The Omaha guide., 1946-06-15

brought her to see me. not because
The girl had a toothache. but be-
cause she wanted me to examine
ne child's mouth to see whether
the new teeth were coming thru
in healthy condition.
The other patiel-t was a woman
who had a swollen Jaw. She com
planned that one tooth was hurt
-ng badly and wanted me to pull
it Immediately. She seemed to
think that because she was in pam
! would pull the tooth before L
found out what caused the pain.
Naturally, I could not do this. No
dentists wants to pull a tooth if
he can save it. While a toothache
means that something S wrong,
pulling a tooth is not the only cure
for pain. Toothache is usually
caused by an infection which can
often be treated without destroy
.ng the tooth.
After much persuasion on nv
part, my patient agreed To let M
A-ray her teeth. The X-ray show
ed that the pain and swelling were
caused by an infection at the root
of a molar Fortunately, the infec-
ton could be treated and the cav
Ity which had formed in the tooth
'ould be filled without pulling the
tooth
When l told the patient that She
would not have to lose her tooth.
she actually seemed disappointed.
She later told me that friend OF
hers had recently had a tooth pull
led and a gold one put in. And she
wanted a gold tooth tool
1t is really a shame how lightly
many people take their teeth. They
are apt to forget that nature Il D
3lied us with teeth for a definite
purpose. The function of teeth is
to chew solid food. This is the 1st
step in digestion. If food is not
properly chewed. digestive distur-
Dances may result.
We need our teeth all our lives
Our WI teeth, if they were heal
thy, erv US much betteh than
false teeth. If teeth r neglected,
they will become decayed and not
only lose their usefulness but pos
sibly endanger health. Decayed
teeth are often sources of infect
ion which spreads to other parts
of the body. Sometimes rheuma-
tisnl is caused by infection of a
tooth. Since trouble may also be
due to tooth infection.
Since healthy teeth are import
ant to general health, we should
try to keep our teeth in good con-
dition. The best time to begin to
care for the teeth is in childhood.
The mother who brought her sly
year old daughter to see me was
aware Of the Importance of car
i ing for the teeth. She has been
bringing the child to my office at
regular intervals for a couple Of
years She knew that even though
the child would lose her baby ones
these teeth should be kept in good
condition if the permanent teeth
were to be strong and healthy.
There are several things we
could do to keep our teeth heal
thy. One is to eat proper foods. It
is particularly important that the
children be given foods rich in
minerals, calcium and phospherous
: # tNev are to develop strong good
teeth. These elements are found in
! generous quantities II milk, the
/ citrus fruits, such as oranges and
gc3 .ut and in tcratoe-. Fresh
fruits and vegetables are also rich
in vitamins necessary to the grow
tn of healthy teeth. To keep the
teeth in good condition it is also
necessary to eat some coarse food
each day. Chewing bread crusts,
toast. raw apples and crisp raw
vegetables help keep the gums and
the teeth healthy.
Mouth cleanliness is essential to
healthy teeth. The teeth should be
brushed carefully in the morning
and at night before going to bed
THE dentist will be glad to show
you how to brush your teeth to
IN them well without injuring
their enamel covering.
1t is also important to visit the
oCllIl0O IWO VI &C LlA1lCo q yea
If people got in the habit of visi-
ting their dentist regularly, they
would have fewer toothaches and
fewer decayed teeth. and would
run less risk Of losing their teeth
while they are young and Of in
juring their health as a result Of
infected teeth.
A visit to the dentist every six
months is recommended for the
average person. If you should go
more frequently, the dentist will
tell you. Through regular visits to
the dentist, cavities will be detec-
ted in their early stages before
the tooth becomes badly decayed-
Through cleaning by the dentist
about twice a year will also keep
the teeth healthy.
Good teeth are essential to good
health. 1t is worthwhile to take