This case features a sealant that looks clinically acceptable at low magnification (Figure 1). At high magnification, the seal­ant continues to exhibit acceptable margins (Figure 2). However, upon removal of said sealant, gross caries were present (Figure 3). This 22-year-old female patient reported sensitivity to sweets in the maxillary left quadrant. She is the daughter of a local endodontist.

This endodontist expressed disappointment with the catastrophic failures found associated with this and other sealants placed on his daughter’s teeth by one of his referring general dentists. Unfortunately, his daughter may eventually need several root canal treatments as a result of the treatment. Yet another endodontist who performed endodontic therapy on his daughter after a failed sealant exclaimed, “Sealants are a sham, I am embarrassed for our profession. David, please send me some fissurotomy burs, some flowable and paste composite, and I will redo these things myself!”