Dental Sealants, Fillings & Crowns Explained

Dentist trips can be very stressful.  Even more so if you are going with your child.  The dentist can throw a lot of different things at you and it is sometimes overwhelming.  There are lots of things that can be confusing. Crown vs filling or whether or not to get dental sealants.  We all know to have our children brush their teeth twice a day and to floss at least once.

Dental Sealant

Children between the ages of six to fourteen are in the prone cavity years.  This is when they are most likely to get a cavity. Cavities or tooth decay are permanently damaged areas of the tooth due from plaque buildup.  Making sure your children brush their teeth twice a day and floss can help prevent cavities. Sometimes though the crevices in the premolars and molars can be very deep.  This can make it very easy for plaque to build up in those areas. A solution your dentist may suggest is a dental sealant. This sealant is a thin plastic coating painted on to the teeth.  Usually the premolars or molars. The sealant can help prevent food from getting stuck into those deep crevices, such as sticky foods like fruit snacks. The sealant can also help prevent tooth decay.  The sealant though it can chip away will last for about ten years. The dentist can apply this in the office in a few minutes. The dentist will dry off the teeth and then the sealant will be painted on each tooth.  

What is the difference between a crown and a filling?   

A filling is the removal of the decayed portion of the tooth and then the tooth is filled in over the area that was removed.  A crown or dental cap completely goes over the tooth. These are usually used when the tooth has a very large cavity.  Your dentist will know which one is better. The most common reason to have a crown instead of a filing is if the infected area is just too big the crown slides right over the tooth so no drilling has to be done.  Fillings will last for about ten to fifteen years. There are different materials that can be used for both a crown and a filling. When a filling is done, first the dentist will numb the tooth area, then they will drill out the decayed area of the tooth and fill it with the synthetic material.  

There are a bit more steps that go into getting a crown, first your tooth will get cleaned and filed down so that the crown can fit over the whole tooth.  After the tooth is filed down the dentist will make an impression of the tooth so that a crown can be made to fit your tooth. While you are waiting for your permanent crown, your dentist will put on a temporary crown.  Once the permanent crown is in then your dentist will have you come back and the temporary crown will get taken off and the permanent one will be placed. Your dentist will know what is best.

Healthy Teeth Tips for Kids

There are some top dental tips for children.  Make sure they brush and floss. Make things fun.  And make sure to check your kids teeth after they brush.  Eat your veggies, and skip the sugary snacks. Though that’s hard the sugary stuff can wear down the enamel.  Also make sure you go to your dentist regularly and follow up if there are any concerns or issues. The dentist can be scary so make sure to ease your child’s nerves so that they aren’t nervous to go to the dentist. And start when they are young so they get used to it.  Healthy tooth hygiene is very important.

Key Points

  • 1Cavity prone years are 6 to 14 years old.
  • 2Dental sealant can help prevent cavities on the very back teeth of children.
  • 3It is important to have kids brush their teeth twice per day and floss regularly.

Sources:
medicinet.com


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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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