The San Francisco call. [volume], October 16, 1904, Image 11

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
and afterward . gently ; polishing the
tooth with moist prepared chalk. Stains
also can be ' removed by peroxide of
hydrogen, and followed as usual by the
chalk. By using care not to swallow
any of the iodine or to. use It so strong
as to burn the arums— the child him
self may take pleasure in cleaning his
own teeth. . v ; ; . ,
The baby teeth, appear . . about the
sixth month and at about the second
the bicuspids. The cuspid, the keystone
of the arch, comes into its place about
the eleventh year, and the twelfth year
molar completes, the permanent set.
The masterpiece ". can . now be consid
ered' complete because the wisdom
teeth arrive between "the age3 of six
teen and sixty or not at all. However,
where practicable v it is advisable to
retain the -wisdoms for > such'emergen
cies as bridge or. crown vwork mayde-
mand. They are of soft structure and
li neglected may become prolific sources
of trouble. Baby teeth must be avoid
ed in the adult as their days are num
bered. Many specialists contend the
reckless care .given the child's teeth is
responsible for the puny, anemic child
ren so plentiful to-day. What a com
fort it would be to the Infant to have a
clean, sterilized teething ring with
which ) to relieve . his aching gums by
pressure! What painless - relief the
dentist and 'his sharp lancet can afford
by loosening the leather like gum over
the path of the coming tooth and al
lowing it to 'come into its place unim
peded! As ebon as the baby teeth are
fully erupted,- they should be cleaned,
watched, and upon the first intimation
of discomfort- the ; dentist should be
consulted.. A cavity. nipped in the bud
is time. and: money saved, nervous vi
tality conserved, r and above" all, j the
teeth are preserved. Let us not forget
that while the teeth are the hardest
tissues of the: body, they are most sub
ject to disease, and while. Nature, will
heal a' wound, she can 'never repair a
decayed tooth.
Indigestion, extreme nervousness, ir
ritability of temper and general 111
health will follow in the footsteps of a
decayed tooth. ..>¦¦¦
About the sixth year, the child's food
should be , gradually changed to' 'the
coarser and : more-resisting ones, ' be
cause, there can .;,. be no development
without "an" adequate blood supply and
this- cannot be -secured [without proper
exercise. ~ Just • as i the muscles < of' the
body, must be kept f In a : healthy condi-
tlon by use, so the coarser the food,
and the drier- the meal, the more vig
orous the jaw muscles become and the
stronger the teeth. The more we mas
ticate our food and the greater force
needed to do so the more blood will be
called • into circulation and the more
active the action of the salivary and
mucous glands. The present day habit
of "buck passing" . is taught us in
childhood. As the child *with bad teeth
must of necessity bolt his food, the
mouth, calmly "passes ths buck" to the
stomach and that patient subservient
menial stands the indignities until pa
tience ceases to be a virtue and we find
a full fledged dyspeptic on our hands.
Metal tilling such as gold and silver
should only be placed in permanent
teeth, the gutta percha and cement or
bone being preferable fillings for baby
teeth. •
Failure : in most dental operations Is
due to lack of oral cleanliness, and while
a person may expend a fortune upon his
dental work. *his simple neglect brings
it all to. naught. Gum chewing, which
is so Injurious and cannot be too- se
verely condemned as a pastime — is
really beneficial if indulged in' for not
more than fifteen minutes after meals.
