Advanced cavity protection that shields vulnerable teeth — quick, painless prevention that safeguards your child’s smile for years.
Over 8 Certified Doctors
Top Of The Line Care
Expert Surgical Care Options
Over 9 Dental Experts
Protecting your child’s teeth from decay establishes a foundation for lifelong dental health. Dental sealants provide powerful protection for cavity-prone molars by creating a protective shield over the deep grooves and pits where decay commonly begins. At Park Smiles NYC, our experienced pediatric team offers safe, effective dental sealants in our kid-friendly Manhattan facility, providing your child with years of protection against the most common form of tooth decay.
Dental sealants are thin, protective coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of your child’s back teeth (premolars and molars) to prevent cavity formation in vulnerable areas. These clear or tooth-colored barriers shield the deep grooves and depressions where toothbrush bristles can’t reach effectively, protecting against the bacteria and food particles that lead to decay.
The sealant material—a flowable dental resin—bonds directly to the tooth enamel, creating a smooth, protective layer over the irregular surface. This physical barrier prevents food particles and cavity-causing bacteria from settling into the grooves while making the surfaces easier to clean during regular brushing. Applied during a quick, completely painless procedure, sealants can protect teeth for 3-5 years or longer with proper care.
At Park Smiles NYC, our approach to dental sealants emphasizes prevention at optimal developmental stages. We typically recommend sealants shortly after permanent molars erupt—around ages 6-7 for first molars and 11-13 for second molars—though we may suggest them for primary (baby) molars in children with higher decay risk. Our child-friendly application process uses BPA-free materials and gentle techniques that make the experience comfortable even for young children, providing years of protection with just a few minutes of treatment.
Protect your child’s vulnerable back teeth with quick, painless sealants. Our Manhattan pediatric specialists provide cavity prevention that safeguards teeth for years with one simple visit.
Dental sealants dramatically reduce your child’s cavity risk, with studies showing they prevent up to 80% of decay in treated molars. This remarkable protection targets the most cavity-prone areas—the deep grooves of back teeth where most childhood decay begins. By physically blocking these vulnerable surfaces, sealants help your child avoid the discomfort of cavities and the need for fillings, crowns, or even extractions that might otherwise be necessary. Many parents tell us they appreciate how this simple, one-time procedure can save their family both the stress of dental treatment and the expense of restorative care later.
The application process is one of the easiest dental procedures your child will experience—completely painless with no drilling, no shots, and no removal of tooth structure. Most children are pleasantly surprised by how quick and comfortable the process is, typically taking just a few minutes per tooth. This positive experience helps build your child’s confidence with dental visits, potentially reducing anxiety about future appointments. Parents often comment on how simple the procedure seemed compared to the years of protection it provides—an excellent return on a small investment of time.
Sealants offer outstanding value, providing years of protection from a single application that typically costs less than treating just one cavity. They work silently in the background, requiring no special care beyond normal brushing and regular check-ups. For busy families juggling school, activities, and appointments, the convenience of this “set-it-and-forget-it” prevention is invaluable. Plus, sealants complement other preventive measures like fluoride treatments and good home care, creating comprehensive protection during the cavity-prone years when children are still developing their brushing skills and dietary habits.
At Park Smiles NYC, our dental sealant services are provided by our experienced team of pediatric specialists who understand the importance of early prevention for developing dentition. Our staff includes professionals with specific training in preventive pediatric procedures and child-friendly application techniques. Dr. Jessica Brezel Kaplan and Dr. Dascher Branch-Elliman, our dedicated pediatric dentists, bring specialized expertise in caries risk assessment and targeted prevention strategies for children of all ages.
Our team’s approach emphasizes both effective prevention and positive experiences during dental visits. We utilize age-appropriate communication to help children understand the benefits of sealants in ways that engage rather than intimidate. Throughout your child’s visit, our entire staff maintains a supportive, encouraging atmosphere designed to build positive associations with preventive dental care. Our specialists regularly participate in continuing education focused on advances in pediatric caries prevention, ensuring that your child receives the most current and effective protective treatments available.
Our dental team specializes in age-appropriate preventive care specifically for children, with detailed understanding of dental development and caries patterns in growing smiles. We know precisely when to recommend sealants for maximum benefit—typically as soon as permanent molars emerge but sometimes for primary teeth in high-risk children. Our specialists can identify the subtle differences between teeth that would benefit most from sealants versus those that might not need protection based on groove configuration and risk factors. This specialized knowledge ensures your child receives precisely the protection they need at exactly the right time in their dental development.
We’ve refined our sealant procedure to create a positive, even educational experience for children of all ages. Our approach begins with age-appropriate explanation using child-friendly terminology that helps kids understand the purpose without creating anxiety. We often use tell-show-do techniques where we demonstrate each step before performing it, building comfort through predictability. For visual learners, our intraoral cameras let children see their own teeth and understand what we’re protecting. Our gentle approach and positive reinforcement help transform a preventive procedure into an opportunity for your child to feel proud about taking care of their teeth, building positive associations with dental visits.
We view sealants as one important component of complete cavity prevention, which is why we develop comprehensive protection plans for each child. Our approach integrates sealants with appropriate recommendations for home care products, dietary guidance, and other preventive services like fluoride treatments when indicated. For children with higher risk factors, we create detailed prevention plans with specific recommendations across multiple protective strategies. This integrated approach maximizes cavity prevention through complementary methods rather than relying on any single protective measure, helping your child maintain a healthy, cavity-free smile throughout the developmental years.We view scaling and root planing not as a one-time treatment but as the beginning of a long-term partnership in maintaining your periodontal health. Our structured maintenance program provides the ongoing professional care needed to sustain the improvements achieved through deep cleaning. We establish appropriate recall intervals based on your individual risk factors and response to treatment, typically ranging from 3-4 months initially. At each maintenance visit, we perform detailed reassessment of your periodontal status to identify any areas requiring additional attention before they develop into significant problems. This consistent, proactive approach prevents disease recurrence and helps you maintain both gum health and natural teeth for the long term.
