the Price of Dental Sealants

Because my 10 year old son had been having a lot of issues with cleaning his teeth, I asked his dentist if dental sealants would help. Like most kids, my son has to be nagged to brush his teeth, and the dental hygienist has even scolded him about how much plaque was building up on his teeth. But since that didn't seem to be working, I thought I would try dental sealants, since friends had told me this procedure helped prevent their kids from getting cavities. The dentist gave me information on the procedure. He said it was not a cure-all for not brushing your teeth, but that it would provide some protection. He said that once the sealant was applied to the teeth the child must not eat sticky taffy candy or anything like that because it would ruin the sealant finish. The price of $150.00 was for application of the sealant to all of the teeth, and he was able to do it, with the help of the dental hygienist, in one visit.

I was satisfied with the service because the dentist did not try to make any claims of miracle properties of the sealant. He was realistic and made sure to tell my son this was not an excuse to skip brushing his teeth. The sealant was applied quickly - we were out of the clinic in half an hour. The dentist did say that eventually the sealant would need to be reapplied, and that was not included in the price. We paid the full price because we did not have dental insurance, so I don't know if that would have been covered. But if the sealant prevents even one cavity, it will pay for itself.

Ask if this is covered by dental insurance because it may be. Be sure the dentist or hygienist explains to your child that even with the sealant they still need to brush their teeth. Make sure your child doesn't chew any sticky taffy candy or the sealant will be affected. The procedure is 100% painless, so be sure your child knows this ahead of time so they don't chicken out of having it done. Find out if you need to get a reapplication of the sealant at some point.