Dental sealants are one of those preventive treatments that often receive less attention than they deserve. Patients are usually interested in fillings, root canal treatment, braces, whitening, implants. Sealants rarely feature in conversations unless a dentist specifically brings them up.That is a mistake.When I look at the chewing surfaces of newly erupted permanent molars, particularly in school-age children, the pattern is often predictable. Deep grooves. Narrow pits. Tiny fissures running across the biting surface. Some are so fine that even a toothbrush bristle struggles to reach the bottom. Food debris settles there. Bacteria settle there. The process starts quietly.The common assumption is that cavities develop because children do not brush properly. That is only part of the story. Some children brush reasonably well and still develop decay in the grooves of their molars. The anatomy of the tooth itself create