What do you think of molar sealing for kids (to prevent cavities)?

[madteaparty]

I don't trusts dentists, and have good reason for this.

This is the second dentist in 3 years to recomend the sealing. DS is almost 12 and other than needing some major orthodontia in the near future, he has healthy teeth. We have a decent diet and he has never had a cavity. What says the hive?

Edited January 22, 2016 by madteaparty

[maize]

We do them, but my kids are cavity-prone.

[Chris in VA]

We did. No harm, good benefit.

[1bassoon]

I had it done when I was younger, I think it was the early 1980s and it was new technology. It has been wonderful for me.

 

We have all of our kids' teeth sealed.

[madteaparty]

We did. No harm, good benefit.

The chemicals they use to seal teeth, ok?

[melbotoast]

I haven't done any research on this, but it was covered by our insurance, so we had it done for DS recently. He's had one small cavity. I've never had a cavity but I do have sealants on my molars.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I think those sealants are great.  I always prefer prevention.  Just because your child hasn't had a cavity doesn't mean he won't get any.

[madteaparty]

I think those sealants are great. I always prefer prevention. Just because your child hasn't had a cavity doesn't mean he won't get any.

Oh I agree about the cavities I'm prone to them. Every dentist asks me how much coke I drinknand candy I eat (answer: none). It doesn't automatically mean the answer is sealants though :)

[Joker]

We had them for my cavity prone dd and we've had no issues ( no more cavities either). We didn't have them for other dd as she's had no cavities in her sixteen years.

[almondbutterandjelly]

I believe they sealed some of my dd's molars before braces, because those metal bands on the back teeth would trap food and whatnot.  I'm not opposed to sealants.

[Guest]

We like sealants. Very simple preventative care that does a lot of good for the price. They are definitely effective.

[Tess in the Burbs]

My son had a cavity EARLY in life.  When offered to do sealants I said yes.  Interestingly, this tooth's sealant had fallen out and he had a cavity.  Our teeth has lot of crevices compared to other teeth apparently and are prone to cavities.  I had a lot of them as a kid.  I sealed both kids teeth.  And the only tooth to lose a sealant got a cavity.  I think it's worth it since dental insurance pays for it.  Getting that cavity filled was DRAMA for my sensitive kid.  The dentist was pretty irked with his behavior that day.  If we had to do more I think she would have sent us else where LOL

[gardenmom5]

I can't imagine why someone wouldn't do sealing.  there are so many nooks, crannies, and crevacies on the tops of molars; they can be hard to clean.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We do them.  I am skeptical to the nth degree, but this I think really has been helpful.  My kids are not the greatest about properly brushing every single time.

 

 

[Vida Winter]

Sealants have worked great for my kids. I wish they had been available when I was young.

[itsheresomewhere]

We do them.  The last time we had them done, I asked for the BPA free one and he ordered it.  This has been a few years since we needed it so I don't know if they are all BPA free now or what.  

[momto3innc]

I desperately wish my parents had done them on me. My husband has them and I don't and we have had very different dental experiences. Obviously tons of other factors at work but we do them on our kids.

[MrsWeasley]

My oldest and youngest are very cavity prone, unfortunately. My oldest has sealants. All of my kids will. The have a trace amount of BPA, but so do composite fillings. They don't have mercury, like amalgams have. 

[kewb]

I didn't do them for my kids. I didn't feel it was necessary as we all have healthy teeth.

I might feel differently if we were a cavity prone family.

[Lawyer&Mom]

I had them done as a tween. I had my first and only small cavity at 27. Seems to have worked well, but I don't really have a control group... I would get them for my kids.

[Cindy in FL.]

We did some, but couldn't afford the $50 per tooth to do them all. I definitely would have done them all, though.

[KarenC]

All three kids have sealants and none have had a cavity.

[Arcadia]

Once the molars are the permanent set, sealants are useful if your family is cavity prone.

There are lots of choices for sealants. My parents and grandparents generation has mercury filled amalgams. It is a calculated risk.

 

I had sealant on my primary molars and secondary molars back in the early 80s. It was helpful in reducing the worry of cavities. My DS10 is prone to cavities despite brushing properly and had a metal cap on his primary molar. He would need sealant more than DS11 would.

[SKL]

I wasn't sure, so I'm glad for this thread.  Sounds like there isn't much of a down side.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

18yods was cavity prone as a child.  He had four cavities when he was four years old, and several more after that.  As soon as his permanent molars came in, we had them sealed, and he never got another cavity.  

 

19yodd never had cavities, but we had her permanent molars sealed as well.  She still has never had a cavity.

