Fissure Sealants in Melbourne

Fissure sealants are a quick coating painted into the grooved chewing surfaces of the back teeth to stop decay starting where a toothbrush can't reach. They suit children as their molars come through, and adults with deep grooves or a higher decay risk. At Gorgeous Smiles in Melbourne CBD, the treatment usually takes only a few minutes per tooth, with no drilling and no injections needed. If you'd like to have your own or your child's grooves checked, you can book an appointment on Exhibition Street.

The deep grooves, called pits and fissures, that run across the chewing surfaces of your molars are often too narrow for a toothbrush bristle to clean properly. Food and bacteria settle in, and tooth decay can take hold before you notice it. A fissure sealant is a thin protective coating that's painted over those grooves and set hard, sealing the surface so plaque and food can't collect in the spots you can't reach.

Dental fissure sealants are preventative rather than a repair. A filling is reactive: it's used once decay has already damaged the tooth and needs to be cleaned out and restored. A sealant works the other way around, protecting a healthy groove before any decay starts. The material is tooth-coloured and safe for use in the mouth, and it bonds to the enamel surface without removing any of the tooth itself.

Most fissure sealant treatment is done for children and teenagers, because the timing matters. First permanent molars usually erupt around age six, and second molars around age twelve. A freshly erupted molar with deep grooves is the ideal candidate, since sealing it early protects the surface before decay has a chance to start. Baby molars with particularly deep grooves can sometimes be sealed too, depending on the child's decay risk. Premolars are occasionally treated as well.

Adults are eligible just as much as children, which is something many people don't realise. If you have adult molar teeth with deep grooves that are intact and decay-free, a sealant can give those surfaces extra protection. The same applies if you're prone to cavities or have a history of decay in your back teeth. The one condition is that the groove being sealed has to be healthy. Once decay has started, a sealant isn't the right answer and a filling is needed instead.

Our Melbourne CBD dental clinic at 121 Exhibition Street is within a:

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