Sealants

Baby tooth enamel is much thinner and more porous than adult tooth enamel, making children more susceptible to tooth decay than adults. Sealants are an incredible tool to prevent this tooth decay from happening in children. 

Sealants are used to seal the more cavity-prone areas of the teeth, like deep pits and grooves (called fissures) in the chewing surfaces of back teeth (called molars). In fact, the back teeth are the most common areas where cavities develop. 

A child’s first back tooth usually appears around age 6, which means that is when their chances of getting a cavity increase dramatically. If our front teeth are like ivory towers, our back teeth are like the Rocky Mountains – jagged, rough, and a frequent home for pits and fissures.

These cavity-prone pits and fissures are tiny crevasses in your back teeth. They are excellent at trapping bacteria and food, since they are so tiny, dark and moist.

Even with great daily habits – like brushing and flossing – these areas are still breeding grounds for plaque bacteria, which causes cavities over time. 

Sealants cover these areas on baby teeth, preventing future cavities and tooth decay.