Fissure Sealants

What Are Fissure Sealants?

My Smile Dental is able to provide patients with fissure sealants as part of our commitment to offering the highest standard of oral care. The molar teeth at the back of the mouth that chew food feature tiny pits on the chewing surface. These pits are known as fissures. Plaque can form in these fissures and they can be very hard to clean, which can lead to tooth decay. To prevent this from happening, your dentist can cover the tooth’s chewing surface with a fissure sealant. The fissure sealant covers up the pits and grooves, preventing bacteria from getting in and causing tooth decay.

Features and Benefits of Fissure Sealants

Also known as dental sealants, fissure sealants offer a variety of benefits:

• They come in white or clear so they can blend into your existing smile.
• They generally last between two to seven years, but in some cases have been known to last up to 15 years.
• No drilling, injections or pain is involved in applying them.
• They are applied to your teeth by a trained and qualified oral health professional.
• Fissure sealants will not dissolve in saliva.
• They are completely safe.

Your sealants should be checked regularly by a dentist or dental therapist to ensure they are still working at their best.

The Sealant Procedure

Applying fissure sealants to a patient’s teeth is simple and painless. First, your oral health care professional will clean and dry the teeth, getting them prepared for the procedure. Once they’re ready, a thin layer of plastic liquid will be applied to the fissures on the chewing surface. The final step is to set the sealant in place using a special ultraviolet light which ‘hardens’ the liquid.
If you’d like further information about fissure sealants, or if you would like to book an appointment for the procedure, get in touch with My Smile Dental in Sydenham today. Call us on (03) 9390 9333 or request an appointment online.