Milford chronicle., 1920-05-07
TEETH AND HEALTH
THE EFFECT OF SALIVA
sv R. ALLEN GRIFFITH, D. D. S.

The question is often asked; 'Why
10 tooth decay more active IN solhe
rnonths than in others? The answer
= maj the iuices in the mouth oil one
Individual are more nearly norma
than the Juices in the mouth Oh an
other. ..,do,cv tn
limit the growth of micro-orgahlS,l!llIls
this means that good healthy sallsS
will largely prevent the grown VI
acid-producing bacteria in the lhouIn
of the fortunate possessor, WhlIe 'ne
other fellows saliva will not ana 80
fine micro-organisms do their WORN
We all know that saliva Is HioIe
acid lust before a mean ana Just a.
fer a meal is more alkallhe' slUmIy
Incoming more and more aclu' WY
BECAUSE Just after meal tne slanus s
have been busy excreung tne saIisa $40
freshly into the mouth tue otue. lt,
Juices have been swallowed anu anu. II eSls as
is supplied until the composlllon "
the mouth juices generaiiy IS nv
normal. The longer the sallVa rellialIS
i'm tbe mouth, the greater the pulre-
factjon of the food particles adhering
to fine teeth. The putrefacuon torhs
ecid and the longer this process goes
on tbe more acid formed and the
greater the growth of micro-organlslns
and consequently the more acid the
people who depend upon patent.
mouth washes to hinder the growth Oh
bacteria place their trust IN yam
rTbev NAV cleanse the mouth for from
three 10 five minutes, but hardly long
or What do many of these strons
solutions, frequently prescribed ny
nbvsicians. due to the saliva ana 10
fbe general system2 The danger III
the continued use of chlorate OF pot
assium TO the general system IS not
mentioned. while the use Oh sucn
strong alkalies as baking soda anu
salt almost inhibits the saliva lot
some time. Again soap, on account
Of its alkalinity, invariably Kills the
most important saliYary Iermenls'
Inst plain water is one OF the pest
solvents that can be used in the
mouth. or a glass OF water with ABOUT
one-duarter of a teaspoontul OF SAT-
dissolved in it is the strongest solu-
tion that should ever be used. PICK
Grill states: Decay of the teeth may
be regarded as a symptom OF 1allure
of the nervous mechanism normally
The quality of the saliva is the sole
factor which governs environment
phenomena concerning tooth decay.
The quantity and to lesser extent
the quality of the saliva, on account
of our present methods OF preparing
and selecting foodstuffs and the con-
seouent insufficient masucauon, are
frequently inadequate to bring about
a proper cleansing of the mouth
TO assist nature, suitable mechanl-
measures should be employed to over
come this deficiency. The mechanical
cleansing of the mouth and the teeth
bv means Of the brush powder, paste I
toothpick, dental floss, etc, const- /
futes the absolute fundamental prin-
cipIe of artificial oral hygiene. Food .
remnants and Shiny adhesions between 4
and upon the teeth, together win
masses of bacteria, are removed Dy
mechanical cleansing. As the bacter-
ial plaques are very tenacious, very
stiff toothbrush is necessary to re-
move them, and if properly used the
stiffest brush can do no harm to the
gums or teeth.
A good mouth preparation must not
iniure the mucus membrane, must not
inlure the enamel either mechanically /
or cuemlCallys must ne nun -POA9DAAO49'
must not inhibit the saliva, or percep-
tibly alter the reaction, or alter its
ferments.
The important of mouth antisepsis
is not so great that we should assume I
the slightest risk. We should depend .
rather upon strict mechanical cleans I
ing. It can be well done without I
danger and answers every purpose.
Mouth cleanliness should be con-
sidered one Of the most important I
things in life, but it should be mostly Z
mechanical. Strong drugs have no I
place in the hygiene of the mouth, and |
all the drugs in the world will have [
not effect on pyorrhea, used either in
ternally or externally.
Drugs that are frequently prescrib- l
ed for the cure of pyorrhea are just as |
efficient as the old Donegal cure for
toothache; nine hairs from a black /
cats tail swallowed at midnight.