Fissure Sealants

Fissure Sealants North Lakes and Mango Hill

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Fissure sealants are a safe and painless way to protect teeth from decay.

A fissure sealant is a protective coating that is applied to the biting surfaces of the back teeth (molars and premolars).

The fissure sealant forms a hard shield that keeps food and bacteria from getting into the tiny grooves in the teeth and causing tooth decay.

They are only applied to the back teeth – the molars and premolars. These are the teeth that have pits and fissures (deep grooves) on their biting surfaces.

Your North Lakes dentist will tell you which teeth should be sealed after he examines and checks whether the fissures are deep enough for sealing.

Some teeth have naturally deep grooves, which need to be sealed; others have shallow grooves, which do not require sealing.

When Might One Need Fissure Sealants?

Your North Lakes dentist might advise you to have fissure sealants if you have large grooves or pits in your teeth.

However, sealants may not be necessary, as not all teeth with fissures need sealants.

Some dentists will recommend fissure sealants for the first molar teeth, which appear at around six years of age.

The back teeth emerge at around 12 years and should be checked to determine if sealants might be needed. Some adults also get fissure sealants.

The Fissure Sealant Procedure

Applying fissure sealants is a fast and painless procedure. It usually takes a few minutes per tooth and is easier than receiving a filling.

Anaesthetics are not needed and usually, there’s no drilling required.

Here are the following steps your North Lakes dentist will go through during the fissure sealant procedure:

Cleaning and drying the tooth thoroughly
Preparing the tooth surface so that the sealant bonds well
Painting the liquid sealant on, which will flow into the deep grooves and pits
Bonding and hardening the sealant with a curing light
Checking your bite and polishing any excess sealant away

After Care

You should brush and floss your teeth as usual and practice good oral hygiene. Your teeth will be easier to clean because the brush can reach all surfaces.

As this is such a thin layer of material it is possible for the fissure sealant to fall off, though not usually.

Visit your North Lakes dentist regularly to be sure, as part of your routine dental check-up, that the sealant is in a good state.

The fissure sealant can wear down over the years and will then need to be reapplied.