Tooth sealing in children – useful or not?

Teeth are important and yet not immune to diseases that damage the tooth structure and can lead to tooth loss. If you have children and take regular dental examinations at your dentist, you will have already heard of the possibility of sealing teeth. It is said that tooth sealing supports the preservation of teeth and should minimize the risk of caries. Is that really the case? Is tooth sealing worthwhile for your child? At what age does the procedure come into question and can milk teeth already be sealed? We’ll deal with these questions in this article.

What is tooth sealing?

No tooth is perfectly even. Run your tongue over the occlusal surfaces of the molars, feel indentations. These so-called fissures can be so pronounced that you can easily clean the recess with the toothbrush. Other recesses are so narrow that cleaning does not work. Bacteria now have an easy game, settle in the fissure and lead to caries. This is where tooth sealing begins. The occlusal surfaces of the molars are covered with a plastic alloy and are more resistant to bacteria. This sounds positive at first glance, but the seal protects

• not before tooth decay in the interdental spaces,
• not before dental caries,
• not the front teeth,
• no already treated and filled teeth.

For these reasons alone, the effectiveness of tooth sealing is controversial. The seal certainly seals the furrows and depressions in the occlusal surfaces of the molars, but the rest of the tooth remains exposed to the bacteria without a barrier. Some doctors even go so far as to say that the knowledge of the seal leads to the Schlendrian and especially children and adolescents no longer bother with careful dental hygiene. The sealing can also only be carried out on the occlusal surfaces of the molars, the front teeth remain unaffected. Molar teeth that have already been filled in advance are also not sealed.

Who is the seal for??

In the end, you can already have your child’s milk teeth sealed. Just keep in mind that milk teeth rarely develop caries on the chewing surfaces, but mostly the interdental spaces are affected. It is more advisable to take care of the protection of permanent teeth. The motto here is that freshly pushed teeth are much more susceptible and should be sealed within six months if possible. If tooth decay is already present, it must be removed thoroughly. At the same time, the adjacent healthy teeth can be sealed. However, sealing is less worthwhile for older adolescents who have never had tooth decay. Here doctors assume that young adults as well as older adults have such excellent oral hygiene and solid tooth structure that the risk of caries is relatively low. In summary, you should deal with the topic if

• Your child gets the first permanent teeth,
• has not yet reached adulthood,
• already had tooth decay – protection of the posterior teeth.

Who pays the costs?

In fact, the statutory health insurance companies cover the cost of a tooth seal under certain conditions. However, the acquisition only applies

• for children and adolescents up to the age of 18,
• on the sealing of permanent molars.

If you want milk teeth to be sealed, you have to bear the costs yourself. Depending on the dentist, fees of 15 – 25 euros per tooth apply. Keep in mind that the durability of the seal is limited. The plastic protection is estimated to last for up to fifteen years, after which it has worn out to the point where it loses its protective effect completely. Repeating the sealing again in adulthood is possible, but it is discussed rather controversially.

How does tooth sealing work??

At this point you and your child can breathe a sigh of relief. The procedure is uncomfortable, but the feeling is limited to opening the mouth longer. In the first step, the dentist cleans the teeth to be sealed so that no bacteria are trapped beneath the barrier. Now the dentist slightly roughen the tooth surface and apply an acidic gel that prepares the tooth for sealing. After a contact time of up to one minute, the gel is removed and the sealant applied. The mass hardens under UV light, is then polished and checked and the procedure is complete.

Sense or nonsense – the decision

If your child is just getting his first permanent teeth, it is definitely worth it. The older your child gets, the less the sealing pays off, if only because the teeth have already proven to be resistant – or have developed caries. The additional protection of milk teeth, however, is not advisable.

However, keep one thing in mind: Dental hygiene is inevitable even after sealing and is the only real protection against tooth decay. Inadequate dental hygiene inevitably leads to tooth decay in the interdental spaces and on the teeth that do not have a protective layer. If you also make this clear to your child, then the effort of sealing could be worthwhile.

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