Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-26
WHALE BLUBBER FOR BABIES
Dentists IdeR of an Advantage the
EskimOs Have OVer the
whites.

DR.. Cook on his return from the North
pole was obliged to spend several days
In, the dental chair having his teeth re-
paired. The hard usage to which they
had been subjected had broken them
dQWn. Yet, 1t is safe to say that the
Eskim0s who were his only companions
In his last dash could chew up the frozen
fish and tough dog meat as we'll as ever.
Why7
DR.. Cook when a child was fed on pre-
pared food in the form Of milk, which he.
no doubt, sucked through a soft rubber
nipple. His Eskimo friends were provided
with a piece OF tough whale bIubber, to
get any nourishment from which IL was
necessary to chew and chew all day long.
This chewing kept the gums hard and
healthy, and as each tooth came through
1t was kept perfectly clean by the con-
slant wear and tear Of the blubber.
A clean tooth cannot decay.
AS the second teeth began to form the
roots OF the baby teeth were absorbed
normally, allowing each permanent tooth
to take its rightful place In the mouth.
These in turn were kept clean by the
same mechanical means, so that the only
way for them to give out was by the ac-
tual wearing away OF the grinding sur
faces.
Not many people live long enough to
wear out their teeth.
But in our country whale blubber Is not
a popular esculent. Our children are fed
on soft, starchy foods which require no
chewing, hence no mechanical cleansing.
The gums become soft and flabby.
As the teeth come through particles OF
this easily decomposed food collect around
and upon them and soon become masses
OF acid-forming bacteria.
II these were removed at once they
would do no great harm, but being allowed
TO remain the acid attacks the enamel
OF the tooth, dissolving out some OF the
lime salts and a cavity is formed.
Once formed, this cavity collects food
particles and more bacterli, producing more
acid. which dissolves out more lime salts;
his makes a larger cavity, which collects
more food, bacteria, ETC.. until the pulp
or nerve Of the teeth is reached and the
child is brought with the toothache to the
dentist.
His experience here is not pleasant, as
most Of us remember, and he leaves the
place firmly vowing never to return. This
may partly account for the fact that In
one of our cities an examination recently
made OF school childreu's teeth showed
NnhN y HNA ANhN va AAANAAA Aaa uNNaN ia
teeth and almost one-half had suffered
with toothache within two weeks.
They suffer in silence(0
one tooth after another becomes at
fected. some are extracted; others are so
badly decayed that when the permanent
teeth begin to form they are DETECTED
from their rightful places, causing crooked
teeth and the services OF a specialist are
necessary TO correct malformations OF the
Jaws and nasal cavity. The bacteria from
the baby teeth are soon transmitted 10 the
second teeth, and very often these are
badly decayed before they are quite
through the gums.
II seems as though the blubber baby has
the best OF It, doesn't It? II is TO be feared
however, that this method Of preserving
the teeth would never become very pop
pular in our climate.
There is another way, and better.
II baby's mouth were wiped out and the
gums rubbed with a cloth saturated with
: mild boracic acid or other antisepuc solu-
ton each time his face were washed, then
when the teeth began to come through
IL they were brushed quite frequently with
a tiny brush, watching each tooth as II
comes to place, and keeping 1t clean, how
beautiful they would look, glistening white
In a setting Of healthy pink gums. And
baby will not request you to walk the
floor with him so much at night, for he
will not have the collie.
He win grow up with q beautiful row CT