Dental Sealant Safe for Kids??

[sebrinaw]

I took my son to his first dentist appointment the other day, he is 4 years old. The dentist said he had a dark area on one tooth and she wants to put a sealant on it. She said it may or may not turn into a cavity, but just to be safe she wants to seal it. She said it wouldn't hurt him, no freezing or anything. So today I was checkin out Dr. Mercola's website and he said they are not safe. Here is a link

"Sealants: Avoid dental sealants for children, as they are potent cancer-causing xenoestrogens "

So I tried to do some research and found the same things on a few different sites. Does anyone have anymore info on this?
Thanks,
Sebrina

[SagMom]

Originally Posted by sebrinaw

I took my son to his first dentist appointment the other day, he is 4 years old. The dentist said he had a dark area on one tooth and she wants to put a sealant on it.

I'm interested in hearing more about the cancer-causing theory. We didn't consider sealants because I learned that the teeth needed to be etched prior to application of the sealant. It didn't seem logical to damage the teeth in order to apply sealant to protect them, kwim?

Since your son is 4 he'll be loosing that tooth in a year or so anyway, right?

[sebrinaw]

Yes thats the way I feel as well. I know some people say prevention is key, but we don't vaccinate our kids to prevent so I am questioning why I should do this. Can't seem to find much info on this.... Plus like you said this tooth is going to fall out. Plus neither my husband nor I has ever had a cavity so luckily for him he has some good teeth genes
Sebrina

[HyphenCBE]

Thanks for this topic. I've been lamenting the fact that sealants were never offered to me (I was told I had really deep grooves which left me more suseptable to cavities, but my dentist at the time didn't offer sealants). I wondered what age would be acceptable to get them for my girls, but I hadn't heard anything about them causing cancer.

I need to do more research. On one hand, I'm now having to go through the hassle of dental surgery because my teeth weren't sealed, but on the other hand, if there is proof of a cancer risk, then forget it.

Thanks again. I never heard of a cancer connection. Now pardon me while I head off into the great wide open expanse of the internet to see what I can find.

editted to add that I just saw your son is only 4. I've never heard of doing it for baby teeth. That really seems like a waste since they'll just fall out anyway. My new dentist told me that they seal when the 6 year molars come in and again with the 12 year.

[henhao]

I had sealants as a teenager. I'm 33 now and no cancer. In fact, I just got my first cavity this year.

[momto l&a]

I had sealants as a kid and because they didnt clean the canyons of my teeth well enough I have cavities in those teeth.

I wouldnt do sealants as I think thay have some type of hormone in them. Cant remeber where I read that, but being I have had problems getting preggo because of my hormones I makes me wonder.

IMO it just not natural

[farmer mama]

Wait a minute. Don't composite fillings also contain xenoestrogens? It is recommending composites instead of porcelain, ceramic and amalgam, but from what I have researched, composite fillings leach xenoestrogens as well. Too bad their aren't any completely safe choices.

[terrarose]

OK, I am sure following this one with interest.

My little guy was chronically sick pretty much from birth. We see a great naturopath and he is loads better but his little teth are rotting in his head. ( His siblings and I have fine teeth, BTW) Anyway, I waited as long as I could to take him to the dentist, he's now three. He is going to be put out and have some removed, some fixed and sealants put on.

I had never heard of the sealants causing cancer before. I really don't want to burden his lettle system with anything. His teeth are all rotting in his head though. This one is going to require some SERIOUS research.

Anybody know if there's any way to help move the xenoestrogen through the system?

[Devi]

Originally Posted by farmer mama

Wait a minute. Don't composite fillings also contain xenoestrogens? It is recommending composites instead of porcelain, ceramic and amalgam, but from what I have researched, composite fillings leach xenoestrogens as well. Too bad their aren't any completely safe choices.

Yes they contain the same ingredient: Bisphenol A - which is a carcinogen and hormone disruptor from what I gather.

