THE CHEM AW A
A M E R IC A N
25
1 lie most com mon of the m any diseases of teeth is dental caries or
decay.
I he beginning of this trouble is due to im proper care of the
m outh. T he decay is caused directly by the acids produced by bac
teria. Particles of food left betw een the teeth soon become full of the
bacteria th at cause ferm entation and p u trefaction.
T he rate of acid form ation depends in a m easure upon the n atu re of
the food particles left on th e teeth , th e starchy foods more readily fer
m enting and producing the enam el-destroying acids. Once the enamel
is softened and split up the softer den tin e decays rapidly and the nerve
is exposed, causing the tooth to ache.
T he prevention of this and nearly all teeth troubles is cleanliness.
A clean m outh is a healthy m outh and clean teeth do not decay. T he
care of the teeth should begin as soon as teeth appear, as it is in ch ild
hood that nearly all the troubles begin. It is well said th a t if we have
good teeth at tw enty we will have good teeth at six ty . Special a t
tention should be given to the six year, or first m olars, as they are very
subject tet decay and are usually m istaken for tem porary teeth. P re
ventative treatm en t d u rin g childhood will i lsure good teeth to a large
m ajority of ad u lts. A small sum sp en t th is way saves m any dollars
later. T he am ount in the belated treatm en t of one tooth would have
preserved in good condition the teeth of an en tire fam ily. Decay in
one tooth tends to spread to th e adjacent teeth . M any parents, u n fo r
tu n ately , do not exam ine, or have exam ined, th e teeth of their children
until the pain from decay calls th eir atten tio n to the condition.
To clean the teeth properly a good b ru sh , some th read or dental silk,
and plenty of pure w ater are needed, T ooth pow ders and pastes may
be necessary som etim es to keep the teeth b rig h t and clean, but w hen the
teeth are habitually brushed three tim es a day are seldom needed. Too
little attention is given to the proper m anners of using the b ru sh —the
brushing being done in a careless and therefore inefficient w av. In
u sin g the brush the teeth should be brushed cross-w ise and up and
dow n— th a t is, in the direction of the long axis of th e teeth and all the
exposed surfaces should be brushed.
T he dental silk should be used in cleansing the spaces between th e teeth
of food particles; quill picks are also useful for th is purpose. T ooth
brush drills should be g ven by those w in h iv e charge of th e children
and the proper way to cleanse the teeth ta u g h t. A lthough th e most
im portant object in having clean teeth is to assist in keeping the body
free of disease th e beautiful appearance of clean bright teeth stim ulates
the children to keep theirs in like condition.