WHAT ARE PIT & FISSURE SEALANTS?
These are defined as thin plastic coating which are placed on the occlusal surfaces of the posterior teeth to form a mechanical barrier between the tooth structure & the oral environment. They are to be used for teeth which are susceptible to caries.
There are 4 different types of fissures namely I,K,U,V.
TYPE I: They are extremely narrow slits. They are deep, narrow,& quite constricted, resembling a bottle neck. Susceptible to caries.
TYPE K: They are seen as narrow slit associated with larger shape at the bottom. Very susceptible to caries.
TYPE U: They are also shallow & wide. These are self cleansing and somewhat caries resistant.
TYPE V : They are shallow & wide and tend to be self cleansing. They are caries resistant.
HOW IT WORKS:
Physical obstruction of pits & fissures which prevents colonization of pits & fissure with new bacterium & prevention of fermentable carbohydrates to gain access into pits& fissure so that any remaining bacterium cannot produce acid in carciogenic concentration.
ADVANTAGES OF SEALANTS :
1. Placement of sealants is a non invasive procedure.
2. Sealants will prevent occurence of fissure caries.
3. Sealants can be used at community level for prevention of caries.
4. Easy to apply.
TYPES OF SEALANTS:
1. BASED ON TYPE OF ACTIVATION - A). Self activation, B). External energy activation
2.BASED ON APPEARANCE - A). Transparent, B). Opaque
3.BASED ON FILLER -A). Filled, B). Unfilled.
QUALITIES TO BE CHECKED IN SEALANTS BEFORE APPLICATION:
1. Adequate working time.
2. Rapid cure.
3. Good& prolonged adhesion to enamel.
5. Minimum irritation to tissues.
6. Cariostatic action.
1. Cleaning the tooth surface .
2. Centric stops should be registered
3. Isolate the tooth which is to be sealed with sealants.
4. Etching the tooth surface with 37% ortho- phosphoric acid for 15 secs after which it is washed away with a jet of water for 30 secs.Enamel should appear chalky white after washing & drying. After which bonding agent to be applied & light cured. Finally a thin layer of sealant is applied , such that it does not flow into the centric stops and light cured.
5. Occlusal adjustments to be made if needed.
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