The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28


half century if children were taught
according to Shakespeare, not only to
wash their faces" but to keep their
teeth clean" The results would be APP
parent also in the looks of the next
generation. for it is certainly true that
nothing adds so much to the beauty
Of the face as fine, well-cared-for
teeth.
Many mothers do not realize that
they are not only responsible for the
health and general welfare of their
children, but for their good looks as
we'll, and as nothing detracts more
from the expression of the face than
bad teeth, it is their duty to see that
good ones are cultivated.
Decay destroys more teeth than all
other diseases of the mouth. There
fore. an ounce of prevention In car
ing for the teeth, as well as in other
matters, is worth pound of cure.
Mothers whose children have poor
teeth often lay the cause to inherited
tendencies but dental bacteriologists
all agree that it is not so much the
quality of the teeth as their environ
1t is true, of course, that the teeth
are influenced to a. great extent by
parental nutrition and by inheritance,
but many faults of the latter may be
overcome by giving the infant and
growing child proper food. which
means nutriment rich in formative ma
terial. Eggs, milk, whole-wheat
bread, meats and fish are all more or
less rich in lime salts. In fact. the
regular regime for producing a
healthy body. such as wholesome
| food, outdoor exercise and well-venti-
lated sleeping rooms, is all that is
necessary to produce well-developed
teeth.
Teeth Need Exercise.
Then, too, the teeth need exercise to
make them strong, just as much as
the muscles do. Consequently, the
constant use of liquids and soft foods
will give the teeth so little to do that
from the inexorable law Of disuse they
will suffer decay.
Not only from an aesthetic stand
point are good teeth absolutely neces-
sary for the cosmic completeness of
the face but from a functional stand
point they are essential for the mas
| tication Of food, and for the proper
articulation of words in speech
Hygienically, too, the teeth should
not only be kept sweet and clean for
their own sake, but for that of the
| health. II they are allowed to collect
particles of food, they will become the
breeding ground for disease germs or
bacteria, which will in turn be car
ried into the stomach and intestines,
and there be absorbed and finally car
ried into the entire system, until the
health is seriously impaired. In ad-
dition to this, the teeth will be at
tackled by these living organisms, or
bacteria, and decay will be the re-
suit
The statement may sound paradox
ical. but 1t is a true one, neverthe-
less, that the proper time to begin to
care for the child's teeth is in infancy,
! before it has any teeth In other
words, during the period of dentition
which usually starts at four months
and continues through the third year
the child should be given frequent
small doses of lime water to aid this
physiological process.
From the time of it's birth the child's
mouth should be cleansed morning anc
evening. TO accomplish this, use tepid
water and salt, or water made slightly
alkaline with a pinch of powdered bo-
rax. A small piece of soft linen cloth
may be wrapped around the forefin-
ger. dipped in the water, and gently
rubbed about the child's mouth.
The Use of the Brush.
When the temporary teeth are all
cut" which is usually at the age OF
two years, IA small soft brush should
be used morning, noon and night with
| the alkaline water, brushing the teeth
carefully in order to reach all the
grooves At the age of three the
child should be given a brush and be
taught to use it properly. The tooth
brush should be concave in shape SO
as to adapt itself to the curves Of the
jaws. The bristles should be medium
or course, the child will regard the
brush as plaything at first, but II
| will soon become a habit, to initiate
mother and brush the teeth upon ris-
ing, after each meal, and before re-
| firing. The mother should emphasize
the fact that it is just as necessary TO
keep the teeth clean as the little
hands. Indeed, 1t is really more inn
portant, for soiled hands will not
cause half the mischief that soiled
teeth WILL and just because they are
out OF sight is no reason why they
should be "out of mind" any more
than hands or face.
In pointing this moral, the mother
may adorn her tale with homemade
| jingles. which the children will soon
commit to memory and apply. For
instance,
Because the teeth are out of sight
Forget them not, but treat them
right
And again she will remind them by
saying,
BE sure and keep your teeth snow
white
Or food will never taste just right.
Sometimes she will tell how to
brush them by humming the jingle.
To cleanse your teeth, brush up
and down.
Once said dentist of renown.
Things That Hurt the Teeth.
She will also teach the children, as
coon as they are old enough to I'M
derstand, that the eating of sweets
and acids to excess, the taking of
medicine, cracking nuts and picking
with pins or wooden tooth picks. are
all injurious to the teeth. To impress
these truths upon their minds she will
set a good example, and when parti-
cles of food become wedged between
the teeth she will use quill instead
Of a wooden toothpick. Dental floss
will nearly always serge the same pur-
pose, and the toilet tables of children
should be kept supplied with this
necessity, which Is of quite as much
Importance as washcloths and towels.
And so, after each meal, until the
children fall into the habit, they are
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