The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-24

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Guiding the bacteria. continued to be happy.
Now comes in the dentist with more fear
some tales. and it seems only right to let
him have his innings.
.Decay of the teeth, or, as we call ii,
carries of the teeth says a New York dent
ist us due to the presence of bacteria. Bac-
terra can be conveyed from mouth to mouth
by kissing. Therefore, no matter how fine
a set of teeth you may have, II you KISS
a person who has decayed teeth you will
soon need my services. A young woman
whom l know, and who by Inheritance pos
sessed mervelously perfect set OF teeth,
and was robust and of extremely Clearly
habfs used to come to me and have her
teeth cleaned when only the closest scruti-
ny could detect the stains which she wish
ed removed. Up to the age of 10 she never
needed a filling. About that time she
brought to my office a young man whom
she introduced as her fiance. He wished
my professional services, and gave 10
him an appointment. An examination as
closed a filthy mouth. 1t was necessary 10
use corrective agents before l could tolerate
him Had 1t not been that he was engaged
to marry a girl whom 1 knew to be ideally
hyeienic / should not have given to the
cleaning of mis- teeth the amount Oh atten-
ton which I did, because l recognized IN
him man careless of his teeth and breath,
who would be unappreciative OF my Ell
i
teeth into a semblance of cleanliness ana
then he refused to have the gaping car1ous
cayerns filled. l demonstrated. l spoke OF
the perfect teeth of his intended he iausn-
ed carelessly, and asked what difference II
made 70 her I explained. couid 90 no
more. They were married, and before
wear elapsed I was obliged to insert seven
G.. eight filings in her teeth. She no" h'<
q full set of artificial teeth.
81 knew a young man who had ms teeuh
ruined by keeping company with glfl VINO
had unclean teeth. She was good-looking,
but he did not marry gler-sometnins pre-
vented His teeth have not decayed since.
professor Miller, an American dentist
practicing in Berlin, took a newly eA-
traeted, healthy bicuspid tooth, sterihZed II
completely by heat OF about 800 or w de-
grees "Falrenhe;t and cut it into small
nieces. Some of these me placed in tube
containing pure cultus OF the bacteria
vnitfl ere found in decaying teeth and also
non-serrnentab,e beef extract. Other DTS
of The tooth he placed in a similar tube,
except that it contained the extract, pius
per cent. of cane sugar, which ADDITION
made trle fluid fo-mentable. Both tubes
were placed in "a warm Chamber, and the
effects noticed. In the first, though the
bacteria nourished, no change was observed
in the bits of tooth. There being no fer
meii.aton, no acid was discovered. In the
second, however, a pronounced action was
apparent III d lew udyS, anu TIC H-CNNS VI
tooth on being removed from the fluid,
were found to be SOFT and pllable, and
could readily be cut with a knife. the
sound, healthy pieces OF tooth thus decal-
CITED were transferred to an ordinary freez-
ing microtome and sliced, stained in tle
usual way, mounted in balsam and then
placed under the microscope for examina-
tion. The preparations were found to re-
semble in a marked degree those obtained
from natural carries. So close was the re-
semblance that even the most expert mi
ol7cscopist could scarcely tell one from the
other.
In carries produced artifcially there is
no explanation possible except that it is
due to the Tactic acid generated by the
growth of bacteria in the fermentable
mixture into which the sound teeth had
been placed. Only a few bacteria eliminate
Tactic acid in growing. but as soon as 1t is
produced and comes into contact with the
lime salts of the teeth chemical action
takes place. The tactic acid, being d
waste product of the bacteria, would soon
destroy them II they were compelled to live
in it, just as the human being would die II
confined in carbonac acid or other waste
products OF our bodies But the Tactic acid
combines with the lime of the tooth and
becomes lactate OF lime. A cavity begun by
the first action of the acid serves as alodg-
ing place for bacteria, and in 1t they thrive
and multiply, and carries increasing proper
tonately.
"F-ofessor Miller says that the number of
different bacteria that may find lodging
is enormous From first to last he re-
marks. 4 have found more than 100 species
of bacteria in the human mouth IL the
decay of human teeth be dependent upon
bacterial life, a mouth wash whleh would
be thoroughly germicidal would be heartl-
" desirable; but such wash has not yet
been discovered. Here is q fine opportunl-
ty for chemists. The resistance which bac-
terra offer to destructive agents Is VARIABLE
and uncertain, and thoroughly eHeetlVe
germicide is hard to find. a germicloe
which would be energetic with one class OF
organisms would not answer for another.
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Some day dentists will learn how, upon
examining a patients mouth, to determine
what species of micro-organisms 1--we there,
and to prescribe the proper germic1dal
wash Meanwhile, for general purposes OF
a mouth wash, nothing Is better than lis
terine. A teaspoonful in small tumbierful
of water makes q pleasant diluuon. This
is preferable to mouth wash which is a
compound Experiments have proved that
many things, themselves good germicides,
lose their efficacy when mixed. Not one
person in five knows how to use tooth
brush. One should have a hard and soft
brush The water should be moderately
hot and held in the mouth for minute or
more before the brush is applied. This Will
soften the accumulations. Take the soft
brush and scrub the surfaces of the teeth,
vigorously going over all parts.
After this has been done thoroughly and
the mouth rinsed out, use the hard brush.
Both brushes should have concave surfaces
and serrated brstles. In using the hard
brush hold 1t in the hand and rotate the
wrist, thus brushing the gums toward the
cutting edges. The mouth is held slightly
open. This removes from between the
teeth whatever was there at the outset. and
what has been crowded there by the ordin-
ary action with the first brush. Even more
tho1 oughness is required in this last proceed
ure than in the first. 1t is between the
teeth that decay is most likely to occur, and
between the teeth few people succeed in
-,ls.,s..,n 1Naxed floss silk should be pass