What is fissure sealing? All information on the website azabuka.ru

What are dental fissures

There are fissures on both baby teeth and permanent teeth.
These are physiological folds - grooves, dimples and depressions - on the chewing surface of molars and premolars. The incisors and canines do not have fissures. Such cavities easily and quickly fill with plaque, are poorly cleaned with toothpaste and a brush - they become a common cause of carious lesions. Pediatric dentists often suggest sealing fissures - creating a thin film on the surface of the crown that will protect against pathogenic microflora and mechanical damage.

There are two main reasons for fissure sealing:

Children's inability to take good care of their teeth. Even the most responsible child is not able to clean all the cavities on the surface of molars and premolars, which leads to the development of caries and the need for treatment. Especially if the grooves differ in depth and tortuosity.
Thin enamel of teeth - milk and permanent during the period of change of bite. The thickness of the enamel of temporary units is half that of permanent ones, which explains its rapid destruction and susceptibility to caries. During eruption, molars are especially vulnerable - initially the crowns are covered with thin, slightly mineralized enamel, and only after 2-3 years the surface becomes resistant to external damage.

Rodikova Tatyana
Before recommending invasive fissure sealing to a patient, I always look at the initial level of mineralization. With a high mineral content and wide grooves, sealing cavities can be easily done without sealing, but there are cases (low mineralization, prone to caries) when sealing the teeth is the best option!

Benefits of deep fluoridation

The main advantages of deep fluoridation are:

reduction in the incidence of caries by 65%;
improving the structure of the enamel layer;
significant reduction in tooth sensitivity;
tenfold increase in the density of tooth enamel;
reducing the risk of developing secondary caries;
increasing the service life of previously placed fillings;
quickly normalize the condition of the oral mucosa and gum tissue.

It has been proven that the effect of deep fluoridation lasts for 11 months after the end of the preventive course. However, this does not mean that this procedure provides complete protection of teeth from caries and other dental pathologies. Both deep and superficial fluoridation can only reduce the risk of developing diseases and increase the resistance of enamel to the action of destructive environmental factors. In order to ensure comprehensive dental protection, sufficient attention should be paid to all existing preventive measures.

Treatment of baby teeth against caries: indications

Typically, fissure sealing is carried out at the request of the parents. But sometimes dentists recommend the procedure, since sealing fissures reduces the risk of developing caries in milk and permanent teeth. The indications are:

Young age of the patient. The enamel of newly erupted teeth has a thin layer. It is not sufficiently saturated with fluorine and calcium and is susceptible to destruction.
Pathologically thin enamel. Sometimes the structure of tooth enamel does not change over time - it remains thin and susceptible to microorganisms.
Curvy and narrow grooves on the teeth. The complex shape makes daily high-quality teeth cleaning impossible.
Malocclusion and abnormal position of molars and premolars.
Insufficient oral hygiene.
Primary signs of enamel demineralization are stains on the tooth surface and superficial caries.

Among the contraindications:

Carious lesions - sealing is allowed after dental treatment.
Wide and open fissures - accessible for everyday high-quality cleaning with toothpaste.
Allergy to sealant coating - instead of sealing, enamel silvering, remineralization, and fluoridation are available.
Heavy salivation.
Long-term eruption of a baby or permanent tooth – more than 4 years ago.

Carrying out

Coating teeth with fluoride varnish includes the following steps.

Hygienic cleaning of enamel from plaque and stone.
Isolation of teeth from the oral cavity.
Drying with cotton swabs.
Coating the enamel with a product using a brush or applicator.
Fixing the film for 5 minutes.

The dentist determines the number of layers individually. The strength of the film increases within 12 hours. During this time, you should not brush your teeth or eat solid foods. To enhance the effect, 3 sessions may be required. How often do experts recommend fluoridation of enamel? Twice a year is enough if there are no individual indications.

Seal your child’s teeth from caries: how fissure sealing is carried out

Fissure sealing is a painless and short procedure. To carry it out, a “sealant” material, a fissure sealant, is used. Sealant is a high-strength composite composition that hardens under the influence of light. Its feature is increased fluidity, thanks to which the sealant is able to fill even hard-to-reach places on the tooth crown. Also among the advantages of the sealant:

Waterproof – resistant to saliva.
Durability – the coating lasts on the teeth for up to 5 years.
Aesthetics - sealants are produced in transparent, beige, and colored.

Stages of fissure sealing of primary and permanent teeth:

Removing plaque from enamel and all cavities. Polishing the crown surface.
Treatment with an antiseptic composition.
Drying teeth and protecting the treated unit from the influence of saliva.
Application of acid gel to enhance adhesion and create a slightly rough surface.
Rinse off the composition and dry the tooth.
Filling fissures with liquid sealant - applying sealant.
Creating conditions for hardening - chemical activation or using a light lamp.
Removing excess material.
Coating the tooth with a fluoride-containing strengthening gel.

