In these days when we live in the 21st century, the focus has been on the question of how to prevent caries formation rather than treating caries. The most important preventive applications that can be made to strengthen milk and permanent teeth are fluoride and fissure sealant applications.
Fluoride is a substance included in toothpastes and added to drinking water in many countries in the world to reduce the incidence of caries in the community. Fluoride or fluorine contributes to the structure of the tooth, making the enamel more acid-resistant. This acid is formed by the synthesis of food residues left in the mouth after the meal we eat, by bacteria, and leads to tooth decay. When fluoride is applied, the structure of the teeth becomes more resistant to these acids. We are already applying fluoride to our teeth with regular daily brushing. However, the amount of toothpaste we use should be controlled, especially in children. However, fluoride, which the dentist will apply once in 6 months, will strengthen your child’s tooth structure and increase his resistance to caries.
Another protective application is Fissure Sealers, which we can also call protective fades. Fissure sealants are applications made to the 6-year-old teeth, which are the first permanent molars to appear on the back of the milk molars in the mouth. The recesses and protrusions on the chewing surface of the molars are usually small grooves where bacteria cling to and form caries. We call the fissure sealant application to fill these small recesses as protective before the bacteria can settle. Fissure sealants should preferably be applied as soon as the lesser 6-year-olds come out. Especially children with caries in their primary teeth are in the risk group for the rapid decay of these permanent teeth. Fissure sealants can prevent caries formation up to 90-95% both physically and thanks to the fluoride they contain. Fissure sealants are fun and extremely practical applications that take about 1 minute for each tooth and are made without removing any material from the teeth.
DR. PINAR KARATABAN (PEDODONTIST)
