When done correctly, these are wwithout a doubt, the best and most cost effective way to prevent expensive and uncomfortable dental resotrations.  Sealants are a plastic (BPA Free) product that are utilized for the prevention of cavities, usually in the back teeth and on teeth with very deep grooves that are more prone to decay.   The teeth are cleaned, rinsed, etched with a gental dental etch ( or dental soap as we like to call it for our little patients) to allow adherance.  The teeth are then  dried, and a dental adhesive bonding agent is added, cured/or hardened with a special light, and the sealant is placed and allowed to flow into the deep grooves and fissures of the teeth and then cured into place sealing off the deep pits and fissures where food, debris and bacteria can hide and cause cavities.   The entire process is completed without the use of local anesthetic (no numbing).  The hardest part of the process is keeping the tooth to be sealed, isolated and dried to allow the adherance of the sealant.  Should decay be found prior to the sealant being placed, a tooth filling or restoration must be completed.  Typically sealants are placed on the 6 year molars and the 12 year molars.  However if  the child is a high risk for cavities and has deep grooves, then sealant can be placed on the permanent premolars or on baby molars as a preventative measure.