There are Glass Ionomers which don't contain amalgam or Bisphenol A. That's what were going with.

FUJI makes one that they claim is as strong as amalgam.

[nancy926]

Not to freak anyone out, but BPA is in a ton of other things, including the lining of canned foods, plastic storage containers, baby bottles, water bottles, and anything made of polycarbonate.

And soy products contain phytoestrogens, which may act as estrogens in the body. So it's a matter of weighing risks and benefits for yourself.

personally, I eat soy products, have dental sealants, and drink water out of plastic bottles occasionally....and am okay with that.

There are sealant materials that don't contain BPA (like the glass ionomer mentioned by a PP).

[emma_goldman]

so I just read that glass ionomer cement has lots of flouride in it. LOTS. yuck. And it leaches slowly out into one's system. Check it out on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_ionomer_cement

ugh.

[yourreturn]

Most or All Dental Sealants Are NOT Safe

Hi Everyone,

Great topic. Let me explain why dental sealants are not safe. It has to do with the endocrine system.

Endocrine System
The endocrine system is composed of ductless glands that secret hormones into the blood stream to act at distant sites. Together with the nervous system, the endocrine system is responsible for the integration of many different processes which allow complicated organisms to function as a unit (maintain homeostasis).

Hormones
The most well known hormones are the sex steroids estrogen, produced in the ovaries, and testosterone, produced in the testes. Estrogen and testosterone are also produced in the adrenal glands of both sexes. Other hormones include thyroxin, produced in the thyroid, and insulin, produced in the pancreas.

Dental Sealants
So we obviously don't want our kids to be exposed to substances that are going to interfere with their hormones.

In this article, "In vitro Estrogenicity of Resin Composites"

The author's have the following to say, "Among the 24 composites, 6 products were estrogenic" Meaning sicks composite resins bound the estrogen receptors. Further, in these composites there are many chemicals, among 18 of those chemicals, the following had "significant estrogenic activity"

"1 photostabilizer, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzophenone
(HMBP), 1 photoinitiator, 2,2-
dimethoxy-2-phenyl-acetophenone (DMPA), and
1 inhibitor, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol (BHT)"

Also if you read more about dental sealants, do you know what happens to them after a few years?

Their wear out?

And where did all that dental sealant chemical go?
In you or your child's body.

Rami

[MilkTrance]

Interesting. I have had sealants applied when I was a child.

I haven't had any hormonal issues at all (got pregnant the first try), but that isn't to say I won't in the future...

[LaurelMadison]

Dental Sealant problems - MAJOR problems

I am trying to get my dental sealant horror story out to the public and prevent others from having the same thing happening to them. I am not sure of the potential cancer-causing effects of sealants, but I have first hand experience that they do not work as intended and acutally cause harm and promote decay. I am also finding dentists who refuse to provide them to patients.

To be as brief as possible: I had dental sealants placed on my teeth as a young adult in my mid-20s (at the recommendation of a dentist). Recently, in my 30s, I saw a new dentist who suggested that they be removed. He explained that he has seen more harm than good with sealants over the years (and in fact he refuses to use them in his practice). He explained they have to be perfectly put into the mouth with no moisture, bacteria, etc. underneath otherwise that "bad stuff" will be trapped in and will start the decay process. Secondly, and more likely, the sealants fail over time - even in small, undetectable ways - and bacteria, food, etc. can seep in and again the decay process starts. Well, the worst was true in my mouth: I had extensive decay under every tooth (8!) that had a sealant - and am finding more of my friends experiencing the same exact thing as me. The idea of sealants sounds great on paper when you first hear about it - but in my research I am finding that decay is trapped underneath, and decay goes undetected for some length of time before it is discovered (apparently a dentist really can only determine if there is decay once the sealants are removed). And if decay goes on for any length of time....well, it is not good news for your teeth. Please, please think twice before getting sealants.