The optimal timing for dental sealants corresponds with the eruption of your child’s permanent molars, which typically emerge in two distinct phases. First molars (also called 6-year molars) generally erupt around age 6-7, while second molars (12-year molars) typically emerge around age 11-13. We recommend placing sealants as soon as possible after these teeth have fully erupted but before decay can develop in their vulnerable grooves. This timing provides protection during the critical period when these teeth are most susceptible to decay—newly erupted enamel is more porous and less mineralized than mature enamel. For children with higher cavity risk due to factors like deep grooves, previous decay history, or limited dexterity with brushing, we may also recommend sealants on primary (baby) molars or on permanent premolars. During your child’s comprehensive evaluation at Park Smiles NYC, we assess their specific developmental stage, decay risk, and tooth anatomy to recommend the optimal timing for sealant placement tailored to their individual needs.
Dental sealants have an excellent safety profile, supported by decades of research and clinical use in pediatric dentistry. The materials we use are specifically formulated for safety in children, and we select only high-quality, BPA-free products for our young patients. While some dental sealant materials historically contained trace amounts of BPA, modern materials have eliminated or minimized this component, and studies have consistently shown that any exposure is thousands of times below levels that would cause concern. The American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and Centers for Disease Control all strongly endorse dental sealants as a safe, effective preventive measure for children. The protective benefits against tooth decay—a condition that can lead to pain, infection, and more invasive procedures—far outweigh any theoretical concerns. At Park Smiles NYC, we prioritize both the safety and effectiveness of all preventive treatments, staying current with the latest research and selecting materials with the strongest safety profiles for our pediatric patients.
With our comfort-focused approach, most patients experience minimal discomfort during scaling and root planing. We use effective local anesthesia to ensure the treated areas are completely numb before beginning the procedure. For patients with dental anxiety or sensitivity concerns, we offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to provide additional relaxation. The treatment is typically performed in quadrants (sections of the mouth) over multiple appointments, which helps manage any potential post-procedure tenderness by limiting the area treated at one time. Following treatment, some patients experience mild sensitivity or soreness for 1-3 days, usually well-managed with over-the-counter pain relievers. We provide detailed post-procedure instructions and recommended products to minimize any discomfort during the healing phase. Many patients report that the procedure is much more comfortable than they anticipated.
With proper care, dental sealants typically provide protection for 3-5 years, though many remain effective for much longer. Studies show that approximately 80-90% of properly placed sealants remain completely intact after two years, with 50% or more still providing protection after five years. Several factors influence longevity, including the specific material used, application technique, location of the sealed tooth, and your child’s habits. At Park Smiles NYC, we enhance sealant longevity through precise application protocols and high-quality materials with excellent retention properties. Just as importantly, we monitor sealants during every regular check-up and can quickly repair or replace any that show signs of wear or damage. This ongoing maintenance ensures continuous protection throughout the critical cavity-prone years of childhood and adolescence. Even if a sealant appears physically absent after several years, research suggests that microscopic tags of material often remain in the deep grooves, continuing to provide some protective benefit against decay.
Without appropriate treatment, periodontal disease typically progresses, leading to increasingly serious consequences. Initial symptoms like bleeding and inflammation worsen, and the supporting structures around teeth begin to deteriorate as bacterial infection damages the periodontal ligament and surrounding bone. As this bone loss continues, teeth may become loose, shift position, or eventually require extraction. The bacterial load associated with untreated periodontal disease also poses risks to overall health, with research showing links to conditions including heart disease, diabetes complications, respiratory problems, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Additionally, postponing necessary treatment often means that more extensive and costly procedures will be required later, potentially including surgical intervention, bone grafting, or tooth replacement with implants or bridges. Early intervention with scaling and root planing typically provides the best opportunity to preserve natural teeth and avoid these more serious consequences.
At Park Smiles NYC in Manhattan, NYC, our mission is to provide every patient with exceptional care, prioritizing comfort, compassion, and excellence at every step.
We are dedicated to delivering outstanding results through personalized attention in a welcoming and supportive environment. Led by Dr. Krystle Kendall, D.M.D., our skilled team offers a full range of top-quality dental services—all conveniently available under one roof in Manhattan.
Our skilled team in Manhattan, NYC is dedicated to offering a comprehensive array of the very best dental services
Prosthodontics & Cosmetic Dentistry
Prosthodontics & Cosmetic Dentistry
Pediatric Dentistry
Pediatric Dentistry
Orthodontics
Oral Surgeon
With Cherry we offer our patients the best “buy now, pay later” solution with high approvals, low cost, and a seamless experience.
At Park Smiles in Manhattan, NYC, we make it easy for you to receive top-quality dental care in a convenient and accessible location. Whether you’re due for a routine checkup or seeking specialized treatment, our friendly team is here to provide exceptional service in a comfortable setting.
We look forward to welcoming you to our office and helping you achieve a healthy, beautiful smile. Schedule your appointment today!
If you are ready to enhance your smile, the experienced cosmetic dentists at Park Smiles NYC are here to help. Our dedicated team offers a comprehensive range of services, from orthodontics to teeth whitening, to meet all your oral health needs. We understand the importance of a healthy smile for your overall well-being and are committed to ensuring your satisfaction throughout your treatment journey.
Or Call (929) 203-7933
