How dental sealants can be an investment in a child’s future

Dental SealantIt is said that children are our future and it is true enough. Investing in their future, therefore is an investment in our own. Closer to home, you want children to have as bright a future as possible and a bright smile to go along with it, including the confidence and success reported to accompany it. Decline in oral health among children however, especially in lower income neighborhoods, presents some unique challenges in this regard. This is why dental sealants have come to the forefront of prevention in pediatric dentistry.

How preventive dentistry supercedes critical dental care

If anyone has taught us this lesson it is the dentist who treats children. Cavities, trauma and other conditions especially prevalent among our youth have more than proven the value of preventive dental care. Preserving teeth indeed trumps saving them. There is no contest. Perhaps the foremost preventive dentistry administered to children would be dental sealants which protect teeth from decay.

What are dental sealants?

What if you could protect a tooth by wrapping it with a protective shielding? Such is the case with dental sealants. This process involves a compound that will “seal” the grooves in teeth which are prone to food particles and bacteria, protecting teeth from cavities. It is commonly used on children at the time deciduous teeth are lost and permanent teeth come in.

60 percent of children not receiving sealants

In a recent report, the CDC claims that only 40% of children receive dental sealants, leaving an astonishing 60% without. Many are clamoring for children in low income areas to be able to receive sealants to protect their teeth and future. It is easy to see how lack of preventive dentistry in these areas can make for poor dental care and deteriorated oral health on into adulthood. This indicates significant room for improvement in overall oral hygiene by any standard.

Sealants are a simple solution to prevent dental issues

Despite the challenges of low income families, dentistry does not have to be neglected entirely. While costly dental procedures to repair damaged teeth may be an impossibility for some, starting children early with preventive dentistry, coupled good personal oral hygiene habits of brushing and flossing, can provide a bright future and a healthy, confident smile. Dental sealants are a simple way to achieve this and avoid issues which require more intervention such as cavities, lost teeth and the like.

Calling Dr Robert M Trager, DDS is a great start to proper and excellent child dental health. A professional with decades of experience in use of sealants and helping children avoid cavities and major dental issues, Dr Trager works to provide dental solutions for all ages, especially by use of preventive dentistry on our youth.

Visit Dr Trager at his JFK and Laguardia dental offices which provide all manner of dental procedures. Invest in the future of your family’s oral health with a visit today.