Getting adult dental sealants to prevent cavities and save money

I’m in my 20s and keep good dental hygiene. But a couple of years ago, for the first time in my life, my dentist found cavities.

He said it was probably because food was getting stuck in my molars. He said my teeth had rough grooves and sticky food like raisins or potato chips might not be removed by brushing alone. He suggested I get dental sealants to fill in the gaps to prevent cavities.

At the time I was skeptical. I wrote an open-ended post about it should I get sealants to share my thoughts–I was surprised to see the 30+ comments it sparked!

At that time, I wasn’t sure about putting plastic on my teeth and taking an elective procedure. I decided extra dietary and hygiene lifestyle changes should be pursued first.

That was two years ago. I have spent some time thinking, and long story short, I decided that sealants were a good choice for me.

I put my thoughts into action last month and I got eight dental sealants. I want to share a bit about why I did this, the cost of the procedure, and how I feel now.

Why I did this: the case for sealants

The first thing is I realized that I trusted my dentist. He has been my dentist for years and he’s never suggested anything unnecessary. So I did take it to heart when he suggested I get dental sealants.

But skeptic that I am, I did my best effort to corroborate this. I asked friends and learned a few of them had gotten it as kids. They said it was painless, it helped prevent cavities, and it lasted for over 10 years.

I think did some web research and saw that dental authorities also back sealants. Notably the American Dental Association says sealants are safe and effective for kids and adults

I then observed my own teeth for a while. I wondered whether food was getting stuck even after brushing. I discovered that my dentist was right. Whenever I ate raisins, or almonds, or potato chips, the food would get stuck in my molars. It would get wedged deep and wouldn’t be removed by brushing alone. I occasionally resorted to using a toothpick or metal pick to get the food out, but this was annoying and wasn’t sustainable (was it even safe?).

My irregular-shaped back teeth put me at risk for developing cavities, and that meant more fillings. That really got me thinking since I hate getting fillings, and I worried about my teeth eroding away.

Dental sealants looked like a good option. The only thing left to consider was the cost.

The cost of a dental sealant

It can vary whether dental sealants are covered by insurance. Some times they are, and some times they are not.

For me, it was not covered so I was especially interested in the costs. It was important to consider the cost of a sealant that would prevent a cavity versus a filling that would “treat” a cavity.

I soon discovered that sealants were much cheaper. The general numbers I found are that that dental sealants cost about $35 to $60 per tooth. compared to getting non-mercury cavity fillings that can cost $150 to $200.

Since a sealant can prevent a more expensive cavity, this decision made sense financially.

(I am happy to share my costs to back up these ranges. My costs were middle of the line, with dental sealants costing around $50 and fillings $175.)

The procedure of getting a sealant: a patient perspective

So now, on to the procedure. The first thing I want to say is that it was almost painless. It was much easier than getting a cavity filled. The second thing is that it was pretty quick. I got sealants on eight teeth and my total time at the dentist was 30 minutes.

The procedure goes roughly as follows. The dentist first cleaned the relevant teeth to prepare the tooth for the sealant. Then he applied an “etching” material to kill any bacteria and dried it off. I had to keep my tongue away from the tooth and they kept my mouth dry with the saliva-sucking suction tool.

Lastly, he applied the sealant which comes from a tube and used a curing light for about 10 seconds to dry it off.

This whole thing was repeated for each tooth so I kind of got the hang of it.

All in all, not too bad.

How I felt after

This was the only tricky part about the whole thing. The sealants were noticeable when the dentist checked my bite. It felt a little weird since the sealant is a foreign object.

It was kind of like having some food stuck on my tooth. But I got used to it quickly and now I don’t notice it at all.

The other difference is cosmetic. My teeth look a little different now. The sealants are noticeable if you look carefully.

I tried to take a before and after picture, but failed miserably (it was harder than it sounds!). I did, however, find a webpage that has a perfect before/after comparison.

Check out the picture on Dr. Dan Peterson’s page about dental sealants. You can clearly see the sealant as the white material filling in the gaps and fissures.

Besides the cosmetic difference, everything else was normal. I felt pretty normal by the time I got home. I was able to eat right away.

And the best part: the food was not getting stuck (as much) on my back teeth! Yes, it still stuck but I was able to brush it away easily.

I’ve had the sealants for about a month now and I am happy overall.

The sealant brand that my dentist uses

I thought it might help to know exactly what was put on my teeth (I regretted not asking before the procedure).

The brand my dentist uses is Embrace WetBond Pit and Fissure Sealant. My dentist said this sealant seems to stay on the teeth longer. I have no knowledge about various brands, but if you’re a dental professional, feel free to educate us in the comments.

I checked out the sealant description page for a little more information. I am happy the website reports 99 percent caries free in 6-years in clinical results. I was also relieved to see the sealant does not contain bisphenol-A which has been linked to obesity, abnormal brain development, thyroid dysfunction, and possible cancers (weakly). There’s good reason a lot of companies are taking this out of their products.

I am happy to avoid these known risks and have something currently believed to be safe.

My personal opinion: go for it!

I have been happy with this experience overall. Sealants were easy to get, they were not very expensive, and I could see results right away. I would highly recommend talking to your dentist about sealants to see if it’s a good option.

And the usual caveats apply: I am not an expert and I am just one person. I cannot say how other people have felt about sealants but I would like to find out more. I certainly had a hard time finding information when I was searching.

So if you’d like to help others, I’d ask you please share your knowledge in the comments. Anyone get sealants as a kid or an adult? Did anyone try to get sealants but was rejected by their dentist? Did anyone have a bad experience with sealants?