Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1885-10-20
MIscELLANEous.
tFor the Spirit of JEFFERSON. j
Dental Notes.


FLOR the Spirit of Jefferson.l
Dental Notes.
Your toothsbrushis your best friend
-useit. Toothache, that torturer OF
humanity, is but the penalty of vio.
lated law.
Cleanliness of the mouth and teeth
mean sound teeth and better health.
The mouth is the most expressive,
most useful and most characteristic
of all the features of the face. The
condition of the teeth make or mar
its beauty.
Some one has suggested that law
be passed punishing dentists for ex-
traoting teeth that should be saved.
1t would destroy the calling of about
one-half of those calling themselves
dentists.
As good dentriffce rs can be used
in cleaning the teeth is white CASTLE
soap and rain water. The aIkali OF
the soap counteracts the effects OF
the acids that attack and destroy the
enamel covering the crowns Of the
teeth.
With the greatest personal care
teeth will decay some, but it will be
reduced to minimum or entirely
prevented. Every wise person will
have the teeth examined once year
at least, and if any decay appears
have it filed at once.
Don't believe the dentist who tells
V0I1 If Unn3t 1111rb 70 n
tractcd. You may set him down for
a first-class prevaricator-unless he
refers to himself when he speaks of
its not hurting. or course it won't
hurt him. Oh, no! why should it?
Why should mankind be the only
class of living beings that so early
and so universally suffer the partial
or entire loss of the teeth2 Habits
of life. kinds of food and methods of
preparing it, intcrmingling of races.
ETC., are among the explanations
given.
Teach the children to brush their
teeth regularly two or three times
daily, and to keep them thoroughly
cleansed. The habit once formed
will be of incalcuIable value in pre-
serving the teeth, and in adding to
the personal comfort, beauty and
health of the possessor.
The first permanent tooth usually
appears at about the sixth year of the
chiId's life, and comes Immediately
back of the last of the firstset. There
are four of these teeth, one on each
side, above and below, and they are
frequently mistaken for first teeth and
extracted. If lost they are never re-
placed.
Hc can lay no claim to refinement
who neglects the care of his teeth,
and allows the mouth, which should
be the clcanest feature of the face,
because it is, as it were, the portal
of life, to become foul and offensive
from the effects of neglect:
No greater mistake can be made
than the common one of neglecting
decaycd teeth until they ache, and
then rush off to the dentist to have
them filled. The average dentist will
advise extraction. The tooth, If
aching, can be saved nine times out
of ten by proper treatment, but it
takes longer, is more painful and far
more expensive, than to have the
same cavity filled when small and
thus have prevented all the extra
trouble and expense.
The amount of sickness and i'll
health caused by the decay and loss
of the teeth can not easily be estitna-
ted. People frequently suffer from
dyspepsia, neuralgia and other ner-
vous affections, diseases of eyes, ears
and throat, caused directly or indi-
rectly by the diseased condition of
the teeth and mouth, and spend large
sums of money to cure trouble that
a little personal care and small ex-
pense would have prevented, and the
skiIlful dentist could cure.
The accumulation of tarter on the
teeth does great injury, especially
where it gathers in any quantity, by
its constant irritation of the gums,
causing them to become soft and
spongy, and torecede from the necks
of the teeth until it frequently happens
that the teeth get loose from no other
cause, and finally come out entirely.
The teeth should be kept free from
tartar. Usually it can only be re-
moved with an instrument, as it adj
heres very firmly.
Calomel and tincture of iron in
careless hands have done incaIcuIabIe
harm TO human teeth and mouths
They should be used with the greatest
caution, only in extreme cases, If at
all, and full instructions be given the
patient how to take them, so as to
avoid the too frequently injurious
results that follow their use. The
latter should never come in contact
with the teeth in taking and the
former should not be given in doses
to produce salvation. Thousands
are toothless to-day through the care
less or ignorant use of these power
full drugs
The too general practice of killing
the nerve of an aching tooth is little
less than criminal. Usually, If the