Milford chronicle., 1919-06-20
TEETH AND HEALTH
By S. ALLEN GRIFFITH, D. D. S.
CARE OF MOUTH SHOULD
BEGIN EARLY

From the time a baby is born its
mouth should be kept clean. Before
the teeth erupts the mouth should be
wiped out frequently with mild an
tiseptic such as one teaspoon of boraX
in one tablespoon of honey three times
a day. At about three years of age
the trips to the dentist should begin
The little grooves in the grinding sur
face of the molar teeth should be filled
with copper cement to prevent decay
The teeth should be cleaned by the
dentist and the child ought to use a
tooth brush to prevent disease. Most
disease producing germs incubate in
the mouth, around and upon the teeth
in the fauces. throat and tonsils. The
mouth is one of the greatest incuba-
tors for germs that is known. Here
the tiny micrO-organisms find dark
ness, food and a temperature exactly
to their liking.
As they multiply about every thirty
minutes, it does not take long to pro-
duce a vast quantity. Many of these
are swept into the stomach with each
meal. Many of them are drawn into
the lungs. The more cavities there
are in the teeth the more places there
are for these micrO-organisms to in
cubate, consequently visits should be
made to the dentist at short periods
for examination and oral prOphylaxis
all through life. Thus, perfect mas
ticating apparatus is maintained and
the general health is conserved as
well. The future Office of the dentist
fe - Do
enter the body before it can produce
disease. The only entrance for bac-
terra is through the mouth, nose, or
break in the skin, if we except vener-
cal diseases. Bacteria carried through
out the body by the circulation are
able to take local secondary growth
only when thus carried to a given
area from an original focus, of whic6
the mouth is the chief source.
Decaying teeth are a certain aid to
disease and a serious obstacle in com
batting infant mortality. There is a
close relation between mutual devel-
opment and dental development. Elab-
crate data collected in the Cleveland.
Ohio, schools relating to the standing
of the children showed that the con-
dition of the mouth and the standing
in the classes were closely associated
Children who we're stupid, inattentive,
and even incorrigible, became bright,
well behaved and studious when their
teeth were properly attended to. They
showed an average increased standing
Of 9S per cent.
Cavities in the teeth are always fill
ed with decaying food, which is being
constantly mixed with the saliva and
brought in contact with the crypts of
the tonsils.
Infection of the tonsils must be con-
sidered a secondary infection. They
might become infected from the nose. .
but their connection with the mouth
is so direct that 95 per cent Of ton
silar infection no doubt comes from
the mouth.
Tonsils frequently become infected
in childhood, and the care Of the
mouth must begin early in life to pre-
vent their infection.
The permanent front teeth begin to .
come in at about years and replace .
the baby teeth. The permanent front .
teeth are much larger than the baby
teeth, and as they grow they cause
the maxilary bones to expand. In
case the baby teeth are prematurely
lost there is frequently no room for
the permanent teeth but contracted
or deformed nasal passages and sin
uses. The care of the mouth should
begin at birth. We enter the world
without teeth, but with proper care
we may leave the world with them.
Loss of the teeth need not be an ac-
of old age in our day.