Milford chronicle., 1920-12-10
IMPACTED TEETH

normal human being has fifty-two
teeth during his lifetime, counting
both the permanent and baby sets.
When one considers the pain and dis
ease these fifty-two teeth can cause,
he should give thanks that he is not
a duckbilled dinosaue, an animal that
lived in Wyoming 100000 year ago.
He stood forty-five feet high, looked
like kangaroo and had $500 teeth.
As man has become more civilized
his teeth have changed. Originally the
size of the back teeth increased from
the front backward, while now the re-
verse is true and many people today
find that there is not room for the
wisdom teeth. When the jaw is not
long enough for these teeth they can
not come in where nature intended
they should and the result is that they
become impacted. The crown of the
wisdom tooth is forced in contact
with some portion of the second mo-
lar and the root continues to grow, fol-
lowing the line of least resistance,
which must be downward.
Back in 1873 DR.. J. Foster Flag re-
corded many varieties of trifacial neu-
ralgia pains in remote parts of the
body, grave disorders of the eye and
ear, disturbances of the nerve trunks,
epilepsy, ST. Vitus' dance and paraly-
sis-having a direct demonstrable
connection with excess growth of the
bony covering of the roots of teeth
and impacted teeth. He stated that
insanity had been caused from such
reflex irritation.
During the entire period that the
teeth are coming in, the brain and
the nervous system, the stomach and
intestinal tract, the circulation of the
blood and the breathing apparatus
show an increased tho varying liabil-
ity to irritation. This applies to all
of the fifty-two teeth belonging to the
first and second sets. These teeth are
in dental activity during the entire
time they are in the mouth, from ear
ly embryonic life until they are lost,
and under certain conditions they are
liable to produce disturbances of the
general system.
Almost any tooth in the mouth may
become impacted, but is mostly fire.
quently occurs with the wisdom teeth.
When the tooth cannot come in nor
mally the root continues to grow and
may press upon some nerve or some
delicate tissue and cause grave sys-
temic disturbances.
The sympathetic system of nerves
reside over the development, growth
and maintenance of the general body,
and more than likely secures its close
association with the nerves of the
brain and the spinal nerves by inter-
lacing fibers which convey Impress
ions or sensations from one to another
by introduction. These interlacing fl
bers form a sort of network in various
places and extend into the neck, the
brain, and are found in all vital parts
of the body.
These nerves are like a bunch of
electric wires and when an impacted
tooth comes in contact with one it
may make a short circuit that will
cause a disturbance in some remote
part of the body. Any tooth may be-
come impacted, frequently because
the baby teeth are allowed to decay
and have to be prematurely extracted
or because they do not absorb.
These disturbances may not pro-
duce the same manifestations in each
individual for the reason that no two
bodies are alike in their structure or
functions. In fact, there are many
cases in which several impacted teeth
apparently cause no disturbance any
where, while other cases could be cit
ed in which one slightly impacted
teeth produced great disturbance.
sometimes mentally, sometimes inter
fering with sight or hearing, or pro-
ducing systemic troubles.