 

10yodd hasn't had her's sealed yet, but thanks for the reminder.  I'm gonna mention it to the dentist.

 

[ashfern]

I have them done for my kids as soon as they can do it. I wish I had it available when I was a kid. I had the metal fillings as a kid and had to get them redone (with composite) because of failure. I had to get a crown on one tooth because the original filling was too big to replace. I have one of the composites that is going to fail soon and will also need a crown because of the size of it. I will do everything in my power to prevent that for my kids.

[purplejackmama]

Oh I agree about the cavities I'm prone to them. Every dentist asks me how much coke I drinknand candy I eat (answer: none). It doesn't automatically mean the answer is sealants though :)

This is me!! I have the worst teeth, ever. My parents did all the preventative stuff but it didn't help. My hubby had none of this and he hasn't had a single cavity.

[tm919]

We did them, since I could already tell that keeping my daughters' molars clean was going to be chancy... really bumpy, stuff was getting stuff, etc. The insurance covered it entirely which I admit was a major plus in that decision.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

We do them.

 

 

Anything to help my kids keep healthy teeth.

[bibiche]

DS's dentist keeps pushing them, we keep refusing them.  DS  has not had cavities and has excellent oral hygiene.  He also used xylitol for a number of years.  I don't see the need for them (for *him*) and I don't like the idea of plastic in his mouth.

Edited January 22, 2016 by bibiche

[SebastianCat]

I had them as a kid and feel that they prevented a lot of cavities in my teeth, which have very deep grooves.

 

Both of my kids have had them with no regrets.

[kitten18]

My dd has them on 4 teeth and she's getting the rest of her molars done at her next visit. She has deep grooves in her teeth (like me).

 

Our dentist says ds doesn't need sealants, at least not yet. He doesn't have the deep grooves.

[AmandaVT]

We just did DS's permanent molars. We'll get his 12 yr ones done when they come in as well. If we can help prevent future cavities for a relatively quick and inexpensive procedure, I'm a fan.

[texasmama]

IMO, the benefits far outweigh any theoretical risks.  One son has a bad gag reflex and no sealants.  He ended up with three cavities in the molars that did not have sealants.  The other molar had not grown fully in.  When it does, it will be sealed.

[kroe1]

I guess I will be the one naysayer. There were multiple case studies of sealants failing after about 10 years. This would cause a minute bubble under the sealant material allowing bacteria to flourish increasing the risk of cavities. This risk would go away if the sealant was removed and replaced.

 

We chose to not do them, therefore, because I did not want to subject my children to future dental costs. Instead, we taught adequate brushing technique which has worked well even through braces. DS35 does not have a filling either. (He missed the recommendation for sealants.). DH and I have mouths full of fillings, yet, we were never taught good brushing techniques until adulthood.

 

Finally, I just had a nagging gut reaction about filing down the toughest substance in nature and replacing it with a simple polymer. It just didn't make good sense to me.

 

I may change my mind after sealed teeth make it to age 90 and do better than unsealed teeth.

[umsami]

As somebody who is facing paying for eight cavities in my 5 year old's molars, I say "do it!"

 

(We've done them with the older kids, and they seem to help.)

[Butter]

I'm a fan.  I've still got my sealants.  They were done when I was 8 or 9.  I'm almost 38 now.

[Caclcoca]

My husband's dentist sealed his molars when he was a kid.  He has never had a cavity, and his sealants are still there (30+ years later).  I have several fillings from childhood.  My teeth are awful.  I take much better care of my teeth than dh.  Since we are not sure which set of teeth our children have, we opted to have theirs sealed.  So far they seem to have his teeth - no cavities, but lots of orthodontic work.

[cjzimmer1]

Finally, I just had a nagging gut reaction about filing down the toughest substance in nature and replacing it with a simple polymer. It just didn't make good sense to me.

 

I may change my mind after sealed teeth make it to age 90 and do better than unsealed teeth.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by filing down the toughest substance.  There isn't any filing done.  It's just something they paint on top of the teeth. Takes just a couple of minutes to do four teeth.

[Random]

 

Finally, I just had a nagging gut reaction about filing down the toughest substance in nature and replacing it with a simple polymer. It just didn't make good sense to me.

 

 

There was no filing when my kids had their teeth sealed.  Just FYI.

[madteaparty]

I guess I will be the one naysayer. There were multiple case studies of sealants failing after about 10 years. This would cause a minute bubble under the sealant material allowing bacteria to flourish increasing the risk of cavities. This risk would go away if the sealant was removed and replaced.

