to think this is a big deal?

[BauerTime]

Genuine ask as I don't know if this is normal or not.

Friends 4yo has 5 tooth cavities and has to have coatings put on their teeth. Seems to me like a lot but as my child is only 1 ive no experience apart from my own and according to my mum me and my siblings never had any.

A few days after the dentist visit she has been contacted by her hv calling her younger child in for a check up. Might be a coincidence but possibly linked?

I know kids dont have great brushing technique and its hard to get their teeth properly cleaned if they don't like it, and I know that 1st teeth dont need to last that long anyway so might not be that big of a deal but just wondering really whether its common or not for kids teeth to deteriorate by this age or whether its something you can prevent?

There's absolutely a genetic component to tooth/enamel strength. I had eight fillings before I was 18 and drank hardly any soda, disliked juice, mostly had either milk or water and brushed a minimum of twice a day. Now that I'm in my 40s my teeth are having to be root-canal'ed and crowned in nearly the exact same order that my mother's did, despite us having completely different diets etc. I just got the 'weak tooth enamel' gene expression, I suppose.

My younger brother didn't get it and still at 33 has never had a filling. Then again, in addition to the 'weak tooth enamel', I also got the 'teeth grew in straight' gene which flew right by him as well. Hah, revenge.