Teaching children to practice daily brushing and flossing is essential to their dental health. But children are usually not successful at thoroughly cleaning their teeth. This is especially true of their molars, the back teeth used for chewing, that have uneven, rough surfaces where bacteria hides.
Sealants provide an excellent way to help prevent cavities by keeping teeth clean. This process applies a thin, protective coating to the chewing surface of molars. When combined with brushing and flossing, sealants prevent tooth decay and stop cavity development.
Pediatric dental care is very important as a foundation for your child’s lifelong oral health. The Centers for Disease Control released a 2016 report indicating that using sealants on children’s teeth helps reduce the risk of decay in molars by nearly 80%. Although only 43% of children between the ages of 6-11 have undergone the sealant process, the CDC acknowledges that the remaining 57% of school-aged children without sealants, “have almost three times more cavities than children with sealants.”
Keeping your smile healthy well into the future starts with creating healthy at-home habits followed by regular visits to our Kansas City Dentist twice a year. To learn more about your treatment options, call Drake Family Dentistry to schedule your next cleaning and examination.
