Pit and fissure sealants - making children cavity free

When fluoride was added to toothpaste it was hailed as a breakthrough in the fight against cavities. Then in the 1980s when pit and fissure sealants, long used in Europe, became popular as a preventative dentistry tool, the war was all but won. Today the use of sealants, together with fluoride toothpaste, regular flossing and checkups, as well as good dietary choices, have made it possible for many children to grow up cavity free.
Fissure Sealants

With a little hi-tech help, preventing tooth decay can become even easier. You may already be aware that daily brushing and flossing are the most important weapons against the formation of plaque, the primary cause of cavities. To supplement your regular routine of brushing and flossing, we can apply a coat of plastic material -- called a sealant -- on the top, or biting, surfaces of your teeth. This plastic coating creates a barrier between your teeth and the decay-causing bacteria that live in plaque.
As you or your children eat and drink during the day, the food in your mouth combines with bacteria to produce a sticky film called plaque that attaches on and in between tooth surfaces (tooth enamel). Plaque often is found on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, from which it is difficult to remove by brushing and flossing alone. If plaque is not removed regularly from your teeth, it can produce acids which will attack the tooth enamel and create pits or holes (cavities) in the tooth. This is tooth decay.

Coating your teeth with a smooth plastic material makes it harder for plaque to stick to the tiny grooves on the biting surfaces of the teeth - reducing the risk of forming cavities and tooth decay.

The procedure is easy and painless, and lasts for many months. The teeth are specially cleaned and prepared, the sealant is applied and a special light hardens the sealant.

Sealants are most effective in reducing cavities in children with newly formed permanent teeth. They are useful in cutting down formation of decay in adult teeth but since we chew harder, the sealants wear away more quickly. An application of sealants is a preventive measure to keep teeth healthy. It is an effective way to reduce the need for fillings and more expensive treatment that may be required to repair the damage from cavities, so sealants can also save you money.