Dental health week begins on August 4, and is a timely reminder as Australians are living longer for both adults and children that teeth are for life.

Local dentist from Dawson Street Dental Surgery, Dr Mei-yi Chew said that a number of parents were ill informed when it comes to the health of their children's teeth.

"A lot of people think it's ok to have decay in the baby teeth, but they are very important to stay in as long as possible because they keep the space open for the larger teeth which can eliminate needing braces later on," she said.

Dr Anthony Slater, also of Dawson Street, recommends children visit a dentist for regular check ups every six to 12 months from the age of two or three.

"Children and adults are consuming more sweets than they were 20 years ago, if you look at any of the supermarkets the sweets are at children's level," he said.

"I'd say 99 per cent of the time diet is a bigger cause of tooth decay than dental hygiene and any dark cola drinks are particularly bad."

Dr Slater said he has not treated anyone yet under the new Teen Dental plan, which offers a small rebate for dental checks.

"For the last 30 years many regarded government clinics in schools as their main source of dental therapy for children," he said.

"I don't know if they are still doing dental checks at schools, but then we only tend to see them when there's a problem which by then is too late."

Dr Slater also said there was a generation of adults that have grown accustomed to having fluoride in the water system, making them complacent to their dental health and the dental health of their children.

"There was a generation of children who are now adults who have become accustomed to having fluoride in the water," he said

"So people neglected going to dentists and don't believe that tooth decay is a problem."