The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-07-01
GETTING WISDOM TEETH.
A DENTIST GIVES SOME POINTS OF
INTEREST.
Trouble with Wisdom Teeth which
Causes Had Health-Thc Most
Common Disease Of tho Teeth.

A DENTIST GIVES SOME POINTS of
INTEREST.
Trouble with Wisdom Teeth which
Causes Had Health-Thc Most
Common Disease Of tho Teeth.
81 have noticed that more people are
interested in the condition of their
mouths and teeth since the widespread
report Of General Grants peculiar dis
case and the various causes ascribcd for
it, remarked q dentist TO the Chicago
New<. 1.-The majority of persons have
been prone to give little heed to any dis
arrangement of the mouth, dental or
otherwise, and to pass it over, even for
years, as something merely uncomforta-
bic and not important to the general
health" Concerning t~ceth-cutting, he
said:
1.-THE upper wisdom teeth arc usually
eruptcd without difficulty, but those of
the lower jaw often occasion considera-
bic constitutional disturbance, and are
frequently, especially with males, the
reason of various obscure nervous af-
fcctions. Crowding is the cause of the
most trouble with these teeth, which arc
known as the third molars,' the space
between the second molars and the up
right portions Of the jaw being insult
ficient 10 permit the tooth to come
through readily. Tie inflammation
which cnsucs frequently causes a lump
to form at the place where the Jaw
reaches the throat. This is called Il fun
gus cxcresccnce,' and usually has to be
cut out. Sometimes simply lanclng
the gum and letting out the blood
will give relief. The record OF
troubles caused by the attempt OF
a wisdom tooth to push itself out into
the society Of an already crowded arch
is manifold. They are sometimes very
slow in accomplishing the job, and I've
known youths and young men who were
not in good health for two or three years
from no other cause then cutting their
wisdom teeth. In the cases of some X
ccptionally susceptible and sensitive in.
dividuals, they have occasionc9 death"
"What is the average age of cutting
wisdom tecth?"
"Any period between sixteen and
forty.five. The most critical periods arc
usually at the ages OF six, twelve and
about seventeen, although few persons
cut wisdom teeth till over twenty. Pco'
pic suffer moro in later years from the
stupidity of their parents and the lack
of attention they give to their teeth from
the ares of six to seventeen than
from any other cause. Now, the SIN
year old molars arc the largest teeth IN
the mouth, and are very important.
They should never be allowed to decay
if possible to prevent it. Even if they
cannot be permanently saved, they
should by all means be retained till the
child is between ten and twelve years
old. But if they cannot be kept there
are reasons why they should be extracted
at this particular period. The want OF
proper appreciation and proper treat
ment of these six-year-old molars is one
of the principal causes which occasion
most people to lose part or all of their
teeth before they arc forty. Why? Oh,
the effects Of their removal are so many
that l can't give them in detail.
Their removal robs the arch Of support,
just as taking a barrel stave from the
barrel would, and therefore it must col
lapse sooner or later. If people haven't
good teeth they can't masticate their
food sufficiently. Many persons don't
do so who have the teeth. Indigestion,
is. of course, the result. Indigestion is
our prevailing malady, and it has its
origin eight times out of ten in some
trouble with the teeth, either nervous o,
owing to the decay of the dental appara.
tus. The pressure cxerted upon teeth
during mastication is essential to their
healthy condition. They are strength
ened. the same as any other organ, by
exercise"
"What is the most common disease of
the teethP
'.Tartcr deposit. 1t resembles cream
Of tartcr, which gathers from time to
time and adhercs to the teeth as that
does to the sides Of the casks. 1t occa.
sions a heap of mischief. The only
treatment for it is its thorough removal.
1t is very destructive, frequently eating
burrows across the teeth just below the
margin of the gum. 1t accumulates
the most rapidly at night, for as the
mouth is then at rest there is nothing to
interfere with its attachment rs there is
when the fluids arc in motion. The acids
of the mouth are more active at night,
too. Therefore teeth should always be
we'll cleaned before retiring. If they
are brushed at no other time and it is
not necessary unless convenient to brush
them oftencr than once a day-it should
be done before sleeping. Teeth should
not be scrubbed like q kitchen floor,
either, but brushed gently, the upper
ones down and the lower ones up. There
arc nice little tooth. brushes and dcnti.
friccs manufactured especially now fol
children's use, and their little teeth
should be cleaned the same as those OF
older persons"