What are fissure sealants?

The most common site of tooth decay is in the grooves or fissures of the molar teeth. If there are deep grooves naturally present in your child’s teeth, food will pack there and the toothbrush will not be able to penetrate into this narrow area and clean out any of the debris. This then becomes a cavity and can progress to a large size if not detected and treated early on by getting a baby filling or kids teeth filling installed.

The fissure sealant is usually a white adhesive material that fills any deep pits or grooves in the molar teeth, preventing the food packing and reducing your child’s risk of tooth decay.

When a sealant is placed properly (you need a very clean dry surface for it to stick), it helps reduce the chance of tooth decay occurring in these areas of the tooth that naturally would hold food. It is important that sealants are regularly checked and repaired if necessary. A leaking sealant is probably more dangerous that an unsealed surface because you can’t see what is happening underneath it. That is why the dentist needs to regularly check these kids and baby teeth fillings.