Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1925-01-15
MOUTH HYGIENE
Continued from 4th page)

mace OF qulHs or as thln wooden
pick as may be had, and made Of d
very close-fibered wood, having
smooth hard surface without sIivers
or splinters, viii be the best to use.
II quill pick is used, the point
should be cut Off and the end round
ed, to avoid pricking the gingivae.
In connection with the use of the
toothpick, one thing should be parti-
cularly remembered; that decays of
proximal surfaces occur only when
the gingivae have receded, and that
the repeated forcing of toothpict
between the teeth is very liable to
cause the gingivae to recede more
and therefore may, in the long run.
do more harm than good. Only those
whose gums have already rcceded
sufficiently to give room for tooth
pick to be passed between the teeth
without pressure on the gum, can
use toothpicks without danger of
causing further recession. Few per-
sons have this much recession before
middle age; it is for this reason that
younger persons should he very care
full in the use Of the toothpick.
Rubber bands and silk floss. RUB
Der bands or waxed floss silk are
generally preferable to toothpicks for
cleansing the spaces between the
teeth. Neither should be used, ex-
ccpt in those spaces where there has
been slight recession OF the gingivac,
or in spaces in which food may be
caught occasionally, even though the
gingivae are normal Certain foods,
such as chicken and other stringy
meats, are much more likely than
others to slip past good contacts, or
to slip into the septal space from the
buccal, labial or lingual. A silk
floss or rubber band is usually nec-
essary to remove such Judgments.
1t would not be good plan for every
person to pass rubber band or floss
silk between the teeth after each
meal, because Of the danger of irri-
tating the gingivae and causing them
to recede.
In using either the rubber band
or floss silk, it should be held with
the fingers close up to the teeth
on either side and then carried very
slowly past the contact point. I'm
doing this the ends should be drawn
q little, either to the mesial or dis
tai, SO that the silk or the band
will pass to one side or the other al
the crest of the septal gingiva as II:
passes the contact, thus avoiding IN
jury to this tissue. After it is Ia
the space between the teeth, the
tooth, then it should be lifted over
two ends should be drawn back and
forth to rub the surface of one
the crest of the gingiva and the sur
face Of the other tooth rubbed in
similar way. 1t is quite a task IT,
do this carefully and thoroughly in
each Of the thirty spaces between the
teeth and few Of those people whose
teeth need such cleaning will do so
It is, however, about the
only effective method Of cleaning
these surfaces.
Mouth washes, pastes and pow
ders. No mention has been made Of
tooth-pastes, tooth
powders, ETC. It is believed that
these are Of very little or no value;
that everything can be accomplish
ed with plain water and brush
and nothing is gained by the use OF
medicine. If there is no disease Of
the tissues of the mouth, certainlg
no medicine is indicated. If the
mouth is thoroughly cleaned the sense
ofcomfort viii not be bettered by the
pleasant taste of a mouthwasll.
There is no merit in the use OF an
sntiseptic mouth-wash, as it's effect
is of but a few minutes duration.
With the development Of more com
plete knowledge Of the etiology
cause of dental carries decay, we
have come to realize that the acid
ity Of the saliva has nothing to do
with decay and alkaline mouth-wasll-
es are not indicated TO prevent decay.
No solution taken into the mouth
will have more than a very temper
airy effect and will be Of no practi-
cal value. The teeth should be
cleaned after each meal. TO this
rule there should be no exceptions
1t is the only safe rule for the large
majority of persons to follow. The
teeth should also be washed upon re-
firing.
Because the cleaning processes OF
life are secret, private, and not to be.
mentioned or witnessed, they are all.