Protecting teeth against decay - Healthy Living

Dear Dentist,
Are there measures (rather than brushing) that can help in preventing decay of my children’s teeth? Dorothy, Busega

Dear Dorothy, brushing is the most common practice many people use to protect themselves from tooth decay. However, there are other measures one can employ. Flossing of teeth is one other good measure but it is not regularly practiced by majority of us. You need to see a dentist to take you and your children through how it works. Once your children get used to it, this will reduce their chances of developing holes in teeth to a certain percentage.

Another key measure is by use of fissure sealants. A fissure sealant is a material that essentially covers the grooves or pits and fissures of teeth. Protecting deep pits and fissures reduces the chance of one getting tooth decay on the top of your teeth.

Most of the time, the teeth at the back (molars and premolars) have the most grooves. However, the front teeth (incisors and canines) have shallow pits and fissures, and this kind of preventive treatment is not always applicable.
These deep pits and fissures are often very difficult to clean, as the bristles on your toothbrush are often not able to get to the deepest part of these grooves.

If the grooves are not cleaned properly, decay will start on the top of the tooth, and the tooth will sometimes need a filling.

Fissure sealants are indicated in;
Children with decay and fillings in their baby teeth

Individuals with deep pits and fissures who also find difficulties in cleaning their teeth
Individuals who are at high risk of developing tooth decay

Individuals with poor oral hygiene
Why are sealants used?
Pit and fissure sealants are designed to specifically offer preventive effects. These sealants occupy the pits and fissures of teeth with a resin material and as they get filled up, the bacteria are not able to go deep into grooves, and this causes less bad bacteria to be present on the tooth. Teeth with fissure sealants are many times less likely to develop decay than those that have not been filled.

Sealants render the pits and fissures easier to clean during brushing and chewing, as food particles do not get trapped as easily when you have deep fissures.

It is always important for you to have or ask about all preventive treatments that can be provided to you and your children as these will help you reduce the burden of dental diseases and the costs associated to them.

The writer is a dentist
krdent@yahoo.com