. "Prevention is better than cure".
. No drilling no "novocaine"
Pit-and-fissure sealants have been used for nearly 5 decades to prevent and control carious lesions on primary and permanent teeth.
From a primary prevention perspective, anatomic grooves or pits and fissures on occlusal surfaces of permanent molars trap food debris and promote the presence of bacterial biofilm, thereby increasing the risk of developing carious lesions. Effectively penetrating and sealing these surfaces with a dental material—for example, pit-and-fissure sealants can prevent lesions and is part of a comprehensive caries management approach.
Even though pits and fissures do occur naturally, they can deepen over time, leading to dental caries, so a child whose teeth show signs of pits and tissues maybe a prime candidate for dental sealants. Pits are small hollows that occur on the biting surfaces of biting surfaces of permanent teeth, whereas fissures are groove in the outside of the tooth's surface. in both cases, these areas can easily fill with bacteria, which may be difficult to remove with regular oral hygiene.
As this bacteria grows, it interacts with the starches in the food you eat, turning them into acids that can eat away at tooth enamel. if this process causes enough decay, it eventually spreads to the inner pulp of the tooth.
A through dental evaluation of your child's new permanent teeth will determine whether or not they have pits and issues and an increased risk exits for developing dental caries. Not all teeth carry this condition require sealing, which is why a pediatric dentist can perform an analysis of these new teeth to see if it is necessary and give you the recommendation. Ultimately, however, it is up to the parent.
A new systematic review and updated clinical practice guideline from the American Dental Association (ADA) and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) show dental sealants are a powerful and effective therapy in the fight against childhood dental decay and disease.