Dentist NYC: Dental Sealants

What are dental sealants and why do we use them?

Dental sealants are made out of a resin material that is applied to children's’ teeth in order to prevent cavities in the deeper grooves. It goes on as a liquid, and is cured using a special light to form a hard surface that is similar to tooth colored filling materials. They are used to seal the deep grooves that are found in children's’ teeth to prevent cavities from forming.

Who should get dental sealants?

Generally, only children get dental sealants however, on rare occasions they may be recommended for adults. At Sachar Dental NYC, we evaluate our pediatric patients to see if they have deep grooves within their teeth. If they do, we recommend applying sealants an early age. Since baby teeth do not get sealants, we start with children at around age six, when their adult teeth start to come in. Only molars and premolars get sealants, as these teeth have deep grooves sometimes, and the other do not. In summary, all children that are evaluated and found to have deep grooves within the adult molars and premolars, should get sealants.

Which teeth get dental sealants?

Dental sealants are utilized to prevent cavities within deep grooves within the teeth. Therefore, only molars and premolars get dental sealants as they are the ones that have deep grooves, and the others do not.

Do baby teeth get dental sealants?

Baby teeth do not get sealants. We only applied dental sealants to the adult teeth in children. Sealants do not bond very well to baby teeth.

How is dental sealant applied?

The first step in applying dental sealants to children's’ teeth, is to clean and disinfect the biting surface of the tooth where the grooves are. The next step is to apply a liquid, flowable bonding material onto the biting surface of the teeth and into the grooves. The bonding material is then cured using a special light in order to make it hard. The next step is to polish the sealant and check the bite alignment and adjust it if needed.

Sachar Dental NYC - BPA-Free sealants only!

At Sachar Dental NYC, our philosophy has always been to use the least toxic dental materials possible. Most dental sealant materials contain BPA, which is a carcinogen (cancer causing agent) and an endocrine disruptor. At Sachar Dental NYC, we only use BPA-Free sealants. BPA-Free sealants cost us more, and are more technique sensitive to apply, however we feel very strongly about this ideology. We do not pass on this increased cost to our patients. As always, we treat our patients like we would treat ourselves or our families, and only put in their mouths, what we would want in ours.

Proper home care for children with dental sealants

Having dental sealants does not change the home care for children. They brush as they normally would without sealants. There is no difference in their routine.

Do I need dental sealants removed?

Dental sealants do not need to be removed. If we notice in rare cases there is wear, we will reapply it to fill the groove.

Cost of dental sealants in Midtown Manhattan, New York City?

For children up to age 18 years old, most PPO dental insurances cover the cost of dental sealants at 100%. At Sachar Dental NYC, our charge for dental sealants is $100 per tooth. We will bill your insurance so that you have nothing to pay upfront.

Why are we the best NYC dentists for dental sealants?

At Sachar Dental NYC, we only use the least toxic materials including BPA-Free sealants for our pediatric patients. We only put materials in our patients mouth that we would want in our own. BPA-Free sealants are technically more difficult to work with, and we have extensive experience applying them to our patients. Our success rate for sealants in our pediatric patients is extremely high. This is due to our extensive experience and knowledge of the application. It is critical to identify deep grooves and clean them such that bacteria is not trapped under the sealants, which can lead to cavities in the future.

When your child gets their permanent teeth, and their baby teeth have fallen out, you should bring your child in for an examination to see if they are a candidate for dental sealants. If your child does have deep grooves within their teeth, sealants will help to prevent tooth decay, and allow your child to have healthy cavity free teeth for life.