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

[geek]

Don't do it. My dad is a dentist and sealents take away from my inheritance.

 

[mhsjax]

OP I didn't read thru the whole thread, so don't know if this has been mentioned.
but the sealants are best for molars with deep grooves, more prone to cavities.
I am also trying to decide on them.
but not for monetary reasons. our insurance covers them.
our pedi dentist doesn't push them, thank goodness.

but the whole bpa thing bothers me, so i have been researching it

This was my daughter, she and I both have deep grooves on our molars. I also have 2 boys and not once has my dentist ever mentioned sealants for them. I did have my daughter done because the only 4 cavities I have ever had in my life were on those molars with deep grooves.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

I did it due to a long line of bad teeth.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Interesting responses already, I had no idea. My brother and I didn't have them and I don't know anyone that does. I only have one cavity.

Happy to hear everybody's answers. Anybody else good or bad feedback?

I am 38 and my brother is 35 and we both had sealants but on our teeth as children. I have never had a cavity and my bother has had one.

I had sealant put on all 4 of our kids teeth. Our insurance covered 80%.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

I guess we must be a family with good teeth. Neither dh nor I have had a cavity and the kids (16,15,10) have never had cavities. Last visit the hygenist gave me a pamphlet about sealants for the 10yo---I figured this was a "new thing" in the office as sealants had never been mentioned before.

We'll see what they say this time. I don't feel the need, based on family history.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

"talk" you into it It should be something that is done. That procedure has been out for many years now & has shown it does really work. My kids are 23, 21 & 17. They all got them at a young age and have had very few (maybe 1 or 2) so far.

 

[Samar]

I had sealants put on a few of my adult teeth. I was dealt a crappy mouth. I hope to do so with my childrens as well eventually. I do not know if the insurance covers it but IMHO the benefits (for me personally) have outweighed the risks.

 

[aprilgail2]

My insurance didn't cover them but I didn't have to think twice about having them done on my daughter. There is no way I would NOT do it.

 

[Goofygirl17]

Our insurance doesn't cover sealants but DD10 had them put on as soon as her permanent molars came in. DD7 is waiting for her last two to come in and is scheduled to have them put on in June.

I think they are definitely worth it!

 

[MK2thcleaner]

Do it! Think of a molar-where you chew-as an english muffin, with lots of nooks and crannies-bacteria and food stick in those little places and even a toothbrush cannot clean out-so over time you get a cavitiy. a sealant is a piece of cake to put on for the kids-just keep the tooth dry. So when we check the kid's chewing surfaces, instead of falling in the nooks and crannies, we can 'ice skate" across the chewing surface.
If it's not done, then the child needs to have a filling, doesn't last forever-everytime it needs to be redone, more tooth has to be taken away for the new filling. Anesthetic, drilling, ugh. A little prevention now-I know it is costly-but even at 50.00 depending on your area, if you had to pay for a filling- your copay from insurance-you may be at more than 50.00.
You still have to floss-sugar can decay in between the teeth.

I'm a hygienist. Everything you've touched on is what I wanted to say. The bolded being the most important. If you're not in dentistry, you have an amazingly wonderful understanding of it. NICE JOB!

I read a study that reported that once the enamel on the tooth has been cut, the average expense of restoration of that tooth throughout the patients lifetime is $5000. A possible scenario is: tiny filling -> small filling -> big filling -> root canal -> crown -> extraction -> implant. It's scary really. Let's just keep all those teeth intact and pristine. I promise, us dental professionals will still have work if decay ceases to exist!

Now for my routine PSA:
XYLITOL. Chew xylitol gum or use mints. It's good for you and kills the bacteria that causes cavities. The lack of that bacteria is why some people tend towards no cavities, and having too much bacteria leads to excessive decay. The bacteria is transmissable. Parents give it to their kids, husbands to their wives, friends to their friends. Xylitol should be the first ingredient in the gum or mints to be most effective, and you need several exposures daily. Chew for at least five minutes or let the mint fully dissolve. Mentos Gum (minty kinds only), icebreakers ice cubes and tic tac chill mints are the common ones, but for those that want to stay away from aspartame there are products in health food stores that are just as effective. Just check the labels! MOST IMPORTANTLY, keep the xylitol products away from the dogs. It can kill them because they can't process the sugar alcohol the way we can.

Oh, and for those whose kids have ear infections, xylitol can help with that too. Same bacteria causes the problem in the ears. Companies make pacifiers with reservoirs for a xylitol syrup for the infants to suck.


Off my soap box. . .
Okay, now GO FLOSS!

 

[tinkarooni]

"talk" you into it It should be something that is done. That procedure has been out for many years now & has shown it does really work. My kids are 23, 21 & 17. They all got them at a young age and have had very few (maybe 1 or 2) so far.

I personally think that anything "done" to my kids should be up to DH and I, so I am researching. It is not a procedure that I am familiar with so I did not want to be pushed into making a decision, which the hygienist tried to do. At this point we haven't made a decision and really aren't leaning one way or the other...however.... just to play devils advocate here, everyone who has had sealants doesn't really know how many cavities they would have had without them, so for me it is something to consider. Now a person whose family has clearly had a bad history with cavities may be even more concerned. I am 38 and have had only two very small cavities, my DH 39 and has had none. My kids 11 and 9 have had none. None of us have had sealants. So is it really necessary for my kids or is it something else foreign in their bodies that isn't really necessary? It's not a money issue it's an "is it really necessary" issue. Thanks for your input.

