Are Dental Sealants Safe?

Dental sealants in raliegh north carolina are a common preventative treatment placed on the occlusal surface of molars and premolars. Most patients who get sealants are children whose adult teeth have erupted through the gums but adults who are prone to decay can also have sealants placed as an extra measure to prevent a buildup of bacteria.

An etching material is used to help roughen up the surface of the tooth so that the sealant is able to stick to the tooth after it is cured. Once the sealant is in place, you will not notice that your tooth ever felt rough. The sealant is applied as a liquid which is cured with an ultraviolet light and hardens into a plastic covering. This covers the grooves and fissures on the posterior teeth.

Concerns have arisen over the years regarding bisphenol A, or BPA, in these plastic dental sealants. BPA is a chemical compound found in plastics that has been found to mimic naturally occurring estrogen in laboratory animal studies. The concern is that continuous exposure to low doses of environmental estrogens such as BPA can lead to an increased risk of diseases such as certain cancers.

While BPA is a common ingredient in polycarbonate plastics, it is not in the composition of dental sealants. There is one sealant product that has shown evidence of BPA but the source of that is a product of the chemical breakdown of an ingredient when mixed with saliva, resulting in slightly increased amounts of BPA in the saliva that lasted just a few hours and was undetectable after 24 hours.

A more considerable source of exposure to BPA comes from polycarbonate food containers such as milk jugs, water bottles and infant bottles. Even this amount is well below the tolerable levels of our daily intake and exposure to BPA through dental sealants is considered a rare event.

The potential for exposure to BPA is so acute and rare that there is no scientific evidence that is able to show any association between sealants and any other adverse health conditions. Any possible presence of BPA is temporary and is low enough that it is well below the tolerable levels. The benefits of dental sealants are so much greater than any possible risk that it is better to have sealants than not if you are a patient at risk for cavities.

Your dentist can review the facts with you and help you determine if sealants are the best choice of treatment to help you prevent decay in your teeth or in the teeth of your child. Taking preventative measures early on can ensure that your child’s teeth develop healthy and well and for adults, can greatly reduce the risk of decay. Treatment is always more costly than prevention so while you may have to shell out some out of pocket cost, it will be a significantly smaller amount than having to get a bunch of fillings or crowns in the future!

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