Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1898-12-15
GRIT. THEIR TEETH,
Dentists Say That Chicagoans Wear
~ Them Out Through Nerv-

"Did you know that a great many
Chicagoans wear their teeth down to;
the gums by gritting Them" the COM
,Elunicative dentist asked of his victim.
The latter made, no reply. A mans Ut
terance is not distinct enough coming
through rubber dam, neither does he
take lively interest in curious infor-,
nation" while wondering which of the
instruments of torture on the little
round table the man al, his elbow will
pick up next.
"No? It's fact, though. I'm work
irg now on a set of porcelain crowns
for the three front uppers of man
who came in here day before yesterday.
He wore, them off gritting his teeth
when he was thinking. He says-hurt?
It's all over now. I shan't hurt you
any more. He says that he has formed
the habit in late years. He can avoid it
at any time except when he sits at his
desk studying on some business propo-
sition. Then he grinds the lower teeth
against the uppers. These crowns that
I'm putting on for him are of very
hard material and will probably wear
away his lower teeth if he keeps up the
habit. I expect-ah! did we touch that
pulp again? I would put little car
lolic acid in there, but don't like to
Kill the tooth. One live tooth is equal to
two dead ones. Oh, [ expect this pa
tent around again in about four years
to have me make him a set of lower
crowns. I have cured several men of
gritting their teeth. 1 make a little
continuance like this. It's an inven-
ton of my own. believe no dentist in
Chicago makes anything similar"
Laying long, hairlike nerve finder
en- the round table, the inquisitor~ex-
tracted from tiny drawer a semi
circular object resembling horseshoe,
fitted with half dozen hollow metallic
teeth.
"Those," he continued, eft over the
Under teeth; a piece Of gutta pe1cha
inside each of these caps prevents the
lower ends from pressing against the
gum. When the patiens grinds or grits
his teeth together, however, the gutta
percha yields and the metallic ends
press into the gum, giving him sharp
pain.
81 cured a man of lifelong habit of
gritting his teeth in his sleep by con-
trivance similar to that. He used to
dream about his business. This thing,
however, always woke him up with a
sharp turn. It was, you might say,
heroic remedy, genuine Spartan treat
ment, but he was a man of determina-
ton, and he stuck to it and was finally
cured. 1t was a matter of life and
death with him, you see. He had his
business on his mind to such an ex-
tent that he was in danger of giving
away if he couldn't at least get rid of
it in his dreams. Curing him of grit
ting his teethin his sleep meant curing
him of dreaming about his business"
To what do you attribute this habit
Of gritting the teeth?'' asked the vic
tim.
''To nervousness and to Chicago bust
ness methods. In the first place, bust
ness here is usually keen fight, in
which one man is trying to get the best
Of half a dozen others. Some men chew
gum, some bite their finger nails, some
their mustaches, some crack their
lnuckles, some grit their teeth. Chi
cago Chronicle.
Texas Culture.
They were at the opera.
81 like that song" said the girl con-
fdingly to her escort.
SO do T. he agreed with her. .'That
girls fine singer-a regular bella
DONNA
And she wouldn't tell him why She
was SO tickled. Galveston News.