 

[kirstenb1]

I personally think that anything "done" to my kids should be up to DH and I, so I am researching. It is not a procedure that I am familiar with so I did not want to be pushed into making a decision, which the hygienist tried to do. At this point we haven't made a decision and really aren't leaning one way or the other...however.... just to play devils advocate here, everyone who has had sealants doesn't really know how many cavities they would have had without them, so for me it is something to consider. Now a person whose family has clearly had a bad history with cavities may be even more concerned. I am 38 and have had only two very small cavities, my DH 39 and has had none. My kids 11 and 9 have had none. None of us have had sealants. So is it really necessary for my kids or is it something else foreign in their bodies that isn't really necessary? It's not a money issue it's an "is it really necessary" issue. Thanks for your input.

This is us too. Our dentist has never even suggested sealants for the kids. They do get flouride treatments since we have well water. But dh and I have great teeth, few cavities. Sealants seem like a great preventative measure, but our dentist has not recommended them so far.

 

[Retye81]

I never got them as a kid and neither did my two brothers and none of us have ever gotten a cavity. We were all horrible brushers as kids too. I honestly probably won't get them for my kids when we have them.

 

[wdw_girl_18]

I had sealants when I was a child and have never had a cavity in my life. My mom never allowed us to chew sugar gum or suck on sugar mints, so I'm sure that had something to do with it too. But now a days (as opposed to 15 years ago) it seems that almost all gum is sugar free which is great!

If you can afford sealants, I would get them put on your kids teeth!

 

[bunnielly]

I'm sorry you feel that she was "hard selling" it to you but is it possible she thinks it's a great product and was trying to convince you b/c she thinks she's right?

 

[tinkarooni]

I'm sorry you feel that she was "hard selling" it to you but is it possible she thinks it's a great product and was trying to convince you b/c she thinks she's right?

Possibly, however as a customer I told her that I would discuss with DH and get back to them, she should have stopped than. Anything after that in my opinion was the hard sell. I didn't like being put on the spot....it's like that with anything.....a couple weeks ago the cashier at Barnes and Noble tried to get me to join their Book Club like it was a life or death proposition......
No means no people.

 

[Haley/Hayden Mom]

Yes the title is right. I have sealents on my adult teeth and my insurance will not cover it on adults but it was only around $48 OOP for 2 of them and I told my dear DH that look it's cheaper to get these then have to pay the deductible if I have to get fillings. Oldest DD also just got sealents on all 4 of her back molars. Ins covered hers though and I would so much rather pay that than the prices we are required to pay for fillings. We are too busy saving up for the caps that have to be put on 2 of her teeth since they came in too small and the braces to help correct that too when she goes into 6th grade.

 

[tinkarooni]

Yes the title is right. I have sealents on my adult teeth and my insurance will not cover it on adults but it was only around $48 OOP for 2 of them and I told my dear DH that look it's cheaper to get these then have to pay the deductible if I have to get fillings. Oldest DD also just got sealents on all 4 of her back molars. Ins covered hers though and I would so much rather pay that than the prices we are required to pay for fillings. We are too busy saving up for the caps that have to be put on 2 of her teeth since they came in too small and the braces to help correct that too when she goes into 6th grade.

Ahh yes....braces.....a whole different can of worms. DD9 has already had her first round of braces due to a really bad cross bite. So far DS11 has managed to escape them.....only time will tell. If you have a health flexible spending account you can use that for braces too.

 

[DVCsince02]

I guess we must be a family with good teeth. Neither dh nor I have had a cavity and the kids (16,15,10) have never had cavities. Last visit the hygenist gave me a pamphlet about sealants for the 10yo---I figured this was a "new thing" in the office as sealants had never been mentioned before.

We'll see what they say this time. I don't feel the need, based on family history.

Hello to another Delaware mom.



We just had sealants put on DD6's teeth a few weeks ago. She has deep grooves and I was already prepared to get them.

I watched the whole time she had the sealants done. Once the tooth was cleaned and dried, the sealant was painted on and pushed into the grooves with a small tool. Then the "blue light" was placed on the tooth and the sealant hardened in seconds. A bit of clean up to make it smooth and perfect and then the next tooth. Just a few minutes for each tooth and done.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Possibly, however as a customer I told her that I would discuss with DH and get back to them, she should have stopped than. Anything after that in my opinion was the hard sell. I didn't like being put on the spot....it's like that with anything.....a couple weeks ago the cashier at Barnes and Noble tried to get me to join their Book Club like it was a life or death proposition......
No means no people.

If you don't want sealants for your family that's your choice. But to compare your dentist to some fluncky at the bookstore is ridiculous. Your dentist is an educated and highly trained doctor that is looking out for the best interest of your family's dental health. Sealants were found to be benficial in maintaining a person's dental health by the American Dental Association and the FDA many years ago. They are not trying to sell you some insignificant book club membership.