Milford chronicle., 1920-07-23
YOUR CHILDREN'S TEETH

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A study of the evolution of children
teeth shows that the greater part O
the process is accomplished befor,
birth. The normal child is born witt
tenty-four tooth buds in its jaws. Be
tween the years of 1 and it ha.
twenty temporary teeth in place in til,
mouth and thirty-twO more imbedded
in the bones of the jaw in the process
of formation. This makes a total OF
fifty-twO teeth. all in motion at one
time in one small pair Of jaws.
What a wonderful process! 1t is
truly a wonderful engineering feat of
nature. Before the child is Z years
of age, all of the full-sized crowns of
the permanent teeth. with the excep-
ton of the wisdom teeth, are packed
away in one small face. When we con-
slider that mastication is not disturb
ed, that the roots of the baby teeth
are absorbed and replaced by the per-
manent teeth which emerge in grace
ful lines, enlarging the face as they
grow, the miracle is beyond compre-
hension. There is no work of greater
Importance or attended with greater
difficulties than operations performed
upon baby teeth.
No work connected with the dental
profession gives greater results. The
work in the baby teeth requires more
patience and skill than that done on
the permanent teeth. All dentists
should take a special interest in chill
dren's teeth. Even though the work is
only temporary, it should be done with
the greatest care.
One of the greatest things that a
dentist can do is to perform such Op-
eratiOns as will preserve the baby
teeth until the time comes when they
should be naturally lost Such service
will prevent premature decay of the
permanent teeth and give the child a
healthy mouth.
If the baby teeth are properly car
ed for and the permanent teeth care
fully watched as they come in. the
patient should be able to go through
life with the number of teeth that ma
ture intended.
Hygiene of the mouth should begin
at birth. The mother or nurse should .
cleanse the baby's mouth with a piece .
of gauZe wrapped around the index .
finger and saturated with distilled .
water or boracic acid solution. This .
should be done two or three times per
day. Daily hygiene of the mouth not
only keeps the tissues healthy, but it
soon accustOms the child to expect it
and helps to form the habit Of mouth
As soon as the baby teeth come in
the child should be given small
tooth brush and taught how to use it.
There are many important reasons
for preserving the temporary teeth. A
few of them are: Avoidance Of pain,
thorough chewing of the feod and the
shaping of a symmetrical jaw.
Where the baby teeth are neglected
and allowd to decay the pressure of
food in the cavities cause pain. In
order to avoid the pain the child soon
learns to swallow the food without
chewing and thus the habit of boiling
IS formed and carried all through life.
1t is the cause of many systemic de-
When one of the baby
-eeth is prematurely extracted the
,hild is more or less injured for life.
The preservation of the temporary
-eeth assists in the growth and devel-
lpment of the jaw to the extent that
t permits the permanent teeth to
.ome in properly and take their exact
position in the jaws
The loss Of a temporary tooth by {
lecay causes a long chain of ills. 1t
esults in Inflammation and death of
he nerve. It causes pain and suffer-
ng and where an abscess is formed, as {
5 usual, it results in fever while in /
he acute stage. 1t interferes with the
Iervous system and digestion during
he period of the ehild's greatest
rowth. 1t is a hOtbed for the growth G
f disease-prOducing bacteria, which E
S carried to all parts of the system. :
t lessons the size of a naturally small
mouth, instead of assisting in its de-
elOpment and growth.
The retention of the normal distance l
etween the teeth is most important. 4
The loss of one of the temporary
ack reeth will allow the siXth-year
lOlars to crowd forward and take a
osition that should later be occupied
' one of the permanent teeth. The
Ormal position of the permanent y
aeth depends largely upon the sixth "
ear molar taking its proper place in Il
ne mouth. If the nerve of baby Il
,oth is diseased it will interfere with c
ne proper absorption of the root. G
hereby interfering with the proper 1
oming in of the permanent tooth. o.
Watch your children's teeth. Exam d
le them very week for upon the care W
nd preservation of the child's teeth q
apends their comfort. their health
nd. perhaps their very lives. ~ u