Year: 1866

no law of lodge or council to enforce the
Injunction, IF thy neighbor hunger
rive him meat; II he thirst give him
drink; and if he lacks raiment clothe
him. Wiggis.


Familiar Lecture to Parents.---How


to take care of, and save their


Children's Teeth.


The decidious or milk teeth require a
great deal Of attention, not only to pre-
serve them in a healthy condition thro'
= natural period of retention in the
mouth but to secure a more healthy
growth to the permanent ones, or teeth
ofs6p placement Daily observation Of
the want Of care and attention towards
these very important organs, makes APP
parent the great need of parents having
better knowledge how to care and adj
minister to the wants Of their children
while passing through the period of
moulting their decidious teeth. One not
led to observe the want of knowledge on
this important subject, would scarcely
believe the great amount of ignorance
exsting-even among our most finely
educated parents-from which arises,
days, mouths, and even years of suffer-
ing and pain, when it might easily be
prevented by taking proper care of these
little dependents" at the proper time.


There is much of great moment that
should be said in relation to the best
course, prior to the period of eruption
of the first teeth. The properties and
nutritivc powers Of different kinds of
food, and what kind is most conducent
to the phosphate dispositions and heal
thy growth of bone and teeth but this
will be more proper in a subsequent lec-
ture.


1t will be commendablc for us to take
care Of what we are furnishcd-evcn
though by poorly sustained nature,
thereby preserving the teeth a much
longer period, for the very important
office in the economy for which they
arc designed.


Cleanliness is a paramount duty. Par
ents should see that each child Is sup
piled with soft, pliable toothbrush,
requiring them, when old enough, to
use 1t at least once day, and those not
old enough should be waited upon by
the parent or nurse. Food allowed to
remain between or about the teeth,
being exposed to warmth and moisture,
soon ferments, and the cngendered acid
is powerful solvent to the enamel or
surface upon which it is lodged. Also
certain kind of abnormal calcarious
concretion Is often found at three and
even two years, which if not kept of
with a brush, as it can be, works very
pcrnicious effect-decaying the teeth
directly, inflames the gums, makes
them turgcd and bleed easy, and rem
dering them inefficacious to the healthy
support of the teeth of replacement,
sometimes destroying their germs and,
if not arrested, carrying its pernicious
effects to the moxillary bones. If this
be allowed to remain from two to four
months without removal, it becomes





moved by instruments. These deposi-
sitions can be detected by ycllowish,
grayish, brown or black, and sometimes
a whitish appearAce, according to its
chemical constituents. The effects in
either case being much the same-differ-
ing more distinctly in time than in local
arrangement, their constitutional afiec-
ton is very near the same. They rem
der the saliva vicid and unhealthy, the
secretion of the mucus membrane is
almost entirely destroyed, an important
auxiliary in the digestion of food, if the
saliva is abnormal the chyme in the
stomach is unable to do its duty; this,
then, in its onward course for the sup
port and growth of the system, unites
impurcly with the bile and pancreatic
secretions for the formation of chyle,
which is in turn taken up by the little
vessels called latcals, through which it
is carried to the blood vessels for circu-
lation and nutrition of the system,
impaired for its duty by the impure
mouth from which it started.


Finally, these first teeth should re
ceive early and constant attention t.
prevent their premature loss. You
should adopt every means TO retain
them in the mouth until in the natural
order Of things they are to be replaced
by the permanent organs. AS the
crowns Of the second set advance to
wards the surface of the gum, the roots
of the first teeth are gradually absorbed
80 the latter, when the proper time ar
rives, may be readily, in most instances
picked out with the fingers, infiictine
. little or no pain upon the. child. The
early loss of the first teeth should be
avoided for several reasons. They sub
, ject the child to violent pain in extract
, ing them, and make them ever after