Difference between a Dental Sealant and Dental Filling
If you wonder whether you should protect your child’s teeth with dental sealants or fillings, you must spare some time to understand both treatments before proceeding further. Understanding which is beneficial and harmful for your child’s molars helps make an informed decision and prevents unnecessary expenditure.
Children and adults develop cavities because of the lack of proper oral hygiene. Brushing and flossing undoubtedly help prevent cavities by removing food particles and plaque on the teeth and between them. Unfortunately, your toothbrush doesn’t reach all areas of your mouth, making it challenging for you to eliminate plaque entirely.
Plaque remaining on and between your teeth feast on food particles and deposit acids to cause enamel erosion leading to cavities developing on your teeth. Dental sealants and fillings help protect your teeth and that of your child to prevent cavities from developing or safeguarding the teeth from further damage when the holes develop.
Difference between Sealants and Fillings
Dental Sealants
Dental sealants are an optional treatment you can provide your child when their molars develop at six and 12. Sealants are a persuasive measure against cavities, and the therapy merely requires a few minutes in a comfortable and non-invasive process.
If you decide to get your child dental sealants in Detroit, MI, the dentist you visit cleans and dries your child’s molars before applying a durable plastic coating over them and hardening the sealant with ultraviolet light. The aim of getting dental sealants is to create a smoother surface on the child’s molars with deep pits and fissures to prevent the entrapment of articles for mouth bacteria to enjoy. The treatment is incredibly affordable, costing nearly $ 30-$ 60 per tooth but providing immense benefits. Sealants are effective against 80 percent cavities for two years after an application, and the protection continues against 50 percent cavities for another four years. Sealants remain on the teeth for nearly a decade, although they need monitoring during routine dental appointments because of their susceptibility to chipping and breaking.
Children are prone to cavities because they favor sugary and sticky foods and are not diligent with dental hygiene practices. Most importantly, sealants prevent cavities from developing, ensuring that your child’s teeth remain intact.
Dental Fillings
If you decide not to get dental sealants near you for your child and one fine morning your child complains of toothache and the inability to eat or perform other tasks, you have no options but to visit a dental offices near you to determine what’s wrong with your child’s teeth.
If you visit the dentist in Detroit with your child, the dentist will likely examine your child’s tooth for cavities and recommend dental fillings to restore the permanent damage. However, the dental filling process is not painless or comfortable because the dentist must numb the affected tooth, drill out the damaged tooth structure, and clean and disinfect the hollow space before preparing it for a dental filling.
Dental fillings cause discomfort and pain and prevent your child from having food for three to four hours until the anesthesia wears off. Fillers are also more expensive than dental sealants, although they act as a measure to restore the damaged tooth. Therefore you must make an informed decision on whether your child benefits from dental sealants or fillings soon after their molars develop.
How to Determine Which Option Is Beneficial?
Forty-three percent of American children having dental sealants on their molars are less likely to develop cavities than others without sealants. Dental sealants are an optional treatment to prevent tooth decay in children’s and adult’s mouths. Adults can also consider getting dental sealants so long as they have unrestored teeth.
Unfortunately, dental fillings are not optional and become a necessity to restore permanently damaged teeth from your mouth bacteria. Leaving a cavity untreated creates more damage exposing you to extensive dental treatments at high prices. Therefore you must consider both options carefully before arriving at a decision.
Whether you or your child has dental sealants on the molars or not, brushing and flossing remains an essential requirement that you cannot overlook. Visiting your dentist for routine exams and cleanings, besides helping remove plaque and tartar from the teeth, also permits the dentist to monitor the sealants and reapply them if required. However, if you have chosen to ignore dental sealants in favor of dental fillings, you must maintain the fillers appropriately and replace them whenever necessary throughout your life.
If you favor dental sealants for your child, we recommend you visit My Detroit Dentist to get this affordable, simple, and painless procedure that helps prevent the need for fillings by a large margin.