Yeah, I totally feel this. My dentist brought up sealants for my kid, but honestly, the price made me pause. I mean, if you’re already on top of brushing and regular cleanings, sometimes it feels like you’re just paying extra for peace of mind. Plus, my teeth have survived decades with just a toothbrush and floss... not perfect, but hey, still chompers.
My dentist pitched sealants for my kid too, and I had that same “wait, how much?” moment. It’s like… do I want to pay for a plastic forcefield on molars, or just trust in the ol’ brush-and-floss routine? I survived the 90s with nothing but grape bubblegum toothpaste and a prayer, so sometimes I wonder if we’re just getting upsold.
But here’s the thing—my own teeth have a couple battle scars from cavities in those deep grooves. When my daughter’s first molars came in, they looked like little canyons. Step one, I tried to up my game: made sure she was brushing with me, flossing, all that jazz. Step two, I asked my dentist if sealants were really worth it or if they were just the dental version of rustproofing at the car dealership.
She broke it down pretty simply: sealants are like putting saran wrap over just the parts of teeth where gunk loves to hide. Not a guarantee, but less risk of “surprise, you need a filling!” down the line. We ended up doing them for her back teeth (just the ones with those crazy deep grooves), and honestly, insurance covered more than I expected. Still not cheap, but less than a filling.
I totally get the “am I being paranoid?” feeling though. My cousin skipped sealants for her kids—one’s never had a cavity, one’s had two fillings before age 10. Total roulette. I guess for me it was about reducing my odds of sitting through another “your kid needs Novocaine” appointment. That’s not fun for anyone.
Long story short: yeah, maybe it’s partly peace of mind…but also partly me being lazy and hoping to avoid future drama. If your kid’s got those deep grooves and your wallet can swing it (or insurance helps), it might be worth it. But hey, plenty of us survived on nothing but hope and Colgate... so who knows?
I used to think sealants were a gimmick, honestly. But after decades of fillings and root canals (don’t get me started on the cost), I’d do anything to spare my grandkids that hassle. Sure, brushing and flossing matter, but those grooves are sneaky. If insurance helps, I say go for it. I wish they’d been around when I was a kid... would’ve saved me a lot of drilling.
