Children teeth have 2 sets of teeth - primary or 'Milk' teeth and permanent. Both are important for chewing, speech and for appearance. Additionally, milk teeth are important for chewing and keeping space available for permanent to erupt into their right positions.
Children's dental care should start early. The first visit should not wait till a tooth start paining. It should be age of 2-3 yrs and then after at six monthly intervals. By starting dental care early, you'll help your child build a lifetime of good dental health.
Many parents think that the fever, diarrhoea children get while teeth are erupting is because of eruption. This is only a co-incidence. At that age children are very active and tend to put everything into the mouth. This causes infection around the erupting teeth and upsets the stomach.
It would differ from case to case and the dental age of the patient, but commonest is 12-13yrs. Many a times early commencement of treatment gives better results, but treatment is possible at an older age also. Due to advancement in technology, a children dentist can guide for the treatment at an very early age.
As soon as teeth erupt. Initially the parent must brush the child's teeth, as the child is unable to do so. The child can gradually learn. A child, otherwise healthy, does not require any tonic for teeth.
Calcium is helpful only when teeth are forming and not after that, as such children from good family do not require any calcium but if there is calcium deficiency then it is first detected on teeth, so regular check up from 2yrs would help in treating calcium deficiency. Fluorides help because they increase the resistence of the teeth to acid dissolution which is what happens in tooth decay. Fluorides can be given in drinking water, as tablet, in tooth paste and applied by dentist as gel on regular intervals.
No, permanent teeth will not decay because the milk teeth are decayed. But it does mean that the child's teeth are susceptible to decay & require proper attention & care to have and maintain a healthy dentition.