What is “fissure” of teeth? More than 90% of dental caries (cavities and tooth decay) in adolescents occur on the occlusal surface of the molar teeth (posterior groove teeth) where food is chewed, and there are a number of bumpy spots and fissures on the surface of the teeth that are formed by the fusion of the cusps of the teeth during the process of tooth development, which is called the “fossa”. It has a complex shape and varies in depth. It is difficult to clean the fossa completely by brushing and rinsing, and it is the most caries-prone part of the mouth. What is fissure sealing? Fissure sealing is recognized worldwide as the most effective, cost-effective and actionable intervention strategy for caries prevention. Doctors recommend that children under the age of 16 should undergo fissure sealing to reduce the incidence of caries. Fissure sealing is a synthetic organic polymer resin material (harmless to the human body), coated in the grooves of the teeth, after the material is hardened, it is just like putting a layer of protective clothing on the teeth, so that the teeth are protected from food and bacterial erosion, which is an effective method of preventing caries. Why do I need to do fissure sealing? Children’s new permanent molar teeth have uneven occlusal surfaces with a lot of grooves, so the bacteria and food residues that cause dental caries can easily accumulate in these areas, and brushing can not be cleaned up, and over time, caries will easily occur in the fossa area, which is called “fossa caries”. If the fossa caries is not timely treatment, caries gradually progress, there will be toothache and other serious symptoms, the lesion of the larger teeth or even need to be extracted, seriously affecting children’s health and growth and development. According to statistics, more than 90% of caries in permanent teeth of children are fissure caries. Therefore, a good prevention of fissure caries will greatly reduce the chance of children’s permanent tooth caries. In addition, due to the child’s age, generally like to eat sweets, soft food, sticky food, these foods are easy to stick to the teeth, coupled with the new eruption of the teeth calcification is not complete, it is more susceptible to bacterial erosion and bad. For these reasons, when the first permanent molar tooth erupts, it is important to do fissure sealing in a timely manner. Do you know the optimal age for fissure sealing? 6-8 years old is the most suitable age for fissure sealing. Because the first permanent molar (i.e., six-year-old teeth) began to erupt around 6 years of age, it is the earliest permanent molar to erupt in the oral cavity, and it is the most important tooth to play the function of mastication, to keep the teeth aligned and to maintain the normal development of the maxillofacial region, and it is also the tooth with the highest chance of suffering from dental caries. It is also the tooth that has the highest chance of developing caries. Therefore, it is important to protect the six-year-old teeth by sealing the grooves in a timely manner soon after their eruption, which will benefit your child for a lifetime. In addition, with your child’s cooperation, milk teeth (usually after the age of 3 years) can also be done to close the fossa, healthy milk teeth are the basis for the normal eruption of permanent teeth. Is it painful to do fissure sealing? There is no pain in doing fissure sealing, the operation steps are: use a small brush to clean the tooth surface thoroughly, remove the food debris and bacteria; then acid etching of the teeth, so that the surface of the fissure is tiny holes, which is conducive to the fissure sealant penetration; blow-drying thoroughly to remove the fissure of the water retained; coated with the fissure sealant, and then irradiated by a light-curing lamp for 20 seconds to make the material harden and solidify. It usually takes only about 20 minutes to do the four six-age teeth, and there is no need to grind the tooth tissue, so there is no pain, and all your child needs to do is to open his/her mouth to cooperate with the doctor’s operation. Will my child be caries-free after the fissure sealing? Theoretically, there is still a possibility of dental caries after fissure sealing. The main reason is that some children drool a lot during the operation, which may make the sealing not firm and easy to fall off. Therefore, it is recommended to go to the hospital for a checkup in about 3 months after the sealing, if the sealant is found to have fallen off, the hospital will re-seal the sealant for your child free of charge. If your child already has caries, it should be treated in time, because the earlier the dental disease is treated, the less painful and the more effective the treatment will be.