Dear Dentist: What's in those Sealants?
December 7 
My children were handed this pamphlet at the dentist last week. It's a basic tri-fold number discussing the merits of dental sealants. It attempts to cover the basics: What are sealants? When should children get sealants? How are sealants applied?
Although this might have passed muster ten years ago, doc, you've omitted a critical piece of information. Nowhere in this pamphlet is the question addressed: of what are the sealants made?
From the post-WWII period up through the blythe '90s, we were a society that felt pretty good trusting science, technology and innovation. But poor regulation of big chemical companies and a toothless* FDA has me feeling like a paranoid crank.
In Julia's Child I make the joke that the days of secret ingredients are over.
"But remember when it was perfectly acceptable to advertise a secret sauce? Remember that?"
"That was before the finger-in-the-chili days, wasn't it?"
Secret sauces and mysterious dental fixitives are over for me. Many dental sealants are made with BPA. I know more than one parent who has rearranged the kitchen to eliminate BPA lined cans and water bottles only to find the same ingredient in the dentist's office. How long will it take before the publishers of chipper dental pamphlets understand that things have changed? A page has been turned. If you want my interest in your product, it's no longer sufficient to show me smiling children with healthy teeth. I'm going to need a little more information.
*I crack myself up.
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Reader Comments (5)
For the record-you crack me up too! Dental sealants are a tricky issue. On one hand you have your children's teeth to protect. On the other you have BPA being given directly to your kids-through their mouth! There is no easy answer .......You are right-the information needs to be front and center so parents can make an informed decision. Thanks Sarah.
Thanks for sharing such useful information. The information provided is very very niche and this information is not available so easily. Therefore I thank the writer for the useful input.
Acai berry
I make it a point to ask my dentist about them sealants. I make sure that they are mercury free on which is hazardous.
cheap orthodontics
I have no knowledge about sealants until I read this post. It's pretty interesting and I think I'll find out more about this when I get to visit my cosmetic dentist in New York this weekend.
That’s a very sensible question to ask. It’s better to be knowledgeable about something before trying it out. Sealants, basically, are plastic coatings applied to the teeth to protect them from tooth decay. It is part of a child’s total preventive dental care. It is made up of a plastic substance, Bisphenol, which is not hazardous to the child’s health.