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PIT AND FISSURE
SEALING :s
It is now an effective and accepted method for prevention of cavities.
But let us first under stand what are pits and what are fissures.
Look at the chewing surface of a young teeth (because these features
can get partily or wholly errased because of wearing away) it looks
like a minature landscape of a hilly region. You will see several
elevated hill like structures. These are known as cusps and
in bitween these cusps you will see several fine lines running like
river in a valley. These lines are known as fissures ,there
are also small hole like structures which are similar to what will
be formed when you try to stick your finger in a soft dough, except
that it is in a minature form these are known as pits .Both
these pits and fissures extend deep.There openings are so small
that even bristle of your brush can not reach the bottom of these
structures.Conciquently it can not be cleaned .This is the reason
why these structures are so prone to cavities.
The objective of pit and fissure sealent is to eliminate these potential
source of cavities by filling up these. To do that a material with
low enough viscosity is chosen that can flow into these structures
and subsiquintly harden to a strength that is strong enough to resist
the forces of mastication .Some times a little colour is added so
that the filling stands out from the rest of the tooth and it becoms
easier to identify . This pit and fissure sealent may have to be
priodicaly reapplied every few years .
GUM CHEWING
It is well established that the chewing of paraffin and non flavoured
non sweetened gum base removes considerable number of microorganisms
and residual food particles from the mouth. This is because of the
detergent action of these substances and also because of increased
salivary flow. There have been further attempts to reduce the incidences
of cavities by adding some bacteriostatic (those agents which stop
proliferation of bacteria ) agents.
TOOTH BLEACHING PROCEDURE
Tooth bleaching is the treatment of choice when the tooth has discoloured
due to trauma ,use of medicine e.g tetracycline, aging and sometimes
purely due to cosmetic reasons. Bleaching of normal healthy tooth
is known as vital bleaching, in this you have two choices
(1) in office vital bleaching (2) dentist prescribed home applied
technique
IN OFFICE VITAL BLEACHING
: in this , the tooth is isolated and a bleaching agent (some
form of hydrogen peroxide ) is used for oxidation . This process
may be acclerated with the help of heat or intence light. This procedure
is done on a weakly basis and may require 2 to 6 sittings ,each
sitting lasting 30 to 45 minutes.
DENTIST PRESCRIBED HOME APPLIED TECHNIQUE
:
In this your dentist will take an impression of your teeth to make
a nightguard(a perfectly fitting tray made of clear plastic). You
have to use this tray to put your bleaching agent and then you will
have to wear it at home , the bleaching agent has to be applied
every 2 hours or so , but if it has to be worn in the night then
of cource it is applied only once ,so depending on the duration
of its wear the treatment could last 2 to 6 weeks.
COMPLICATIONS :
the most common side effect of tooth bleaching is either sensitivity
or irritation of gums but both are treatable and temporary in nature.
PIT
AND FISSURE SEALING : GUM CHEWING :TOOTH
BLEACHING PROCEDURE
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