Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-05-29

1hf CHENllSTltI Or THE y.
!. TEETH---ITS =.
!. RELATION 10 HEALTH. j.
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(By Miss May Hubbard, Winthrop.)
No face is so homely but that
well-kept, symmetrical teeth will
add charm to 1t. On thu other
hand, no face is so charming but that
bad teeth will mar it. Upon the pos
session Of good teeth Is written cul-
tivation and refinement. The ad-
vantages of good set Of teeth arc
so recognizable that 1t Is TOO obyi-
Gus to comment upon. But wa have
grown so fatalistic with regard to
this disease Of civilization, which is
termed dental decay" that any one
who presumes to point out the possi-
bilities Of doing away with 1t Is like
ly to be looked upon with suspicion.
In the first place, a good set Of
teeth means health. Upon this more
than upon anything else depends the
preparation Of the food for digestion
and assimilation. without good
teeth there is no thorough mastica
ton, without thorough mastlcation
there can be no perfect digestion, and
without perfect digestion a large
amount Of nutrition is lost-and It
takes nutrition to obtain and main
tain health. The absence of decay
ed teeth means that no fermentation
takes place, for there Is present al
ways within the mouth millions of
micro-organisms, of the fermentation
type, ever ready to feed upon the tiny
particles of food that cling to and
get between the teeth. If these par
ttcles Of food are allowed to remain
IN the teeth, these micro organisms
feed upon them, fermentation or
chemical action takes place, and, as
result, poisons are taken into our
system every timo clean food is taken
into the mouth to be chewed. Thus
truly blessed is that person who car
rtes daily with him clean mouth!
The hard part Of the teeth is made
up principally Of salts of lime, large
ly calcium carbonate and calcium
phosphate. This means that they are
susceptible to the action of acids and
may be destroyed by such action.
While 1t is true that disintegration of
the enamel and dentive is caused by
THIS action Of acids, that Is not den
tai decay, as 1t exists under natural
conditions. The constant and prac-
tically inevitable presence of multi
tudes of micro-organisms in the tooth
environment must be noted. The
mouth is an ideal place for germs in
it's temperature, in its moisture, in its
abundance of acceptable nutrition,
and In all the environment which It
provides. There are many varieties
Of organisms. The most common are
those which have a capacity for the
Induction Of fermentation. Ordinary
fermentation is no doubt dependent
upon the presence and the life activ-
tiles of micro-organisms Of certain
types, and without the presence of
these, no fermentation Of this kind
Is possible. These are truths that I'm
their practical manifestations and
demonstrations are more or less ia
miliar to every one, as, for instance,
the fermentation or souring Of cer-
tain foods, as milk. fruits and vege-
tables of various kinds.
1t is true that wherever life ex-
lists something Is consumed, some-
thing Is transformed; something
which Is waste product for the or
ganism itself Is first developed. And
many times this waste product is Of
far more consequence, as disease
producer, than the germs themselves.
again, 1t has been asserted that a
clean tooth never decays, and this is
very nearly true, If by q clean tooth
Is meant one that is materially, phys
tcally, chemically and bacteriologi-
cally clean. Compliance with these
conditions should eliminate dental
decay.
The debris accumulated around
the teeth Is acceptable and congenial
food Tor multitudes of micro-organ-
isms which flourish there and, as a
result Of their life history, produce
acids. Just as the milk sours from
the presence Of an acid-producing
micro-organism, like process takes