The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-02

make with their children Is to tell them, or even remark in their presence, that the dental office is terrible place to go; for the suggestion acts very strongly upon their impressionable minds and they never get over the dread formed in child hood. If they were not so taught, and painful operations never allowed to be- come necessary. they could be more easily managed and saved much pain; and when older they would be more willing to take the stitch in time"
 Children are likely to form injurious habits; thumb sucking should never be allowed, for if persisted in, the drawing of the muscles of the check against the sides of the upper jaw will cause its compression, the heightening of the roof of the mouth, and the front teeth will be driven forward. resulting in a very ugly deformity.
 Mouth breathing should also be guard ed against: and If there be any indication of stoppage of the nostrils. 1t should be promptly remedied as the teeth will de- cap from the rapid evaporation of the saliva; besides, injurious effects may re- suit to the lungs and air passages. This is also a common source of deformity of the upper jaw
 There is one important point about chill dren's teeth that every mother should know; the first permanent tooth comes at about years of age and is called from this fact the sixth year molar." It comes just back of the last temporary tooth and because of it's position and size, Is at this age the most important tooth in the mouth. This tooth is very orten mistaken bv parents for a baby tooth because 1t has never been shed" and allowed to decay under the false supposition that it is not worth while having 1t filed When 1t first comes through the gums, the temporary tooth in front of 1t should be examined, and If decaped, should be either filled or ground away so that It will not affect the new tooth.
 The little Assures or crevices in the enamel are often imperfectly developed and should be closed by filling before de- cay is allowed to progress
 And now in conclusion, Just a word to teachers and supervisors of schools, who have such a grave responsibility in training the youths of our country for future usefulness. The motto of every school should be, "A healthy mind in a healthy body" and every school should teach how this may be attained. The importance of sound teeth to health, both mental and physical has been em- phasized, but at no time in life are dis eased teeth more likely to produce dis astrous results than duringr the years usually spent in school. Much useful time is often lost from study and the child's future health and mental attain ment are often jopardlzed by impaired nutrition during the critical years Of body and mind development.
 In every school there should be some method of attending to this important matter, either by requiring certificates of sound teeth from every pupil, or where feasible, the appointment of dental xaminer.
 The text books on physiology and hy- gience are very deficient on this sub ject and should be supplemented by oc- casional talks from some member of the dental profession. By thus impressing upon the schools and the homes of the land the importance of good teeth, den- tai decay will become less common and one of the chief causes of i'll health will be eliminated.