The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1923-04-21
Health Talks
HoWFoDEHELoR-oooD SOUND.
-... TEETH.
By E. S. WEBER, D. D. S.,

By E. S. WEBER, d. D. S. ..-.~
In my previous articles I have
made manifest the significance in
caring for the teeth and adjacent It's
sues. In this article I will try to give
you some facts concerning the devel-
opment of good, sound teeth and how
to keep them sound.
l will begin with the child because
to develop a good, sound set of teeth
in later years depends, for the most
part, on the care given to the tenn
porary teeth and the kind of food
the child is given to eat. -,
The temporary teeth begin to come
through the gums between the ages
of four and eight months. They
come successfully as the jaws grow
in size, the last frequntly coming as
late as three1years of age. Nature
then gives to the child a, set of teeth
free from all>deposits and decay, she
also places them in proper alignment
are rarely uneven or out of position,
ture so far has not been interfered
is at this point that the child should
NC given CdIC anu 1uC
child can keep these teeth just as ma
ture has placed them if constant care
is taken. Note well said constant
care" The teeth should be watched
and cared for just the same as one
should take care of his body.
Of course care alone will not rem
der the teeth immune from carries
decay of the teeth) and subsequent
loss of the teeth entirely. Diet has
a great deal to do with the grade of
teeth structure for there are certain
elements in foods that are necessary
to make the teeth hard, strong, and
tenacious. I cannot leave out exer-
else for it is just as necessary to
exercise the teeth as it is to exercise
any other part of the human anat-
jomy. Teeth, like any other part of
/ the body, That are not properly exer-
Ecised become weak, fraii, useless, and
susceptible to most any disease pro-
ducing germ. You might ask, how
can one exercise the teeth? The an
swer is very simple. Eat foods that
will make you chew, and chew hard
and long. AS the force of chewing
strengthens the jaws and ~. makes
them grow, it also lowers the palate,
| for as the two bases of an arch are
spread it must lower the crown of
the arch. AS the heel of the jaw is
spread it likewise must draw in and
round out the front of the jaw, and
this prevents protruding or overlap
ping front teeth.
Poor and irregular teeth are not
the only evil of undeveloped jaws.
The muscles of mastication, including
the tongue need development. The
salivary glands also are made to de-
velop by chewing. Then there are
the blood vessels, the lymphatics and
the nerves of the mouth, jaws, and
teeth. All must be developed COM
pletely if the permanent teeth are to
be made safe for long, hard usage
of a lifetime. Lack of development
of all these factors favors early dis
ease of the teeth and is accountable
for many ailments in the teeth that
are reasonably straight.
Natural palates are never high and
narrow in infants. They are pro-
duced by bad feeding habits. Such
high palates push up the bony struc--
lures of the nose and help to 0cclude
the nostrils. Faulty nostrils favor
the growth of adenoids and may be a
factor in enlarged tonsils. Such oc-
cluded nostrils certainly are suscsp-
tible to infections>suc as colds, these
inffame the throat, the nasal sinuses
and the middle ear, which causes
much deafness. -
Savage races generally have good
teeth. Civilized races as rule have
poor teeth. The babies of savage
races are breast fed while the babies
of civilized races are too often bottle
fed and the bottle feeding continued
long after the teeth have made their
way through the gums. After the
children of savage races have been
weaned they eat natural foods, the
same as do the adults, and it may be
said the same is true of the young
of the mammalian creatures after
weaving. After weaving the children
Jof civilized races eat foods that are
largely artificial and frequently more
or less denatured. Such foods as,
fruits, grains, nuts, roots and all
vegetables are natural foods. It can
readily be seen that such foods must
be chewed before swallowing them.
On the other hand, milk, butter,
cheese, sugar and its combination in
pies, candies, buildings, cakes, pre-
served fruits and sauces are examples
Of artificial foods. White flour pro-
ducts and most cereals used as break
fast foods are examples of denatured
i foods. As the chewable portions Of
i the grains are removed all of these
artificial and denaturd foods are
/ largely liquid or soft, and need but
little chewing before they are swal-
lowed and these are the foods the
children Of civilized people use after
weaning.
! Teeth come in crooked because the
jawbones are too small. They are
stunted, they have not grown as they
should. They are not long enough to
hold all of the permanent teeth.
When the jaw is too small there is
not room for them, they cannot come
1 Through In proper alignment and as
Ia result are forced by growth out of
position. The stunted Jaw is fault
IN the individual child and not freak
Of nature. Jaws are stunted because
they have not been used enough In
chewing food that is more or less
Continued on fourth page.