Sealants are a safe and painless way of protecting your children's teeth from dental decay. A sealant is a protective plastic coating, which is applied to the biting surfaces of the back teeth. The sealants form a hard shield that keeps food and bacteria from getting into the tiny grooves in the teeth and causing decay.

Sealants are only applied to the back teeth — the molars and premolars — as these are the teeth that have the pits and fissures on their biting surfaces. Some teeth naturally form with deep grooves, and will need to be sealed, others with shallow ones, will not need sealing. The process is usually quick and straight forward, taking only a few minutes per tooth. Sealants are totally pain free, and the teeth do not feel any different afterwards. Good oral hygiene is still an absolute necessity but the sealants reduce tooth decay and therefore reduce the number of fillings your child might need.

Chewing surface of a molar before sealant is applied.		The tooth surface is etched with a mild solution to help the sealant adhere.		Chewing surface of a molar protected by a shaded sealant.