Can adults do pit and fissure sealing to prevent tooth decay? Does teeth cleaning damage teeth?

We will see that many people have black holes on their teeth. Yes, this is tooth decay, also known as caries.

Dental caries is a very common oral problem. How does it occur?

The oral cavity is an environment with bacteria. Some bacteria can produce acid as long as there is a source of nutrition. This acid adheres to the teeth and will erode the teeth over a long period of time. The teeth will rot away little by little. The teeth will change color and turn black, forming black cavities. Food will get stuck in the cavities, causing pain when eating.

Nowadays, children are encouraged to do pit and fissure sealing to prevent tooth decay, but can adults do it? Today is " World Oral Health Day ", let's talk about related topics~

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Adults can do pit and fissure sealing

Preventing tooth decay?

Pit and fissure sealing is used to prevent tooth decay, and is done more often in children.

If the doctor determines that the pits and fissures of the teeth are very deep, prone to tooth decay, or the risk of tooth decay is relatively high, some adults can also undergo the procedure .

So, what is pit and fissure sealing?

Everyone knows that there are many pits and grooves on the surface of the back molars. These places are called pits and fissures. The dot-shaped and small circle-shaped ones are called pits, and the long strip-shaped ones are called grooves. In places with pits and grooves, food residues are particularly easy to get stuck in when eating, and bacteria are also willing to live in them. It is usually not easy to clean the small and deep pits and grooves by brushing teeth. Pits and grooves are particularly prone to caries.

Therefore, a technology was invented, which is pit and fissure sealing. Simply put, it is to fill these pits and concave places with a layer of cement-like substance to seal them. Food residues and bacteria from the outside cannot get to the bottom. The bacteria at the bottom will starve to death without a source of nutrition. Pit and fissure sealing can play a role in protecting teeth.

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It should be noted that having pit and fissure sealants on teeth does not necessarily mean that you will not get caries. Even if the tooth has been sealed, it still needs to be protected. As long as you eat, dental plaque will form on the surface of the tooth. If the plaque is not cleaned, you will still get caries. Caries will not occur in the place where the pit and fissure sealants are applied, but may occur in the place where two teeth are connected.

In addition, when doing pit and fissure sealing, resin-like substances are glued to the surface of the teeth. This does not mean that they will never fall off once you stick them on. Some of them may fall off, and regular check-ups are required. If they fall off, they need to be re-sealed to prevent tooth decay.

In fact, in addition to pit and fissure sealing to prevent tooth decay, regular teeth cleaning can also prevent the occurrence of tooth decay and gingivitis.

How often should I clean my teeth?

Does teeth cleaning damage teeth?

Why do you need a teeth cleaning?

No matter how clean you brush your teeth, there are some corners and crevices that you may not be able to reach. When dental plaque stays on the teeth for a long time, the minerals are deposited and become hard tartar that sticks to the surface of the teeth, just like a kettle, with some scale deposited on the surface.

If you brush your teeth regularly and pay attention to the brushing effect, there will be very little tartar and you will not need to wash your teeth very frequently.

If you don't brush your teeth well, some people may have a lot of tartar stuck on the surface of their teeth in three months, so the frequency of teeth cleaning depends on the effectiveness of brushing.

For most people, it is necessary to go to the dental department for a check-up at least once a year to see where there is tartar. It is usually recommended to have teeth cleaned once a year.

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There are two types of tools used for cleaning teeth:

One is a piezoelectric ceramic dental cleaner, which is an ultrasonic teeth cleaning machine that uses a piezoelectric ultrasonic generator to generate ultrasonic vibrations to remove tartar.

In terms of hardness, tartar cannot be compared with the enamel on the surface of teeth. Enamel is the hardest tissue. The power of ultrasonic vibration can loosen the tartar, and the tartar will fall off. It will definitely hit the tooth surface when vibrating. Will it scratch the tooth surface?

There will be some, so you must polish after ultrasonic cleaning to clean the scratches or stains on the surface. When the teeth are smooth, it is easier to brush them clean and bacteria will not easily attach to them.

There is another type of teeth cleaning device now, called a magnetostrictive teeth cleaning machine, which is equivalent to polishing the tartar off the tooth surface in an arc. The tooth surface becomes very smooth, and it will be even better if polished again.

It is impossible to say that teeth cleaning has no damage to teeth, not even the slightest damage. However, compared with the harm caused by tartar and the large amount of bacteria irritating the gums and causing gum recession, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, so regular teeth cleaning is very necessary.

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Maintaining oral health, brushing your teeth well, sealing pits and fissures, and regular teeth cleaning can effectively prevent caries and gingivitis.

Author: Rong Wensheng, Chief Physician, Peking University Hospital of Stomatology, Vice Chairman of the Oral Prevention Committee of the Chinese Stomatological Association

Review | Qin Man, Chief Physician, Peking University School of Stomatology, Incoming Chairman, Pediatric Dentistry Committee, Chinese Stomatological Association

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