Pit and Fissure Sealants

It is a preventive approach by an individual or his or her parents,guardians to prevent the development of caries.Afterall prevention is better than cure.

When our teeth erupt in our mouth it has deep grooves and pits on the chewing surface which may sometimes extend very deep.These grooves provide an excellent place for the rentention of food which over time will make a very conducive environment for the breeding of many unwanted bacteria and micro organisms.Further these grooves are very difficult to clean by conventional brushing technique.

So, in order to

prevent these microganisms to make a breeding ground in your mouth, Sunshine Dentals recommends to seal these deep grooves and pits and have a caries free mouth.

Sunshine Dentals  recommends teeth to be sealed of all people depending on the fissure type.

Morphology of Pits and Fissure -

There are different shapes of pits and fissures-

• V
• U
• I
• K

K-type is very susceptible to caries.V &  I types are considered to be prone to cariesif deep. U-type is considered to be caries resistant.

  

Schedule for Sealing -

Ages                                         Teeth to  be sealed 
3-4 years                                 All baby molars sealed
6-7 years                                 1st permanent molars sealed
11-13 years                             All premolars and second permanent molars sealed
17 years                                  All third molars sealed

What are the types of sealants ?

According to polymerisation types-

• 1st generation- cured by ultra-violet light
• 2nd generation- chemically cured
• 3rd generation- activated by visible light
• 4th generation- containing fluoride

Depending on the presence of fillers-

• Unfilled- better flow,used for deep pits and fissures
• Semifilled- more resistant to wear

Depending on the colour-

• Tinted-easiy detected
• Clear- esthetic
• Opaque- easy to detect
• Pink- easy to detect

How would the teeth look like after placement of pit and fissure sealants?