Sealants are a wonderful preventive treatment that everyone should consider for their permanent teeth.  Sealants are a plastic protective coating that should be placed on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth as early as possible.  They are very effective in reducing the amount of decay that develops over a lifetime.  It is essential to thoroughly check the surfaces of the teeth for decay before applying the sealant. We first use a laser cavity detector to assure that the tooth is decay-free before applying the sealant as we have found that a significant number of back teeth may have defects that require fillings instead of sealants.  If you have not had your or your child’s teeth checked and sealed, it would be worthwhile to do so as it may save you money and keep you from having bigger problems in the future.