A significant portion of dental and oral diseases is preventable.Oral diseases and conditions can begin at birth and result in pain, infection, tooth loss and other problems for a child. Early intervention may enable a child to experience optimal oral health and the life long benefits of a healthy mouth.

Oral examination, dietary counseling, oral hygiene instructions and the use of fluorides and sealant are some of the services that enhance the opportunity for every child to be free of dental disease.

We recommend that children have a dental examination by their first birthday.

Culturally and conventionally the thought prevails ,that the milk teeth are going to fall anyway so why bother treating them . However it is important to do appropriate restorations at each stage of dentition for the following reasons :-

• Milk teeth : It is imperative to maintain the tooth as long as possible in the mouth as they maintain the continuity of the dental arches and the teeth in stable positions .The natural tooth acts as a best space-maintainer .Early decay of the teeth especially at the contacts of the teeth, results into shifting of the teeth towards the center and loss of space for eruption of the subsequent permanent dentition .It is best when the tooth is maintained in it’s position till the scheduled time of exfoliation.
• The removal of all decay and restoration of the tooth ensures the child a decay free mouth.This helps in having a nourishing food intake when the child is growing actively .Since the oral cavity is caries free,the chances of permanent teeth getting affected is highly reduced which is good news for the permanent dentition.
• Permanent teeth : The earliest cleaning of cavities with subsequent fillings and sealant as required ensures a brake to the progression of decay and the tooth is left healthier for adulthood
• As regards to the restorations possible in Pediatric Dentistry, brief outline of what could be a treatment modality is mentioned.The actual treatment is totally patient related.Sound clinical judgement after actually examining the patient and correlating with the symptoms would decide the best restoration for a tooth.