Milford chronicle., 1921-01-21
FOOD TRAPS

When a mason builds the arch fol
bridge he first secures a firm foun-
dation. Upon this he places a stone
at a time until the arch is completed
If one of the foundation stones were
removed the arch would collapse.
The teeth should form a perfect
arch, which is called the Dental
arch"
The dental arch is formed by one
tooth growing next to another until
the arch is completed. The human
chewing machine is composed of two
arches, each biting against the other.
When all the teeth are in place, in
their proper positions we have a
strong, compact set of teeth.
The force of contact is terrific. Some
people are capable of exerting a pres
sure of over 300 pounds. 1t is estimat-
ed that the average person exerts
about one ton of energy in chewing
one meal.
The very foundation of the dental
arch is formed by the four six-year
molars, which quietly slip in just
back of the baby teeth when the child
is years old. They do not displace
any other teeth and seldom cause any
pain when they come in, consequently
most parents think they are baby
teeth and will be replaced. Ignorance
on the part of the parents is the chief
cause for the neglect of these teeth,
whose Importance cannot be over esti-
mated, as they are the largest and
strongest teeth we ever have.
Most parents neglect the baby teeth,
giving as their excuse that ''they will
be replaced, anyway" Unless the baby
teeth are carefully attended to, the g.
year molars are almost sure to be ne
elected, and when they are left to
care for themselves they are about
sure to be lost.
AS a rule, in mouths where the
teeth are neglected and are not prop
erly cleaned, the four 6-year molars
are lost before the child reaches the
age of nine years.
Where the baby teeth are allowed
to decay they spread their destruc-
tive influences over the entire mouth
and the mouth becomes aflame with
decay. 1t also becomes a hotbed for |
disease and the child is sure to carry
the scars all thru life. Teeth are only
valuable for chewing purposes when
they hit upon each other as nature in
tended them to do. A perfect upper |
and a perfect lower set of teeth would |
be valueless if they would not touch
each other.
When the 6-year mOlar is prema-
turely lost the other teeth come in a
tilted position, and only one point of
the tooth touches the tooth that bites
upon it.
Only one-fifth of the upper tooth
can touch One-fifth of the lower tooth.
1t means that the teeth must open
and close five times to equal one nor
NAL bite. When one 6-year molar is
lost it is impossible to chew the food
according to the demands of nature,
and extra work is forced upon the
stomach.
The loss of the 6-year molar per-
mits the formation of A-shaped traps.
The loss of the masticating surface
is not the only calamity arising from
the formation of A-shaped traps.
Any tooth coming into the mouth
follows the line of least resistance.
just as a man will walk around an !
obstruction rather than climb over it.
A growing tooth follows the sans !
plan. Where any baby tooth is ex-
,racted too soon or a permanent tooth
decays or is extracted before the rest {
Ire in, the next tooth is almost sure
% come in crooked, and all crooked I
eeth are food traps. Even in the Y
ldult, when any tooth is extracted, t
he arch is sure to contract, allowing I
he teeth to come together to form
hese A-shaped traps. b
These food traps are common
ause of decay. It is quite impossi- 1
lie to cleanse the small part of the
|. A toothpick may remove food .
rom some part of the trap, but the Il
space will retain some of D
he decaying food and germs, to pro-
uce decay and bad breath. If you
ave any of these food traps, pass a
iece of floss thru one of them and
ote the offensive odOr It is a diff Ia
ult task to keep these traps in a
ygienic condition. When the gums tc
re destroyed by pyorrhea, then every
10Th forms a A-shaped trap, and only II
5ernal vigilance will keep the breath
Weet and prevent decay.