Childrens Dentistry

Why are baby teeth important? | Fissure sealants | Diet monitoring

Children’s molar teeth are very vulnerable to decay as the as pits and fissures can be quite deep and therefore difficult to clean, even with a child’s small toothbrush. To prevent plaque and tartar build-up and decay developing, fissure sealant is often applied.

Similar in thickness to nail polish, fissure sealant is applied to fill the deep grooves and after only a few minutes sets hard, creating a protective barrier between the tooth enamel and plaque. The sealant also contains fluoride for added tooth protection.

Applying fissure sealant is a pain-free procedure, which takes approximately five minutes per tooth.

The best time to apply fissure sealant is immediately following the emergence of your child’s first permanent molars, around age six. We then advise fissure sealant also be applied to the second permanent adult premolars come through, which usually occurs between the ages of eleven and thirteen.