Does your child need dental sealants?

THE love of sweets, which almost every child is guilty of, can sometimes lead to tooth decay if their dental health is not properly managed. This is why so many parents are looking to sealants for their children in an effort to guard against the painful experiences associated with tooth decay.

“Sealants are part of a preventive programme against tooth decay. [They] are ‘flowable’ dental materials that are placed on the chewing surface of posterior teeth. They bond to the tooth and form a protective barrier on the enamel of the tooth,” explained Dr Naudia Gilzeane, dentist at Gateway Plaza, Old Harbour.

She pointed out that people who are obsessed with oral health could also benefit from sealants, since the structure of some teeth can make it difficult for personal cleaning materials to reach certain areas.

“The chewing surfaces of posterior teeth — molars and premolars — contain grooves and depressions. These grooves and depressions, known as pits and fissures, are more susceptible to tooth decay and are more difficult to keep clean, especially if they are very deep. Therefore, debris and plaque tend to accumulate in these sites, and plaque containing bacteria produces acid which attacks the enamel of the teeth and causes cavities (caries),” Dr Gilzeane explained.

But she cautioned that sealants are not for everyone, nor are they necessary for all teeth.

“Sealants are really indicated for patients with a high caries risk, patients undergoing orthodontic work, persons on medications that cause dry mouth, teeth containing deep pits and fissures, and children. In most cases, sealants are only indicated for molars and premolars. The fissures and pits of these teeth are sometimes so deep that the bristles of a toothbrush cannot properly clean them.”

Additionally, Dr Gilzeane pointed out that sealants are not intended for teeth that are rich in fluoride, have caries in the chewing surface or between the teeth, or which have shallow fissures and coalesced pits.

Dr Gilzeane said that applying sealants to the teeth should be a well thought out process, noting that the chewing surfaces of these teeth should be sealed only after the teeth have erupted beyond the gums, and in cases where the primary or deciduous molars have deep fissures.

“The first dental sealant to be placed is usually on the fissure of the first permanent molar after the chewing surface has erupted completely beyond the gum. This tooth grows behind the deciduous (baby) molars and erupts at about six or seven years of age. Premolars and molars continue to erupt until about 12 or 13 years old,” she explained.

Dr Gilzeane warned that pit and fissure sealants should not be considered as a substitute for preventive measures such as limitations of sugars in the diet, the use of fluoride, and the control of plaque through routine brushing and cleanings, because they are only part of a total preventive programme.

— Penda Honeyghan