Protective Applications
Caries preventive treatments in children are important to protect the newly erupting permanent teeth, which are very important for the health of the child for the rest of his/her life, before they decay, and to make all teeth, including deciduous teeth, resistant to caries. In practice, caries preventive treatments take place in two ways: fissure sealants and fluoride applications:
The purpose of fissure sealant application is to prevent nutrient retention and resulting caries by covering the indented parts called fissures on the chewing surface of the teeth, which are often the starting point of caries, with substances called “fissure sealant”.
Fluoride applications can be done from the age of 2. These applications, like fissure sealants, are short-term treatments in which the child does not feel pain. For this reason, it can be considered as the most appropriate treatment for children who will meet the dentist for the first time. Fluoride treatment should be repeated every 6 months or every 4 months in children with high caries risk to ensure the continuity of its caries-protective properties.