sealants are just like plastic coatings that go in the deep grooves on the surface of the molar and prevent plaque from being trapped their for bacteria to turn into acid and decay the tooth. Worth every penny with kids.

 

[C-CMom]

I think they're great - helped me and my children. My insurance did pay.

For what it's worth, did a quick search on research on their efficacy. The following is a bit technical but summary states that after review of available research that they do prevent cavities and these authors recommend:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...roller.PPMCArticlePage.PPMCPubmedRA&linkpos=4

The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends:

http://www.aap.org/oralhealth/pact/ch5_sect6.cfm

 

[doclegler]

I have sealants myself, and my oldest already does too. My ds(7) will be getting it in May, and my youngest will definitely have it when he's ready too. I really believe it saves those grooved back teeth! Our insurance covered all of it too. An easy, preventative treatment imho!

 

[Nette]

Our insurance (Delta Dental) will pay for them on PERMANENT teeth. So DD just got her first one on the 6 year molar that is now all the way in... Should get the other 3 done next visit.

 

[auralia]

they are SOOO worth it hubby got them and i didn't when we were children... he only has 1 cavity... i have 4 crowns, all my teeth are filled and they are all terrible (i am only 28 and have good oral hygean). I also had a very bad dentist as a child who filled teeth that werent bad so i don't know how many of my fillings were really nessicary but when i got married i had 5000$ of dental work staring me in the eye when i went to a new dentist, hubby ... nothing had 1 cavity in the last 9 years of marriage and none as a child and they have sence resealed his teeth. Please note only teeth that DONT HAVE CAVATIES CAN BE SEALED!

 

[DVCBELLE]

I had mine sealed and have never had a cavity. Well worth it IMHO!!

 

[FoundMyPrince]

Our children do not have them yet - they will for permanent teeth. I had them when I was a kid and still have a couple on my molars (they do break off over time).

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I was happy to have sealants put on my kids teeth, and I had to pay OOP. Anything to prevent cavities. They still have a couple, but since DH and I both have mouthfuls of dental work, I am glad to pay for their preventatives to keep that from happening to me. I wish they had sealants when I was a kid.

Oddly, at my last cleaning, they offered me a fluoride treatment just like the kids get. I had treatments when I was a kid, but none since then. They said that research has shown it is helpful for adults, too. It only cost me $27, so I went ahead and did it.

I can see not having sealants put on baby teeth, but can't imagine not doing it for permanent teeth.

 

[DeniseinNS]

Both of my kids have it done and it was 100% covered.

 

[Calliaz]

I *wish* I had gotten sealants as a kid. While I am also suspicious of the things some dentists recommend, sealants aren't one of them. We got them for our son and would have paid if we needed to pay. Luckily, our insurance covered it.

 

[tinkarooni]

Wow. I am totally surprised at how many postive responses I received. My initial gut feeling was that it was a rip off, but I think that had more to do with the way it was "presented" to me. I'm being polite too, it was definitely more of a "this is what we're doing" and not so much "what would you like to do". I'm not even sure if it was meant as a hard sell or perhaps just a taking for granted that people will want to know more details without just blindly agreeing, especially when it comes to their kids.

You guys have swayed me enough that I will buckle down and do some serious research. I obviously will also need to know what teeth they want to do, baby teeth would be silly for my kids who have had no cavities so far. My DD 9 is still losing hers while DS11 is getting his molars in, and than I'll call my insurance company myself and find out for sure what they will and won't pay for.

Thanks guys, you've been great.

 

[branv]

Please do it for them. I know there may be other reasons (teeth shape, genetics, etc), but all I can tell you is that I was the only one of my friends who didn't have sealants growing up, andI am also the only one of my friends who has had a ridiculous amount of cavities. Not sure why my parents didn't do it since my dad was the "brushing commando" (seriously, when we were younger we had to come show him our teeth before we went to bed ) I had like 11 cavities by the time I was 17. In the past 6 years I've had to get 4 crowns and a root canal (and one tooth has such a large filling it's getting weaker by the day). I've had to have all the old silvers removed and replaced, and some of them had developed more cavities underneath them due to expansion allowing in goop. It's been expensive and painful. DH also didn't have sealants as a kid and suffers more dental issues than friends who had the sealants. He had his first root canal at 14.

If we had kids you could bet your boopy I would do anything to prevent them from going through our issues.

Edited to say: Oops, sorry OP, looks like we were posting at the same time! Glad to read you're going to do them (but on that note, if you're not happy with the tactics of the office, I can totally understand moving on or saying something about it). Best of luck!

 

[JamesMom]

My DS7 and DS4 get sealants put on their teeth 2x a year but the insurance company only pays for 1x a year. My youngest had to get 2 crowns and a cavity filled when he was 3 under sedation so we aren't taking any chances! I guess he inherited my bad teeth. My oldest is cavity free (*knock on wood*) The treatment only costs $18 per kid at my dentist. Great for my peace of mind.

ETA: sorry, I saw sealants and thought 'floride treatment' doh! After reading the posts - it seems like a good investment and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase with or without insurance when the time comes.

 

[Minniemama350]

Had them for my two. We don't have dental insurance(many teachers don't down here), but it was worth the cost. We are skeptical about our kids needing braces, so I do understand your suspicions, but we are very glad we did the sealant.

 

[dzorn]

Got them for my DD. Insurance did not cover them but we did use our medical spending account.

Denise in MI