Any dentists/nurses talk to me about materials used in fissure sealants?

[healthyteeth]

My dc is being advised to have fissure sealants on her back 4 molars (permanent teeth). These teeth aren’t properly mineralized due to a long term health issue which started in toddlerhood. All other teeth are healthy and there are no fillings or decay.

They aren’t causing her any problems but they do look like they have shadows in the pit if you look at them.

My concern is over what the material is made from and if it is safe long term. I have an older family member who has a mouth full of fillings and has a horrible neurological condition. He was told all those years ago that the material used (mercury etc) was safe. All my dentist can say is that modern dental materials are made from a ‘composite’ material (composite just means a mixture of materials?) and that they don’t have people coming back complaining. Well of course not, short term but my concern is her long term health. These materials are in her head right near her brain.

I want to weight up the risk to her long term health with the risk to her teeth long term. Can anyone talk to me about what materials are used and any safety information they know of? Thank you.

my children had tissue sealant ( there’s no mercury) over 30 years ago and don’t have any fillings or neurological problems. It’s is literally a layer over the pits and is a non invasive treatment. It very often wears away over time but still sticks to the pits ifswim
I think 30 years is long enough to test it! From my own point of veiw it was time and money well spent and I don’t think you need to worry too much. It’ll help enormously with keeping the surface clean and avoiding fillings.
hth

I’m a dental nurse by the way.

Fissure sealants are mostly composed of bis gma , which has its detractors as do all dental materials.

Dental amalgam has been around for over 150 years and the people who work with it (dentists, nurses , hygienists, therapists) mostly have a mouthful of very old dental amalgam as well. They have no higher rates of neurological disease than the rest of the population. There is no peer reviewed , generally accepted scientific papers demonstrating a link between amalgam fillings and neurological,conditions. Indeed people like the MS society etc have urged people not to have their fillings removed as there is no evidence that it will help and plenty of evidence that replacing fillings can cause problems with teeth.

The same goes for fissure sealants , dental professionals are exposed to it all day and often have composite fillings which are made of the same material as well , with no ill effects.

Compare that to what we will know will happen to the tooth and the effects of decay , inflammation and either filling the tooth or extracting it.

Quackwatch is an interesting read on the dubious claims of health problems with fillings https://quackwatch.org/related/mercury/