Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1925-01-15
THE BELMcroN PROGRESSIVE. BELINeToN. ": va

alton for squint, external eye dis
ease, defective hearing, adenoids, ear
discharges, enlarged CLANS, defective
teeth, acute rhumatism, chorea, heart
disease, lung disease, bronchitis, ven
ereal disease, ricketts,, armenia, head
ache, diseases OF the skin and deforn-
tiles.
Attention has been called many
times to the fact that our Govern
ment has expended enormous sums Of
money in studying those problems in
volved in the preservation of the
health of our domestic animals, but
little effort has been made to study
and prevent, or to teach our people
how to prevent, the diseases which
carry off untold thousands of our
population every year. The comm
cial spirit of the age has led us, not
only as nation, but as individuals,
to neglect health in order to get a.
head financially. We should realize
that there is greater economy in the
growth and proper development Of
healthy individuals; that each child
who is strong and well soon becomes
one of the units in the development Of
those things toward which the hui
man race is set; he is producer;
while the child who is weak and sick
ly becomes more and more one Of the
worlds cares, a consumer who does
not produce, and often che who may
become a destroyer by entering the
class Of criminals and mental de-
fectives. We must look forward to
the sday when our Government will
devote itself intensely to the study
of problems involved in the preserva-
ton of the health Of our people;
when we shall have in this county a
nurse to visit every school; when we
shall have the cordial cooperation of
everyone of you instructors; | must
warn you, however, that cleanliness
is another name for order, which is
heavens first law.
Care of the Mouth Temporary teeth)
The care of the mouth should be-
gin when the first of the deciduous
teeth erupt. Previous to the eruption
of the teeth, the mouth Of the baby
needs no care for cleanliness, as a
rule. The care of the deciduous
teeth should be the same as for the
permanent teeth, it is unusual to have
deposits of either kind of calculus,
and therefore, as rule, no measures
need be employed to prevent these ac-
cumulations.
1t is to prevent or retard the pro-
gress of dental carries during child
hod that the mouth should receive at
tention. AS soon as the first decid-
uous teeth have erupted, the use of
the toothbrush should begin. The
brush itself should be of the smallest
size obtainable; soft enough not to
injure the gums, yet stiff enough to
be effective in cleaning. The mo-
tions of the brush should be the same
as for the adult, as will be described
in detail later. In the beginning,
the child's mouth should be cared for
by the mother or nurse, and the
brushing should be done Immediately
after each meal. As the child grows
older, it should be taught to do the
brushing, under careful supervision,
until it has acquired the necessary
skill and has formed the habit of
brushing the teeth as the first duty
after each meal. Nothing is of
greater Importance to the future
health of the mouth than for the
child to form this habit of prompt
and regular brushing of the teeth.
The child that forms such habit
will come to appreciate the comfort
of habitually clean mouth and will
not be likely to neglect the cleaning
in later years. never overlook
an opportunity to impress the impor-
tance of saving the deciduous teeth
in order to avoid, as far as possible,
the danger of disease and irregularit-
les of the permanent teeth, which Of
ten interfere with the proper devel-
opment of the face.
Technic of cleaning the mouth.
In cleaning the mouth, one should
have plenty of understanding wat
er preferred in addition to
suitable toothbrush there is often
some advantage in the use of tooth
picks, rubber bands, floss silk, rub
Der bulb syringe, and, for those who
wear artificial teeth, special plate
brushes. The movements of the
brush, the liability of missing some
certain teeth, and the training nee
esssary to the best use of the brush
should often be illustrated by actual
use. ] am especially partial to run