Do dental sealants ever wear off? my 12 year old son is going to have sealants put on his back teeth, and i'd like to know if they ever wear off. does the mean he'll never have to worry about cavities back there?

As : As with any restorative material placed in the mouth, dental sealants can wear and chip. You should have them evaluated at least once a year to make sure they are intact. If damaged they must be fixed as any leakage can cause decay under the sealant. Sealant are a great way to maintain the health of the chewing surfaces of back teeth.

Sealants : Sealants just cover the top surface of the tooth and help prevent cavities. I certainly have many patients who get sealants but then they get cavities between the teeth because they do not floss and eat many sticky substances. So you still could get a cavity because the sealant does not cover in between the teeth. Most teeth when they first erupt the enamel is still not fully developed so sealing the tops of the teeth greatly reduces the risk of getting a cavity. Most cavities on my adolescent and teenage patients are on the top surfaces of either the 6 or 12 year old molars. Sealants will not last forever but can be reapplied when they begin to wear. If they are put on the right way it could last ten years. Generally i hope the sealants hold up until the teeth are fully developed. It is any easy procedure for most of the children.

The : The lifetime of sealants can be determined by the oral hygiene kept by the patient. Under healthy conditions sealants should be changed every 1 1/2 yrs to 2 years, their coefficient of resistance to normal chewing forces is lower than regular restorations. Therefore if not changed, brittle or cracked sealants can harvest bacteria demineralizing the enamel causing caries. I hope this short information will help you understand sealants. Best wishes of good luck!

Sealants: The sealants need to be placed immediately after the teeth erupt. Since this is impossible it is best to monitor these teeth for actual decay. I have seen too many teeth with "intact" sealants at 25 that end up with root canals. If you can get a good seal with them the bacteria convert from sugar loving to protein loving and attack the tooth under the sealant anyway.

Yes: Dental sealants help reduce the risk of developing cavities on the biting surfaces of teeth. They can’t prevent 100% of cavities from forming. They do wear off or come out from time to time.

Not foolproof: Dental sealants are not foolproof. They reduce that chance of getting a cavity on a sealed tooth by about 80%. Sealants only protect the chewing surface (the most common area to get a cavity on permanent molars) not in between teeth. Sealants can also get pulled off if you eat sticky foods. Generally if a sealed tooth does get a cavity on the chewing surface it tends to be small and easy to fix.