Tooth sealants

[Chaoster]

Has anyone had their kids teeth sealed? Took our 8year old DS to dentist yesterday, dentist says DS should get his teeth sealed. They even called today to see if we decided to do it. Is it safe? They want $22 a tooth for four molars.
Is it worth doing?

 

[trip]

Yes, it is worth it. Best dental decay prevention since flouride!

It is safe, my 3 DDs had it done (the oldest one is 35) - no cavities in their molars!

 

[sjms71]

Both my kids had them, done our insurance paid for it. Not sure if it's sealants, good oral hygiene or both but DD 12 and DS 10 have no cavaties!!! I'd do it even if I had to pay for it.

 

[r&kmommy]

Yes worth it! My ds will get it in December. I remember getting it done as a kid... my brothers and I never had cavities, and good teeth do NOT run in my family (mom and dad have bad teeth lol)

 

[minnie1928]

worth every penny, definitely get it done!

 

[IndianaPrincess]

YES! I kept getting little cavities as a kid, even though I was good about brushing. My dentist told me that they were all in the grooves of my molars where the tooth brush can't get into. I had no more problems after I got sealants!

 

[ceecee]

Sealants are worth it as some kids have deep grooves and it is next to impossible to keep them clean. Most insurance will cover them at least once one the permanent first molars. I have seen some dentists who do them on deciduous teeth, which I think is a money maker for them. Tooth decay is not as common as it was when some of us where kids. Fluoride in the water as well as at the dental office also helps.

 

[scrapquitler]

It seems to have worked for my children Our pediatric dentist says that if she notices the sealant not adhering properly, she will redo it for free. Good thing too, since my DD had to have one tooth redone twice. But so far, no cavities on any sealed molars (and they cost me about $50 each, not the $22 that the OP mentioned)

 

[Sadie22]

Safe, worth doing, recommended. It may have to be redone over time and may not prevent cavities entirely but it helps. I think most insurances pay for it now. It was still considered experimental when ours first got the sealants.

Sealants on baby teeth are important as well as these teeth maintain spaces for the adult teeth. Premature loss of baby teeth can lead to shifting teeth and the need for braces later on.

Personal experience -- ten pieces of penny candy from the candy store in town every week -- six decayed baby teeth pulled at age six -- full braces. Many crowns and one implant today.

 

[baby]

The dentist must first breakdown the tooth surface. Acid etching of the teeth with phosphoric acid
is performed to produce holes in the enamel surface, which allows the sealant material to adhere.

 

[gymboqueenkaylee]

my daughter has them on her molars (just got 6yo molars so they will be getting sealed in 2 weeks before her retainer/space maintainer is put in). I think they are awesome too. We are hypervigilant about teeth brushing and flossing, etc and sealants just give us a little extra security. My insurance does not pay for them so I pay out of pocket for them and I don't mind.

 

[christygobar]

very worth it!! I grew up with sealants on my molars and now I am in my 30s and have never had a cavity in my life. I am a testament to the long-term results of them haha.

I will do them for my kids too. Totally painless procedure and inexpensive for the result. I think mine used to last 3-4 years before redoing.

 

[MEM]

Has anyone had their kids teeth sealed? Took our 8year old DS to dentist yesterday, dentist says DS should get his teeth sealed. They even called today to see if we decided to do it. Is it safe? They want $22 a tooth for four molars.
Is it worth doing?

Yes, yes, yes! Worth every penny and $22 a tooth sounds like a bargain.

 

[DeniseinNS]

My daughter had them done when she was 7, it is well worth getting done!

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Absolutely worth it! Honestly, Adults should get them too - insurance just doesn't cover it past childhood so most people don't ask. It really it isn't that expensive.

 

[dhdozier]

Another yes here. This is so funny that the conversation came up here, just Sunday I was talking about this procedure with a group of friends who also had their children's teeth done.One point we all agreed on was that since my family is on well water with no flouride, it is extra needed.

 

[mjkacmom]

Yes!

 

[bear_mom]

I was at the dentist yesterday and the hygenist commented that I still have most of my sealants (one came off in high school due to a Now or Later).

Definately worth it.

Emily

 

[cats mom]

Has anyone had their kids teeth sealed? Took our 8year old DS to dentist yesterday, dentist says DS should get his teeth sealed. They even called today to see if we decided to do it. Is it safe? They want $22 a tooth for four molars.
Is it worth doing?

Yes to have had it done
Yes to safe
Yes to worth doing


Many dental insurance plans cover at least part of the costs of sealants, so be sure to check on that. But even if you have to pay for it yourself, $22 per tooth sounds like a bargain price to me. Our insurance is one of the cheapie plans that doesn't cover sealants at all, and I paid waaay more than that, even with the dentist supposedly discounting his price since we had to pay out of pocket. Maybe I should have shopped around a bit more.

 

[Big_Disney_Fan]

Yep, is a small cost now that your insurance might pick up v.s. a fillings later and all the trauma. My 8 yr old just had it done, and it took no more than 10 min.