Prevention is better than cure, isn’t it?

Pit and fissure sealants are a simple, painless procedure to prevent the decay of your teeth. These sealants work as a shield to keep food and bacteria from attacking your teeth. It is a preventive treatment aimed at avoiding cavities in children’s teeth.  

Our teeth are not round or square. They have a certain shape and their biting surface has a lot of tiny grooves and pits. Some of these grooves are deep and prone to collecting bacteria and food particles. Your dentist decides which teeth have the deepest grooves or fissures that need to be sealed. It takes just a few minutes to seal each tooth.

People are not aware of pit and fissure sealants

Generally, patient psychology is such that they visit the dentist only when the tooth hurts. What people don’t realize is the importance of preventing the teeth prone to cavities. Parents have no control over what their children are eating throughout the day. And when the tooth starts paining it is too late for prevention. In simpler words, pit and fissure sealant prevent your teeth from future cavities and root canal treatments and definitely tooth removal.

Preventing caries with a simple procedure

In this procedure, they first clean the tooth with water and dry it. Then the dentist applies a tiny amount of acid solution onto the surface of the tooth to make it ready for the pit and fissure sealant. Finally, your dentist applies the sealant material and makes it harden with the help of a special light. Basically, the treatment is quick and completely painless without any after-effects. You should avoid eating for an hour after the treatment so that the material can set properly.

Recommended age for pit and fissure sealants

A dentist recommends a treatment of pit and fissure sealants for children with newly erupting adult teeth. Kids first start getting adult teeth between 6 to 7 years of age. The rest of the adult teeth first erupt between 11 years to 14 years of age. The dentist applies pit and fissure sealants as soon as possible for the teeth as they arrive. Hence, preventive treatments like pit and fissure sealants require regular follow-ups at the dental clinic.

As a result, the teeth with pit and fissure sealants are protected from the decay that they were once prone to. That means you will need fewer fillings and treatments. But the dentist does not perform this treatment when the patient already suffers from cavities. The pit and fissure sealants simply prevent decay and do not remove decay.

However, you have to keep brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. Use dental floss once a day. Therefore, maintaining good oral hygiene as well as preventive treatments like sealants can help avoid extensive treatment.