Pediatric Dentistry of Redlands

Sealants are a thin plastic covering that helps protect the grooves of your child’s teeth. You may wonder why the pediatric dentist is recommending putting sealants on your child’s baby teeth, especially because they are going to fall out any way. Sealants are important because these baby teeth hold the place for the permanent teeth. Therefore, you do not want their teeth to fall out sooner than expected or to be extracted due to extensive decay.   Sealants should be placed on molars and premolars due to the fact that there are deep grooves in these teeth, called “fissures.” The grooves on the teeth can trap food and be difficult for your children to remove all of the food from the surface. The longer that food stays on the teeth the higher risk your child has of decay.   While the molars and premolars are recommended, your dentist may also recommend placing sealants on the chewing surfaces of other teeth.   There is no time like the presen...

  A sealant is a thin plastic coating that protects the deep groves of the teeth. When placing sealants on your child’s teeth it does not hurt. It only takes a few short minutes to get all of the surfaces protected.   Usually sealants are placed on the pre-molars and molars however, sometimes they are recommended for other surfaces. The sealant can only be seen if you are looking very close and should not alter your child’s bite.   The color is generally white but may have a tint to it depending on the type of sealant used.   Usually, Dr. Fuller will recommend placing sealants at your child’s regular visit after their molars and premolars have come in. In order to place the sealant on the teeth, first the surface will be cleaned with a specific paste. Then an acidic solution will be placed on the surface of the tooth. This allows for a rougher surface to be created in order for the sealant substance to stick. Once this is done, the se...