Prior to preschool, dental health is a fairly easy part of the parenting. After all, a parent has a number of real advantages when it comes to kids dental health, such as:

  • Ability to control all food intake
  • Can help/supervise oral hygiene practices every day
  • Permanent teeth have yet to come in

It is in the years before preschool that a parent has the most control of a child and dental health care in the home. However, once children begin going out into the world and attending school, eating meals away from home, and listening to outside influences-well, it becomes far more difficult to prevent common dental problems like:

  • Tooth decay
  • Gingivitis
  • Halitosis

Prior to the age of six when the adult molars come in, any dental health and oral hygiene mistakes can be forgotten. However, once those permanent teeth fill the oral cavity, any lapses in pediatric dental health care will lead to more severe and expensive consequences. Unfortunately, it is at this very age when a parent begins losing control and the child starts brushing their own teeth and taking control of their own destiny.

Although the development of autonomy is important to the mental growth of a child, the fact remains that dental health and oral hygiene tend to be issues that many preschoolers fail to fully understand. As a parent, you know there are potentially devastating consequences should good oral hygiene practices fail.

By the time a child matures to the point of realizing that healthy teeth are not a guarantee, it can be too late. A mouth full of rotten teeth can cause severe embarrassment and cause your child to regress socially and withdraw from activities setting the stage for a possible adult life devoid of its full potential.

For these reasons and to better control your kids dental health, you may want to ask your dentist about sealants. A sealant is a revolutionary dental health product that is basically an invisible layer applied to the teeth. When in place, the layer will help prevent cavities for approximately 4-5 years and give you more peace of mind.

Of course, sealants are not alternatives to good oral hygiene. However, they may protect teeth long enough for the child to mature and realize the importance of dental health and oral hygiene on their own. Thus, sealants may very well help you protect your kids dental health so that they mature into adulthood with a perfect set of teeth. This is possible because despite the fact that a single application of sealant will only last about 5 years, another application can be administered as they are entering adolescence-a very dangerous period for your kids dental health!

Because the formation of plaque on teeth is one of the principle causes of gum disease, sealants can also help in the prevention of other common dental problems. Because sealants are only applied after the adult molars come in, they provide peace of mind when sending your child off to preschool so that dental health will be one less thing you will have to worry about.