Teeth are very difficult to keep clean. There are spaces, depressions, tongues, cheeks, pits, and fissures than make it easy for food debris to hide and hard for us to remove. Thoroughly removing food debris from the chewing surfaces of our teeth is particularly challenging for children and those with disabilities. These surfaces can be protected, however, with a process called pit and fissure sealants, also called dental sealants,

Pit and fissure sealants were designed to help protect the surfaces of young teeth where plaque and debris hide and cannot be removed. Well place sealants have  been shown to significantly reduce tooth decay in children, on both permanent and primary molars. This is achieved by preparing the area to be treated and covering it with a protective coating of plastic. RDHAPS do not remove tooth surface when placing pit and fissure sealants. They securely cover the pit or fissure to eliminate the chance of debris and plaque biofilm falling into the pit and causing a cavity.

Once placed, sealants should be checked periodically by a dentist, dental hygienist, or your RDHAP.

Click on this link to another blog post with a graphic of sealant placement and more details.
www.flickr.com/photos/139956189@N06/41673823762

My name is Elena Francisco (most folks know me as Elly). I have been an RDHAP since 2005. My colleague, Mustafa Radif, was a graduate of the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry dental hygiene program in 2012. He has since become an assistant professor of dental hygiene in the same program he graduated from. Mustafa is one of the new generation of dental hygienists, as I like to call them. These new generation dental hygienists have great vision for our profession and he is no exception. He completed the RDHAP program in late 2017, but has been so busy teaching that has only recently completed the paperwork to obtain his RDHAP license.

We knew that the public needs to learn more about what we do. We are dedicated to increasing access to dental hygiene care for all people, but especially those most vulnerable, who cannot pursue their own dental hygiene care. We were so excited about getting this site up and running that we are still tinkering with the look of it. For that, I sincerely apologize. If you are patient with us, we will eventually end up with a unique website that meets everyone’s needs.

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