Fissure sealing of baby teeth
Besides the dental hygiene we are responsible for ourselves, there are certain measures that only a dentist can carry out. One of them is preventive fissure sealing.
On the chewing surfaces of premolars and molars (the fourth, fifth and sixth teeth), especially in children and young people, there are numerous finely shaped pits, grooves and furrows that together form the fissure system. Because of their size and shape, the deepest parts of these fissures are often hard to reach with toothbrush bristles, which makes them an ideal place for food debris and bacteria to collect – and therefore especially prone to decay.
To prevent decay in these areas, dentists perform a procedure called fissure sealing. It is simple and painless, does not require removing any hard tooth tissue (drilling), and no anaesthetic is needed.
How the procedure works
- The teeth are first thoroughly cleaned with a rotating brush and a special paste to remove all debris.
- A mild acid, about as acidic as lemon juice, is applied to the chewing surface. It roughens the tooth surface so that the sealant bonds to it as well as possible.
- After 30 seconds, the acid is rinsed off with water and the tooth is carefully dried.
- The sealant is applied to the dry chewing surface and flows fairly easily into all the pits, grooves and furrows.
- Finally, the sealant is cured with light from a polymerisation lamp.
You can eat and drink straight after the fissures have been sealed.