HomeAnswersDentistrydental cariesThere is a black spot in a tooth with sealant. What is it?

What is the black spot in a tooth with sealant?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Answered by

Dr. Tooba Qazi

Medically reviewed by

iCliniq medical review team

Published At January 25, 2019
Reviewed AtDecember 11, 2023

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I am asking a question regarding my daughter who is 3 and 1/2. She was seen by her dentist a few months back. They performed a cleaning and also put sealant on her molars, as they have deep grooves. I just recently noticed a few dark spots in her molars, but I am wondering if that is due to the deep grooves. Everything looked good, the dentist said a month ago, so I am quite alarmed if she has a cavity in that short amount of time. May I please provide you with a picture?

Answered by Dr. Tooba Qazi

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Yes, your daughter has deeply grooved teeth (attachment removed to protect patient identity). By book, its treatment is in the following steps. Cleaning, that your dentist did perfectly as there are no residues of plaque or tartar at tooth surfaces. Deep fissure sealants, that is done to seal any carious activity if could occur in deep grooves. It is also done by your dentist. After the sealant treatment if any dark spots mean carious activity is seen it means that through micro cracks bacteria has traveled inside the enamel causing carious activity to start. Now, this is treated with fillings. It does not happen in a day or two, it takes like six months to cause slight decay in the tooth. In your daughter's case, this activity might have appeared after a few months.

Now your dentist will check if there is a catch in these black spots (carious cavity), then fillings will be done. Sometimes, there is no catch in these black spots, means carious activity is arrested and not propagating inside the tooth and they are not harmful to teeth and can be left untreated or just sealants are done to arrest them. If the black spots are becoming more evident, propagating to inside layers of teeth (harmful) and now some ditch or catch is formed in those grooves it definitely needs filling.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Tooba Qazi
Dr. Tooba Qazi

Dentistry

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