Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-05-29

tanning a clean and healthy condition Of
the teeth and gums, and there can be no
question as to the possibility of a diet 50
well balanced that one would get the
highest uutrtional efficiency and, with this
theoretical diet. an immunity to dental
carries This diet will produce and stimu-
late the normal quality and quantity of
saliva, and will not be dependent on a
waste product like potassium sulphosinate
FOR its efficiency in producing immunity.
There can he no doubt that most of our
dental disorders are produced by what we
eat and how we eat it. The number Of
people who live in the larger communities
and subsst almost entirely of the prod
ucts Of baker shops is astounding. Their
main diet is pies doughnuts. sweets and
svrupS This is Il strictly carbohydrate
diet and coupled with the fact that the
bread is almost always fresh and that the
foods are usually washed down with
liquids. it is easy to see where tho teeth
come in Nature will not support any
thing unnecessary and the people who
live on this diet soon loose their teeth
! Recent examinations made of the chill
dren of the public schools of New York
! city prove this to be true In districts
where children were fed on such food
stuffs, the worst dental conditions were
to he found, In the sections inhabited by
the more recently arrived immigrants the
diet was Of a harder, coarser and more
nourishing nature and the oral conditions
were a. ordngly better The Immigrant
however, quickly takes to the starch and
sugar diet and his splendid dentures
IQuickly 60 10 pieces. The condition is no
better in the rural districts than in the
cities, for the farmer Is too inclined to sell
off the part of his products which bring
In revenue and live himself on what he
cannot sell The omni-present pig meat
is used to the exclusion OF all others. In
some places where the diet is excellent.
the teeth are abused by not being given
an opportunity to masticate and the meal
| Is some times but five minutes in length.
the food being hurriedly washed down.
/ DIR. Pond advised against the use of
/ soft foods to the exclusion of foods of n
| hard or fihrous nature. The teeth must
have vigorous use and the oral tissues
their proper amount of massage in order
to create and maintain the health of
the mouth. The action Of hard foods in
chewing IS natures system of cleaning
and polishing the teeth and massagtng
the gums. 1t also creates normal flow
Of saliva and thus performs the first
process Of digestion. Tire quantity OF
saliva secreted IA n d yet proportion to
the dryness of the food Is rule Of
phSri otorist." No amount of artificial
cleaning or polishing oan mako UP for
this natural process. Many oasec OF
NAL occlas!on are simply She result Of
undevelopsd inoutiis, mouths which have
not been given enough wor! to do to
develop no:mai arches and create bone
Development. Lack OF the Use of teeth
hiss also been shown to prevent the nor
NAL development of the bones Of the
head. The h.,it OF washing down food
with liquids could not b. too strongly
condemned.
Tho medical pi ofess,on, in recommend
TO- diet, rarely takes into considera-
tho effect on the teeth, and so il
.- up to the dentists to speak for them
selves. They should study a VOL
balanced dict and recommend 1t and ais
TO help in the education OF the mass,
, Especial attention should be paid to the
child for, If left alone, he will take to
the sugars and sweets but II BROUGHT
up on cosrser diet will have healthy
teeth and the habit OF eating that sort
Of food will stick to him through life
II the profession is to rise above that
Of mere mechanics, II is along these
lines,
In the clinic, DR.. Tompk1ns demon
stratcd the value OF the anaes thesia on
several patients. In the hrst case, Dr.
| Pond extracted six teeth and in an in
credibly short time the patient was re-
| vived by the use of oxygen. No pain
was suffered In any of the operations
! The patient loses consciousness, ms in
the use Of other anaesthetics but is APP
parently more easily revived. One dem
fist expressed the opinion that before the
expiration OF two years nitrous oxide
would be used In operations all over the
civilized world. One advantage is that
! the patient can be kept under It's in
| iluence considerable length Of time,
the longest known case being five hours
and Il minutes.