A Complete Guide to Preventing Cavities in Children with Tooth Sealants! Sealant Timing, Cost (Insurance Coverage), and Effectiveness / Gangnam Leon Dental Clinic

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Cavities are one of the most common reasons children visit the dentist.

In particular, the deep grooves in baby teeth and newly erupting permanent teeth are easy places for bacteria to enter, so even if children brush their teeth well, it is difficult to prevent cavities.

At this point, cavities can be prevented through tooth sealants. Today, we will take a comprehensive look at sealant treatment, insurance coverage criteria, and effectiveness.

Tooth Sealants: Sealants

Sealants are a procedure that prevents cavities by filling the deep grooves and gaps in molars, which are prone to cavities, with a special resin. Simply put, this is often called “tooth groove filling.”

Because a milky white resin is used on the molars, it is not very noticeable, and the procedure is simple with almost no pain.

✅ Purpose

Physically block areas where cavities can occur

to prevent bacteria from reaching them

✅ Candidates

Children/teenagers whose permanent teeth have just erupted

or adults with teeth that are prone to cavities

✅ Effectiveness

Cavity prevention rate of about 70–90%

Why Tooth Sealants Are Needed

The biting surface of a tooth has many tiny grooves and irregularities, making it easy for food to get trapped and bacteria to grow. Tooth sealants, along with fluoride application, can be considered one of the key methods for preventing cavities.

✅ Duration of prevention

Average 3–5 years

(Reinforcement is possible during regular checkups)

However, the duration can vary depending on individual oral conditions, teeth care habits, and chewing habits, so regular checkups are necessary.

Sealant Insurance Coverage and Cost

Since 2013, sealants have been included as an item covered by the National Health Insurance. However, it does not apply to all ages or all teeth, and the following criteria must be met.

Category	Insurance Coverage	Description
Age	Under 18 years old​	Covered up to age 18 based on birthday
Teeth	4 upper molars + 4 lower molars = 8 teeth	Permanent teeth only
Condition	Healthy teeth without cavities	Not possible if there is already decay

Therefore, adults aged 18 or older are not covered by insurance, and if sealants are placed while meeting the above criteria, ▲the patient’s out-of-pocket cost per tooth is around 7,000–10,000 KRW.

▲Without insurance, it is 30,000–50,000 KRW per tooth.

Insurance claims are processed automatically at payment, and if the child is of the right age and the tooth is eligible for coverage, doing sealants in advance has a very high preventive effect relative to the cost.

Today, we learned about sealants, also known as tooth groove filling, one of the treatments used to prevent cavities.

Together with fluoride application, it is one of the representative cavity-prevention treatments, and while it can be performed from young children with permanent teeth to adults, insurance applies only to those under 18. Therefore, it is best to have the procedure done at a time that meets the insurance eligibility conditions whenever possible.

If you have any questions about sealants, please feel free to ask in the comments!

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