Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1917-05-05
WATCH THE BABY'S TEETH

The following bulletin on the care
of the child's teeth has been issued by
the children's bureau of the depart
ment of labor:
By the end of the second year the
baby should have his milk teeth com
plete and until the sixth or seventh
year, when the permanent set will be
gin to appear these teeth must serve
all the purposes that the final set will
serve later. Since this is the time the
child is learning to chew his food !;
process necessary not only for proper
digestion but for the strengthening
and developing of his jaws and for the
proper grown of the permanent teeth
It is important to keep the first teetl
in the best possible working order
The condition of the teeth is a fair
index to the health of the child.
Until the child is old enough to use
toothbrush himself, the mother
should wash his teeth every day; but
as early as possible the child should
learn to care for his own teeth. Iffhe
teeth cannot conveniently be cleaned
after each meal, the mouth may a
least be rinsed. Children should BIZ
taught that it is of special Importance
to wash the teeth and mouth after eat
ing nuts, or any sweet, sticky or pasty
food. The teeth should be carefully
cleaned at bedtime. since the ferment-
alton OF food PARTICLES left in the
mouth, which leads to the decay of the
teeth, proceeds more rapidly at night
when the mouth is still
'fhe child should be taught to
brush the teeth from the gum down.
ward, or upward toward the cutting
edge. When the teeth are brushed
crosswise the tendency is to push
whatever is on them into the cracks
and crevices of the teeth or under the
edges OF the gums. The inner sur
faces OF the teeth should also be
brushed up and down. an dthe grind
ing surfaces shodld be scrubbed in all
ish edthe mouth should be thoroughly
rinsed with warm water.
Some hard food like stalk OF
celery or part of a ripe juicy apple
eaten al the end of meal scours
the surface OF the teeth and leaves
fresh clean taste in the mouth
Children should be taken regularly
to a good dentist once or twice a yeal
after the first set of teeth is coms
plete. If cavities appear they should
De filled with soft filters and each tooth
should be saved as long as possible
II the temporary molars are extracted
before the sixth year molars. come in,
the later will be apt to crowd forward !
into the space left vacant, and when
the later teeth come in they will be-t
pushed out OF their regular places, de |
.troying the natura lime OF the mouth
The first molars furnish the grinding !
surfaces necessary to proper chewing I
Of the food. If they fall out too soon
the child is hardly able to chew hard |
or tough food, and is likely to swal- |
low such food in chunks.
THE care OF the child's first set is |
important also because the health of /,
the permanent set is largely dependent |
upon that of the first set The second |
teeth are much larger than the first
and consequently need more room in
the gum. For necessary development |
the paws must be given plenty OF ex-
rrcise. Consequently the child should |
nave mixed diet including some hard
food which he cannot swallow without !
chewing, Toast, crusts, hard crackers
certain fruits like apples. salad, vege-
tables ana meats should provide the |
food elements needed for healthy |
teeth if the child is thriving.