Sealants for Kids: When Did Your Dentist Recommend Them?

Is there any risk if the sealant goes on before the tooth is fully in? I keep worrying it’ll trap something underneath or just pop off. The insurance thing is confusing too… ours only covers it once per tooth, and I’m paranoid about “wasting” it if it doesn’t last.

I totally get where you’re coming from on the insurance thing. Ours is the same - one shot per tooth, then you’re on your own. When my son’s first molars came in, our dentist was all for sealants right away, but the teeth weren’t fully up yet. I hesitated and asked a million questions because my biggest fear was that food or gunk would get trapped under there, and we’d end up with a hidden cavity.

The dentist explained they only do it when the whole chewing surface is visible and dry - if there’s still gum covering part of the tooth, they usually wait. But honestly, I still made them double check before they did it. I’ve heard stories from friends where sealants popped off within a year, but in our case, they’ve held up almost three years now. Still, I was super paranoid at first and kept checking his teeth every time he brushed.

About the taste/texture thing - my daughter is super sensitive too (she gagged during a regular cleaning once), but she actually handled the sealant better than expected. She said it tasted “weird and plasticky,” but it was over pretty quick. The hardest part was getting her to keep her mouth open long enough for everything to set. They used some kind of flavored cotton roll that helped distract her a bit.

One tip: ask if they have different flavors or if she can pick one herself. Our office had bubblegum and mint, which gave my daughter at least some sense of control. If your daughter’s anxious, maybe practice at home with holding her mouth open for a count of ten or something - sounds silly but it helped us.

I definitely worried about “wasting” our coverage too soon, but so far so good. If anything happens down the line, I guess we’ll just cross that bridge when we get there... but I’d rather deal with that than another filling!

That’s interesting about the flavored cotton rolls - I wish our office had those. I remember my youngest was so nervous about the whole thing, she almost backed out at the last second. I think the waiting until the full surface is visible is pretty standard, but sometimes it feels like every dentist has their own timeline. Did anyone here ever have a dentist recommend reapplying a sealant if it popped off early, or did they just say tough luck with insurance?

Did anyone here ever have a dentist recommend reapplying a sealant if it popped off early, or did they just say tough luck with insurance?

In my experience, most offices will reapply at no extra charge if it comes off within the first year or so - especially for kids. Insurance can be hit or miss though, and sometimes it depends on how recently the sealant was placed. I’ve definitely seen families frustrated when the policy doesn’t cover a redo. Out of curiosity, did your dentist talk about why it might have come off? Sometimes wiggly kiddos or chewing ice can make them pop off sooner than expected.

Insurance can be hit or miss though, and sometimes it depends on how recently the sealant was placed. I’ve definitely seen families frustrated when the policy doesn’t cover a redo.

That’s definitely been my experience too - insurance is just unpredictable with this stuff. I remember my niece had a sealant fall off after only a few months, and her dentist didn’t even charge for the reapplication, but insurance wouldn’t cover it again so soon. It made me wonder if there are certain foods or habits that make sealants more likely to fail? Anyone ever get advice on what to avoid after getting them?

I’ve had sealants put on my grandkids’ molars, and I noticed the dentist always mentioned sticky candies and chewing ice as things to avoid. My daughter laughed because her youngest was obsessed with caramel at the time - guess who lost a sealant after Halloween? It’s tricky because kids aren’t exactly careful eaters. I also remember the dentist saying not to chew on pens or hard objects, which I never thought about before.

Insurance is a whole different headache... One time we had to pay out of pocket for a redo because it hadn’t even been six months since the first one. I get that policies have rules, but it feels unfair when it’s something as unpredictable as a sealant popping off. I do think some kids just have more trouble keeping them on, no matter how careful they are.