Are Children Being Confused Provided with Several Arms to Fight Cavities?

Are Children Being Confused Provided with Several Arms to Fight Cavities?

Feb 01, 2020

Children and adults are both given information that brushing and flossing are the best ways to prevent cavities on their teeth. They are also told that fluoride treatments can help to battle cavities and prevent them from developing. Thereafter information is provided that dental sealants will act as a raincoat over the teeth to prevent cavities from developing. Are we giving children too much information than they can digest too soon? Are they being led into a state of confusion over which information they should accept as authentic? Let us look at the differences between the three methods that are promoted as effective for preventing cavities.

Brushing and Flossing Is an Ongoing Exercise

Brushing and flossing is a regular oral hygiene routine that every adult and child must follow to keep their teeth clean, remove bacteria from their tongue and have brighter and whiter teeth that will allow them to smile properly. The exercise is also effective to remove the buildup of plaque and tartar in most parts of the mouth. However, problems can arise when plaque between the teeth along with food particles begin to create decay and cavities in their teeth. Brushing and flossing cannot reach every nook and corner of the mouth leaving some debris behind that can lead to the development of cavities and it is to strengthen the enamel of the teeth children are recommended fluoride treatments.

Aren’t Fluoride Treatments Effective to Prevent Cavities?

Fluoride is a natural mineral available in numerous water sources and trace amounts of fluoride have also been added to drinking water. Dentists are also providing professional fluoride treatments both for children and adults. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to fluoridated drinking water and many are simply ignoring the need for professional fluoride treatments leading to recommendations being made by dentists and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that dental sealants may be the best way to protect kids from the problem of cavities.

Can the Authorities Provide Any Evidence about the Effectiveness of Dental Sealants?

A study conducted by the CDC revealed that dental sealants can prevent 80 percent cavities for two years after it is applied. The protection continues against 50 percent cavities for up to 4 years and the sealants can remain in the mouth for nine years. Approximately 43 percent of children in the age group of 6 to 11 presently have dental sealants in their mouths with most children being from higher-income households.

Children from low-income households were less likely to have sealants as compared to the children from the other group. Children without sealants in the school-age group have nearly 3 times more cavities than children with sealants. Experts have confirmed that dental sealants are the most conservative non-invasive treatments in dentistry to confirm they are the best as a preventive measure against cavities.

The Application of Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are applied in a quick and painless procedure. The dentist needs to clean and dry the tooth before applying it with an acidic gel to roughen it up. After a few seconds, the dentist must rinse the acid gel and dry the tooth. The tooth sealant can then be applied onto the tooth fissures and also use a blue light to harden the sealant. The procedure is quite simple and painless but the dentist must ensure that the tooth is fully dry before applying the fissure sealant because any errors in this regard can result in failure of the application.

Many people have complained about dental sealants not being as effective as claimed but reports are also available to prove that the sealants had not been applied properly with the major defect lying in insufficient dryness of the tooth before the application. Therefore the complaints can be attributed to human error and not because the sealants were ineffective in any manner.

The dentist in Burlington regularly offers dental sealants to children as well as adults and does not hesitate to even offer sealants for sensitive teeth. Sealants are a safe and effective method of dealing with cavities as it has been proven by the CDC and the numerous children that have them in their mouths. Even the few discussions about dental sealants being harmful because of the presence of BPA have been rubbished because the exposure of the saliva to BPA peaks in about three hours after the application and is negligible within 24 hours.

Different types of information being provided to children can indeed confuse them leading them to wonder which treatment they should prefer in their battle against cavities. However, children and their parents are both suggested to place their trust in dental sealants which have been confirmed as the best and most effective method of battling cavities.

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