Guest guest Posted March 23, 2002 Report Share Posted March 23, 2002 Our middle daughter had the sealant and walla! few years later the dentist said they needed to be done again. Same dentist that said her teeth were perfect with the first sealant and walla! with the second sealant her second eyeteeth hadn't come in (perfect?), were in her gums sideways, primary needed pulling and extreme orthodontic work to pull down secondary which hasn't worked yet. Go with diet. Wish I had half the knowledge I have now when my older children could have benefitted from it. Wanita At 08:09 AM 3/23/02 -0500, you wrote: >I was wondering what ya'll think about sealants on kids' teeth. My >dentist has been wanting to put sealants on my kids' 6-year-old molars >ever since they got them--probably partly because that is just what they >recommend, but also because my kids have had such bad problems with >cavities. However, it seems like so far my kids' permanent teeth have >been o.k. (except my son--now age 9-- has a cavity in a 6-year-old >molar--but I am wondering if it may have remineralized since he was att >the dentist, since it has been over a year since he was at the dentist, >and the only thing I can notice about any of his 6-year-old molars when I >look in his mouth is what looks like a small filling and it is possible >that he might have had a filling there in the past that I just don't >remember). I did let the dentist put one sealant on my oldest child, but >I have an appointment to put 2 sealants on my next child who is now 11. >Basically, I was figuring that I couldn't afford to put 4 sealants on, 2 >is less plasticy stuff in her mouth than 4, and I would just tell the >dentist to pick the two most deeply grooved and/or stained of her >6-year-old molars to put the sealants on. But now I am getting cold feet >about doing it, wondering if it would be wise or not. We are going to >have to do something with straightening this child's teeth and probably >my son, too, and we don't really have the money to do all that either. >Her appointment to get the sealants done is this coming Tuesday, so if I >decide to cancel I will need to do it on Monday. > >I'd be glad to hear anyone's opinions on this--pro or con. > >Thanks. >Bonnie in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 23, 2002 Report Share Posted March 23, 2002 Bonnie, My mouth is full of fillings. Most are composite now, but I do have about 4-6 more mercury amalgams to be replaced. Due to my own history of decay, our two older children had sealants applied to their permanent molars. Neither has had any decay. Before (now 20) had sealants, the dentist said she had a cavity but when he started to fill it, he discovered there was no decay but in fact it was a deep crevice. He filled it anyway, aargh, so does have one pinpoint filling. Sealants were applied to her teeth by another dentist soon after that. Ben had sealants applied as soon as his permanent teeth erupted. He has no fillings and his teeth are perfect as are 's. I think sealants are one of those risk vs. benefits decisions. The initial expense af applying the sealants has been reaped many times over by having no subsequent cost involved in treating decay. The average child in America has 10 fillings by age 16 and most (I think it's like 84%) of those are from fissure/crevice decay which would probably be prevented with application of sealants. The sealants are made of the same materials used in composite fillings, so if a child does have decay that must be treated, they'll end up with the same material in their mouths anyway. I personally would rather have something painted on my teeth than to have my teeth drilled to remove decay and then have the same or a similiar material put in as a filling. Here are a couple of sites. One is an alternative dental site and the other the CDC site. From Preventive Dental Health Association " Non-Toxic Dentistry: Preventing Cavities with Sealants " " When you go to the dentist insist on sealants for your children, and never accept the mercury leaking fillings or cancer producing fluoride for your children or yourself. They are environmental blunders left over from the last century and have no place in a health conscious twenty-first century. Raise your children and grandchildren free from decay so they never have to worry about the tooth decay damage and toxic problems of the past. " Link to Recommended Reading: HOW TO SAVE YOUR TEETH With Non-Toxic Preventive Dentistry http://emporium.turnpike.net/P/PDHA/health/sealants.htm In considering the risks associated with the use of sealants, the panel evaluated both the possible systemic and local effects of the procedure. No systemic toxicity from the clinical use of sealants has been reported. The sealants currently classified as acceptable or provisionally acceptable by the Council on Dental Materials, Instruments, and Equipment of the American Dental Association contain no known toxic materials or carcinogenic agents. Sealants have also received favorable evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration. The chemical compositions of resin formulations used for sealing developmental pits and fissures are similar to, or the same as, monomeric resins that have been used for other dental purposes for many years. http://text.nlm.nih.gov/nih/cdc/www/40txt.html#Head5 Hope that helps. ine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 23, 2002 Report Share Posted March 23, 2002 Sounds more like a dentist problem than a sealant problem. Our children have had the same sealants for 12+ years with no problem. ine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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