 

We chose to not do them, therefore, because I did not want to subject my children to future dental costs. Instead, we taught adequate brushing technique which has worked well even through braces. DS35 does not have a filling either. (He missed the recommendation for sealants.). DH and I have mouths full of fillings, yet, we were never taught good brushing techniques until adulthood.

 

Finally, I just had a nagging gut reaction about filing down the toughest substance in nature and replacing it with a simple polymer. It just didn't make good sense to me.

 

I may change my mind after sealed teeth make it to age 90 and do better than unsealed teeth.

This is my issue. 

I go out of my way to avoid plastic, I store things in glass, etc. and now I am supposed  to coat my kid's teeth in plastic, permanently? Ugh. Decisions.

[Garga]

Sealants aren't new. I'm 43 and got them when I was a kid. (Ever so long ago...).

 

My boys have them. I don't think the dentist is trying to con you. I think it's pretty standard in dental care and in a good way, not in a money-grubbing kind of way.

[madteaparty]

Sealants aren't new. I'm 43 and got them when I was a kid. (Ever so long ago...).

 

My boys have them. I don't think the dentist is trying to con you. I think it's pretty standard in dental care and in a good way, not in a money-grubbing kind of way.

I don't think it's money grubbing either. I agree it is standard procedure but there are other standard procedures I don't agree or follow with my kids, such as hep B vaccine at birth and antibiotics for ear infections...

[chocolatechip]

Our dentist will recommend sealants more strongly for patients that have deeper grooves in the molars. This is me. Others in my family she has not suggested sealants for. She will also do them on adults. I like them. I could tell a difference in how much food got stuck in my molars before and after. 

[need2read]

I'm on the fence. I had all my molars sealed as a child, then went on to need all of them filled as an adult because the sealants fell out or wore away or something. I don't think my dentist was a great one so maybe they were just done poorly? I also didn't go to the dentist very often as a young adult. But I can understand the benefits if the molars are so deep that regular brushing can't clean in there. Although you can buy the Waterpik things and those could probably clean them out.

 

Sorry this is rambling. I guess my advice is that if you choose to have it done just make sure your kids know to see a dentist regularly later on to keep an eye on them.

 

 

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[flyingaway]

I wish I had gotten them as a kid. My husband did and what different experiences we have each had with cavities. I wonder if it was suggested to my parents and they declined? Something else I can be mad them about. (Laughing)

[foxbridgeacademy]

DH had it done as a child and has only ever had 1 cavity in his life.  DC have also had it done and I think it has helped a lot.  I never did (it cost $$ and we had no insurance)and I've had dental issues my entire life.  

Edited January 23, 2016 by foxbridgeacademy

[Arcadia]

I wonder if it was suggested to my parents and they declined? Something else I can be mad them about. (Laughing)

I was born in the 70s. The dentist suggested sealing the molars for me because I had cavities issues and motor skills delay issues. It was costly because my parents prefer to use a private dental office instead of the dental office covered by my parents' insurance.

It wasn't suggested for my cousins who are around my age group because of cost most likely.

 

ETA:

My molars were sealed when I was six.

Edited January 23, 2016 by Arcadia

[OnMyOwn]

My son's former dentist harassed me for so long about those da*n sealants, I told them I wanted it noted in his file that they were never to mention them to me again. Ever! They tried scare tactics "all the children that don't get them come back six months later with a mouth full of cavities" and guilt "now, why aren't we going to take care of Ds's teeth, this isn't fair to ds". This is a child who was 11 or 12 and the only cavity he'd ever had was on a baby tooth that had had a sealant put on it, which I didn't have filled because he was getting ready to lose it (though they would have loved to fill it). So, I was not going to spend $600 on sealants.

 

I've also had a dentist lie to me about cavities. I went to him to get a tooth repaired and he discovered all kinds of cavities, even though I'd never had any before. I don't know how many fillings I went in for before I caught him in his lies. The last time I went in, he told me I needed to come back for 2 more fillings and then that would be it. Well, when I went in for those, he must have forgotten he had told me those were the last two because he told me there were two more. I raced back to my old honest dentist and he said I did not have any cavities.

 

Eta: And I am not against sealants for children that need them, but my son clearly did not. It's been 5 years and he still hasn't had a cavity.

Edited January 23, 2016 by OnMyOwn

[38carrots]

I was just thinking to post the same question. I really don't like the idea of plastic in their mouth. DS has had only one cavity in his permanent tooth, and the dentist commented how well he brushes and that his teeth were unusually clean. Then she suggested sealants. I don't think I'll do them. I'm surprised to see how many have them done. An exception for me would be a child whose teeth were ruined my medication or illness.

 

As the OP I refuse or question many "routine" procedures.