The optimal age of a child for fissure sealing is 6-8 years. During this period, the first permanent molars erupt and need protection. The procedure is indicated for children aged 1.5-2 years, and adolescents aged 12-14 years. The appearance of any wide tooth is a reason to carry out dental sealing and reliably protect the enamel from destruction for several years.

Plaksina Margarita

I am often asked what they cover children's teeth with to protect them from caries. At Aza&Buka we use sealants - special gels. They not only seal the surface of the tooth, but also strengthen the enamel by releasing fluoride ions.

Tips for strengthening enamel

Taking care of your teeth should include proper nutrition. Without it, preventative medical procedures will be of little benefit. A complete menu to strengthen teeth enamel should include the following foods:

dairy products: they all contain phosphorus and calcium;
hard root vegetables - carrots, radishes, apples, cabbage: chewing activates the secretion of saliva, which cleans the crown of the teeth;
parsley: essential oils of this plant suppress the activity of microorganisms, which affects the cleanliness and safety of teeth and the strength of their coating;
green tea: tea leaves contain fluoride in their structure, which prevents the formation of plaque and the accumulation of bacteria on the teeth;
chicken eggs and seafood: they contain iodine, which helps strengthen the enamel.

It is necessary to take care of strengthening teeth from the appearance of the first primary incisor. Those parents who consider their baby’s baby teeth to be temporary and unimportant are deeply mistaken. It is the health of baby teeth that determines the health of future molars.

After six years, a child definitely needs to prevent caries using the drug Fluorlak Omega and other gels/solutions for teeth. Treatment must be prevented by preventing diseases, then dental health will be strong and the enamel will be strong.

Sources used:

Groshikov M.I. “Non-carious lesions of tooth tissue.” - M.: Medicine, 1985.
Preventive dentistry / I.K. Lutskaya. - Moscow
“Pediatric therapeutic dentistry. National leadership" (Leontyev V.K.)
The European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (USA)

Methods for filling children's teeth against caries

There are different ways to seal baby and permanent teeth. In the capital's dentistry they offer:

Non-invasive sealing - the procedure is carried out without compromising the integrity and structure of the tooth. The method is suitable for healthy teeth with a wide distance between the cusps on the crown. The doctor sequentially applies the compounds, closing and protecting the cavities.
Invasive sealing - the doctor processes the enamel for better access to hidden areas on the surface of the molar in the presence of narrow and deep fissures. The procedure is also indicated if it is necessary to treat caries.

Dolotova Marina
Experience shows that sealing fissures reduces the risk of developing caries several times. This can be seen if we observe patients with a similar enamel structure and attitude towards dentistry. Children with sealed fissures keep their teeth intact and healthy for a long time.

Indications for the procedure

Now we need to consider the question of what dental varnish is used for. Fluoride varnish can be used by everyone without exception, even when there are no prerequisites for caries. This is necessary to prevent its occurrence.

The application procedure is necessary in the following cases:

preventing the occurrence of dental diseases in children and adolescents living in places where there is insufficient fluoride in the water;
sensitivity of teeth to external factors;
in the event that there are defects in the teeth that appear as a result of the harmful effects of bacteria. The tool will help eliminate this problem;
consequence of mechanical impact;
after a negative result of ultrasonic teeth cleaning;
non-carious lesion of enamel;
before prosthetics, during grinding of teeth.

How to protect baby teeth from caries

Fissure sealing is an effective method of caries prevention. But you can't rely on the dental procedure alone. To maintain and preserve the health of children's teeth it is also necessary:

Proper nutrition - more solid vegetables and fruits, fermented milk and dairy products, minimizing sweets.
Systematic dental care - you need to brush your teeth twice a day, and when correcting your bite with braces, after every meal.
Scheduled visits to the doctor - dentists invite you for an appointment every six months, and sometimes more often.
Selection of toothpaste and toothbrushes according to age - when purchasing care products, you should focus on the dentist’s recommendations.

Pediatric dentistry today offers non-invasive and invasive techniques for fissure sealing. When choosing a doctor, you should focus on the dentist’s experience, reviews and recommendations. To increase the effectiveness of the procedure, make an appointment immediately after the chewing surface has erupted - when the crown becomes visible and accessible for treatment.

Deep fluoridation

The technique of deep fluoridation of enamel is a complex of dental procedures, which are based on the professional treatment of teeth enamel - sealing liquids.

Stages of deep fluoridation

This procedure consists of the following steps:

sanitation of the oral cavity, professional dental cleaning;
drying the surface of the teeth with a directed flow of warm air;
applying magnesium fluoride silicate with calcium and copper ions to the enamel;
repeated drying of the tooth surface with warm air;
application of highly dispersed calcium hydroxide to the enamel.

Proper implementation of the procedure allows for deep penetration of the enamel-sealing liquid into the affected tissues and creates a maximum concentration of fluoride ions in them. In this case, the natural mineral structure of the teeth does not undergo any changes.