• Children's Dentistry
• Fissures Sealants

Children's molar teeth are very vulnerable to decay as the pits and fissures (grooves) along the chewing surfaces can be quite deep, therefore, difficult to clean. To prevent plaque and tartar build-up and decay developing, fissure sealants are often applied.

Applying fissure sealants is a pain-free procedure, as there are no drilling or invasive processes involved. It is a purely preventive measure and only takes approximately five minutes per tooth.

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 material is tooth coloured, and also contains fluoride for added tooth protection.

The best time to apply fissure sealant is immediately following the emergence of your child's first permanent molars, at around age 6. We then advise fissure sealant also be applied to the second permanent adult premolars when they come through, which usually occurs between the ages of 11-13.