The top surfaces of your teeth – where the chewing takes place – aren’t smooth and flat. They are crevices with tiny hills and valleys – called pits and fissures. These are places where plaque can build up safe from your toothbrush and dental floss. Some of the pits and fissures are so narrow that even a single bristle from your toothbrush can’t get deep enough to clean them out.

One method of preventing cavities from developing in the pits and fissures is to seal them with a varnish called a pit and fissure sealant. If our doctors determine you need a sealant to help protect your teeth from decay, some special steps are taken. Our Certified Dental Assistants will clean the tooth first, apply a solution to ‘etch’ the surface and make it easier for the pit and fissure sealant to stick. Keeping the area dry is very important, if the tooth gets wet, the sealant might not stick properly. Once everything is ready, we then apply the sealant right over the pits and fissures on the tooth surface. A special light is then used to cure the sealant and the whole procedure is quick and painless.