Fissure Seals

If you have grooves or pits on the surfaces of your teeth, these can trap food particles and encourage plaque build up. Fissure sealants cover up these grooves, making it smoother, strengthening your teeth against decay and making them easier to clean.

What is a fissure seal?

Fissure seals are a type of preventative dentistry, and they help to minimise the chances of plaque build up.  This reduces and make it less likely that you’ll need extensive treatments such as dental fillings, root canal or extractions in the future.

Sealants are used to smooth out grooves on the back molar and premolar teeth, but they can also be used to cover up pits on the front teeth.

Why do I need fissure sealants?

Fissure sealants are suitable for patients of all ages, but they can be especially useful for children who have just had their adult teeth come out.

We can also recommend fissure sealants if you have a health condition or family history that increases your risk of oral health problems.

According to the American Dental Association, some studies have shown that fissure seals can reduce the risk of cavities by up to 80%

How are teeth sealed?

Before the placing fissure seals, we’ll first clean your teeth to remove any plaque.  We clean the surface of the grooves with a special tooth cleaner and then paint the fissure seal material into the grooves which is then hardened with a special UV light. 

Fissure seal appointments are quick and easy to perform, suitable for children and adults of all ages.