San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-12-06
Sciences Latest Discoveries About the
Proper Care of Your Teeth

S0 - ~ Scc
mouth free from remnants of food
and masses of tartar cannot be too
strongly impressed upon the peo-
pie. 1t is no exaggeration to say
that ninety-fve per cent of all
dental troubles are the direct out
come of uncleanliness. When par
ticles of food are allowed to accu-
mulate upon and between the
teeth, fermentation takes place and
decay is the result. Or putrefac-
ton may ensue, and the mouth be-
comes very centre of disease and
infection.
'Tf the mouth could be kept per-
fectly clean and pure teeth would
never decay, but as this is impos-
sible, it only remains for us to
clean the mouth thoroughly after
each meal, that the particles of
food may be as perfectly removed
as is possible"
Pointing out the best means of
protection the doctors suggest:
"Provide yourself with good
toothbrush. Never select brush
where the bristles are all in one
solid mass. The best brush is one
with the bristles divided into tufts
and with sufficient space between
the tufts to allow each one to act
as a separate brush. This liberal
spacing permits the brush to be
thoroughly cleansed after using,
and also gives it more of an oppor-
tunity to dry so that the bristles
may become stiff for the next
brushing.
"Have your dentist prescribe for
you good dental cream or pow
der.
"a spool of dental floss or floss
silk is absolutely essential to prop
erly remove particles of food from
between the teeth.
"Some mouths are much bene-
flied by good mouth wash. This
should be prescribed by your dem
fist.
efficiency and preparedness are
the two great slogans we are learn
ing as Americans to-day. If peo-
pie are to be taught the value of
tooth-brushing, they must be
taught in most systematic way to
get results. Unless we fix our
minds upon the brushing of teeth
while we are brushing them we
simply make a makeshift of the
operation. Among other things, it
is especially essential that no harm
should be done to the mouth in
brushing. Unless properly taught,
you may scrub your teeth with so
much vigor that after a while you
can produce absolute assures in the
necks of the teeth themselves.
"There are several ways taught to
brush the teeth. Many of you
have, no doubt, used the method
known as the rotary method, in
which the brush is used with the
mouth closed) in a circular man.
ner from the upper gums down to
the lower jaw, then back to the
upper Jaw in a continuous circle
with the points of the bristles al
ways directed toward the gum.
"There are two vital objections
to this method: Firstly, it is i'm
possible to use it without danger
of the points of the bristles pene-.
trating the gums. Secondly, when
the brush goes from one jaw to the
other, the bristles are likely to en-
ter the gum at the neck of the
tooth as it rotates upward.
"Crosswise brushing will not re-
move food particles from between
the teeth. Crosswise brushing
forces the gums away from the
teeth.
"The correct manner of using the
brush can be compared to the way
in which a whiskbroom is used.
Law the fiat side of the bristles
against the gums without any pos
'sible danger of injuring them. The
tufts pointing to the roots OF the
teeth. the brush is rotated with all
possible power. The flat side of
the bristles massage the gums.