Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-07-10

Practical Chats
With Mothers
During the last few years consid.
erably more attention has been paid
70 oral hygiene than ever before.
Modern medical research has result.
ed In a%ttributing various ailments to
to . dirty condition OF the teeth and
mouth.
y has been a hard matter to con.
vince the general puOlic Of the i'm
portance of taking measures to con-
serve the teeth, and that careless
naDits and neglect lead to decay and
consequently to the formation OF
breeding grounds for germs which
may not only have harmful local ef-
lects, but also may cause, by their
presence and their action on the food
stuffs, bad dyspepsia and consequent.
" general enfeeblement of the health.
IN many cases also they may by in
fecting the blood give rise to serious
constitutional disturbances such as
fever and joint pains.
Care Of the Teeth.
Fortunately, however, steps have
recently been taken to spread the
doctrine Of oral hygiene. Certain
progressive women have been ap.
pointed dental surgeons to inspect
the teeth of school children, and to
instruct them in Clearly habits. The
system is as yet in Its infancy, and
Will improve considerably as Organi.
zation grows more efficient. Not
only Is 1t necessary to instil into the
child the Importance of caring for
the teeth, but as the following case
we'll shows the parents should also
receive instruction.
"A dental surgeon at q school clinic
instructed one Of the pupils to pur.
chase a tooth brush. About a fort.
night later a health visitor, who
called at the child's house, found
much to her disgust that this article
OF the toilet had become the priced
property Of the household, and was
used Unfortunately by brothers and
sisters, as we'll as by both parents.
flgures which were obtained from
. school showed that ninety percent
OF the pupils between four and six
years of age suffered from dental de-
cay to a variable degree, and requir.
ed the services of a den,lst.
Today Is the day of preventive
medicine, and perhaps in no other
field can the benefits Of prevention
De better seen than in dentistry; so
lt; Is to be hoped that these institu-
lions will be multiplied and become
generally adopted throughout the
country.
The Ubiquitous use of the comfort
er among infants is one that cannot
be too strongly condemned. 1t is di.
rectly responsible in early life for
much trouble, harboring as it does
millions of germs and serving a pur.
pose-that of preventing the infant
from crying-which is merely the
outcome of ignorance in the rearing
Of the child, for, If regular habits be
early instilled into the baby, a "com.
forter" is seldom neces sary.
Apart from the diseases which It
may cause by infection, there is an
other aspect, which, though not so
generally known, is Of great import
ance. The use Of this a%bOmination
rs to a great degree responsible for
deformity of the mouth, and by some
is thought to be a great factor in
causing adenoids, which in their time
interfere with efficient breathing and
engender maldevelopment of the
chest. 1t is an anomaly that very Of.
ten n sees great cleanliness and
care exercised in the preparation OF
Al infants food, only to find that
when the baby cries. some one slips
into it's mouth a dirty-germ-ladcn
comforter.
The milk teeth are twenty in num-
Der. The time .of their appearance
varies considerably In different child.
rem. The two first to appear are the
centre teeth in the lower jaw, and
these usually between the sixth and
ninth months. Four upper teeth ap-
pear between the eighth and twelfth
months. The two lower lateral teeth
appear about the fourteenth month,
while the rest appear between this
time and the thirtieth month.
A Table Of Teeth.
At one year a child should have D
teeth.
At 1 IL years a child should have
IL teeth.
At 2 years a child should have 16
teeth.
At 21-2 years a child should have
20 teeth.
In at least fifty per cent of normal
children the eruption OF the teeth
takes place without any constitution
al disturbance. Many symptoms in
an infant are often ascribed to teeth
Ing" but it is rare indeed that any
serious constitutional disturbance is
due OF the teeth alone. A doctor
should always be called in If there
are any signs other than q slight fret
fulness; more serious signs than this
usually mean that there Is some un.
derlying cause, and that NOT the erup-
ton of the teeth alone Is responsible
for the mischief. Drugs should sell
dom he res0rted to except on the ad-
vice of a doctor; If the gum above the
eruption tooth is very tense and red,
1t is better to gently rub the part
with cotton wool soaked In glycerine
and bOrax than to use a lance.