dental sealants....

[lalo5]

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hey all,
I was pondering a certain bit of information that I have come across, and would like the input from the rest of you on this subject: dental sealants.
Why is there such a small percentage of practicing dentists performing these procedures???
Have I read accurately??
It seems to me that such a powerful preventative measure such as this would be used more frequently than it has been....Any thoughts???
I have one, and, unfortunately is one which can be associated with the same motivations seen in the behavior of the top execs in enron,worldcom,xerox, etc...
Is it that there just isn't enough time in the day to schedule them?? is it something that isn't emphasized in a lot of the dental curriculums in the U.S.?? or is it something that older dental practicioners don't feel comfortable with preforming?
thanks....

 

[DrJeff]

You might want to check where you got your information about the percentage of dentists placing sealants. In the area where I practice atleast it is very close to 100%. Frankly, if there is an 8 year old in my practice that doesn't have sealants on their 6 year old molars it's because, either a) the molars aren't erupted enough to allow for dry field isolation b)The child found a way to get a carious lesion in the tooth requiring a filling before I could seal it or c) the parents don't want to pay for the procedure. If it's option c, then what I'll generally do is if the child gets decay in one or more of his/her molars, I'll generally offer to seal the other molars at no charge while I'm doing the restoration. This makes you look great in the eyes of the parents since you're giving them something to help their child(which you are), and in reality it's soemthing that will cost you about $1 in materials and you can do the others while you're allowing the anesthesia to set in. The extra care and concern that you're showing little Johny/Sally will go along way in word of mouth referrals from the parents.