The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1904-12-21
The American Child
and The Dentist.
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Gy MARY ANNABLE FANTON.
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for dismal hours at the dentist.
2 They expect as much to have their
, teeth filled just as often as they do to
have new hats and new shoes or
I Christmas presents at midwinter. And
an occasional sophisticated small per-
son will even boast of her gold filings,
as an old-fcshioned country baby
might of her gold curls.
Apparently children are trained to
think the dentist q necessity, and
grown people are much the same. We
seem to have forgotten that people
have q right TO sound teeth, that teeth
belonging to healthy people should be
white and strong and perfect, such
teeth as North American Indians and
South Sea Islanders have.
or course there is n reason in the
first place for teeth OF over civilized
people losing strength and working
power, The gums, like muscles, need
friction to keep up good circulation.
A muscle that isn't used gets fabby
and incapable, and teeth that are not
exercised, as 1t were, get lifeless and
either loosen or decay.
The reason teeth do not get enough
friction nowadays is because they were
originally intended to gnaw bones and
chew grlstle; and now that these primi-
tive foods are regarded as inelegant
and that the teeth are used mainly for
polite cereals and tender meats, there
is practically no friction and hence but
little circulation in the gums. And so
now comes all sorts Of troubles Of a
semi-paralytic condition.
But fortunately there is remedy for
this condition and very simple and
inexpensive one. 1t is nothing more or
less than the right use of a stiff tooth
brush And this does not mean tearing
up the gums as though one were
ploughinS in spring meadow, or
bringing such pressure on them at the
edges of the. teeth they are picked and
hurt; it doesn't mean doing any sort of
foolish thing and hoping to get good re-
suits. What it does mean is to get
moderately stiff brush and to use It
with intelligent vigor twice n day on
the upper part Of the gums, both inside
and outside; get Il good brush and one
with n knob at the end so that the
bristles can reach the utmost parts of
the gums, and a large blush; very
narrow brush is much more apt to cut
the gums. Use the brush two or three
minutes, at least long enough to start
glow in the gums.
Sometimes, even If the brush is most
carefully used, the gums will bleed ut
hrSt, put this only means that they are
- III an ihf0med ana aenemic condition
ana particularly need this treatment
Healthy tgums will not bleed when
they are brushed unless The brush is
carclcssly used so that they are cut
with the bristies,
1t is not nearly so necessary to use
tooth powder as ii is to make sure that
water is soft and pure. A sure way to
accomplish this is to add to mug of
water tiny pinch of bOraX. This
softens the water so that IL becomes
perfectly cleansing. hardcns the gums
lessons the tendency to bleeding, and is
also highly 0nti@eptic. freeing the
mouth from all possible impurities, and
making the breath wholesome and
sweet.
Where. In addition to this method of
keeping the mOuth sweet and clean
powder Is desired, it is good idea to
prepare the mixture ones self. making
sure in this way that the ingredients
are all fresh ana pure.
The following is an Inexpensive hut
excellent tooth powder: prepared chalk,
six ounces; powdered Orris root ono
ounce; powdered white CASTLE soap
0ne-half ounce; pulvcriZed sugar, one
half ounce; borjc acid, onc-half ounce:
N N tntsfr l.,lf HIT
drGchm. Grind all together to n fine
powder ard Slft. Add n little olive oil
and sift again. This amount OF pow
der should last family of four people
ut ieast six months, and il put in
sealed jars will keep nicely
~ home made wash is also wise
precaution in these days OF fake patent
preparations. An excellent wash con
tans both myrrh and boraN. the form
cr healing and the latter STRENGTHENING
the gums. It is combined in the fol.
lowing way: Quillaja (soap. bari)
""arse powder, one ounce: orrls. coarse
powder. One-fourth ounce; saccharinc
five grains; oil of peppermint, onc.haIf
drachm; oil of wintergrcen, one fourth
drachm; water, nine ounces; glycerinc
one ounce; alcohol six ounces: Solu-
ton of carminc. one drachm. Mix. ma
cerate for seven days, agitating occa-
S!onally. and filter.
Even when all possible care and pre-
caution has been taken in the nursery
from the firSt appearance OF The baby
teeth. it is still wise to have a child
visit dentist once Il year just 10 sec
that no possible cavity has come
through carcleSsness or inherited bad
teeth. If the stiff brush and the boraX
water has been used for baby days
The chances are that these visits to the
dcEtist Will mean nothing more Un-
pleasant thap/a few minutes cXamin-
alton of TIE teeth through micro.
scope aud Il slight cleaning with
pumicebrush
The money TO be saved by these Few
early precautions and the torture to he
taken out of boy and girl life is simply
incalculnble. Where there is n family
Of, say, four children whose teeth are
i'm the usual brittle or crumblng condi-
tiOu and Whnrn sroI1 is ,1sn1 co,. a GIL