Dental Sealants Help

Between 45 million and 55 million dental sealants are applied each year in the U.S., with pediatric dentists performing more than twice as many procedures as either general dentists or dental hygienists. 

For many middle-class parents whose children do see the dentist, the problem is that the subject of sealants may not even be raised.

Some dentists, mostly those who treat few children, might be leery of sealants because they can be tricky to place, or because they didn’t learn to use them in dental school

But many do children do need sealants. Recent studies have shown that boys in higher-income homes had the greatest prevalence of decay.

For those who do require sealants, they may mean the difference between a lifetime of healthy teeth and the pain and health risks of chronic decay.

90 percent of decay in the adult is on the biting surface on the back tooth.

He’s touting the benefits of sealants in part so that more parents will know to ask about them.

Not only children need sealants. Adults can benefit too. The cost is often covered by dental insurance.