Ragged- edges of teeth or fillings irri
tate the gums, cheeks and tongue and
such dangerous nuisances should be
abated. As. a. clean tooth cannot de
cay, we can see ; how Imperative It be
comes I that the tartar should ¦ be re
moved which /deposits so . Insidiously
uppn;the necks of the teeth. The lower
front teeth; especially, are the victims
of its : ravages, causing loosened teeth
and pus-forming sockets. It is -sur
prising, the' number of diseases of eye,
ear, . nose and throat caused . directly
or. indirectly by, decayed, teeth. While
the parent should guard against 'the
child -hearing' and believing the exag
gerated ¦ stories of untold agonies to be
endured in the dental chair, the dentist
himself owes much consideration to the
child. -A* cold-blooded > or . undiplomatic
practitioner may by. his manner em-
the tincture of iodine, oil of cloves,
peroxide of hydrogen or pyrozone, lit
mus paper (red and blue), toothpicks
and absorbent cotton. The hot v/ater
bag and the eye dropper are indispen
sable. Iodine and all other poisons
should be plainly labeled as such and
used ojily for a specific purpose and in
quantities as directed by physician or
dentist. For a simple toothache rinse
the mouth with warm water and gent-
Jy dislodge any food packed into th©
cavity, using a toothpick or floss silk
for the purpose. By throwing the head
back and opening the mouth as wide
as you can, with the aid of a mirror
tuck a small wisp of cotton saturated
w ; ith the oil of cloves Into the cavity.
Follow this with another small dry
pledget of cotton, being careful not to
pack it too tightly. Paint the gum
around the tooth with simple tincture
of iodine, which tends to reduce the in
flammation. Above all things don't use
carbolic acid, creosote, chloroform or
anything caustic inside or outside of
the mouth to soothe an aching tooth.
They only add fuel to the fire Instead
of checking it. People have been known
to use iodine and «ven creosote or car
bolic acid on the cheeks and neck for
toothache and the fool killer certainly
must be looking for them.
For Abscessed Teeth.
When you first feel the dull, gnaw
ing heat and attendant heat, redness
and swelling above a tooth, don't use
the hot water bag or any kind of
poultice on the outside of the face
to draw the dus to the surface. Many
a scar upon the face could be avoided
if the proper remedy were used. If
the gum above the tooth and over the
root is swollen and seem to be what
is known as a gumboil, open it if pos
sible, with a _ needle or lance to re
lease the pus. Poultice only from
the inside of the mouth. Take a rai
sin, roast it and cut in halves. Scoop
out the center portion of one of the
halves and fill the space with red
pepper. Apply the pepper side of the
raisin to the swollen gum a point
over . the abscessed tooth. The lips
will hold the raisin in place, and
a handler, \ less : bulky poultice
cannot be : made. If two teeth are
involved use the other half of the
raisin prepared as above and apply
over the- swollen- part of the gum.
An aching tooth throbs and Jumps
/ . ¦ . ¦ -- .i
year all are in place. As the very first
permanent tooth does not arrive until
the sixth year and then does not sup
plant any other tooth, it is highlv im
portant to retain all of the first teeth
in a healthy condition as long as pos
sible.
The Creator designed the infant teeth
to serve as masticating organs from
the sixth month- until the seventh or
eighth year at least, and how far from
the Master's ideal is the baby mouth
at four or five, nil of his teeth' gone
or worse still only a mass of broken,
decayed or abscessed slumps remaining
to mar and make hideous the baby
face. Is it any wonder children die
by the hundreds of septic poisonin?^
when the pus-generating "roots are
pouring their vile streams into the lit
tle one's stomach night and day?. Is
it any mystery why our chrldren are
so weak and anemic when it "is often
a physical impossibility for them to
chew their food properly because of
poor teeth? As we love our children
and want them to be strong in body
as in intellect we should guard thos<;
little outposts of the alimentary canal
as. zealously as we do his eyes. Just as
much as the eyes are the windows of
the soul, so are the teeth the watch
dog of the stomach, to pass upon ev
erything which seeks to enter their do
main and allow nothing to pass unless
in due form properly masticated.
Though the baby teeth are small and
frail, they can be cleaned, filled, kept
healthy, and perform their function
admirably until the advent of their
more robust and aggressive rivals.
About the seventh year the front
teeth give way to the permanent In
cisors, th« baby molars retire very
graciously in favor of the newcomers—
tion. Peroxide of hydrogen or pyro
sone is a cleansing agent for mouth
and throat. Glyco-thymoline has
proven a pleasant and efficient mouth
wash. Ten drops of formalin to a
pint of water will be found efficacious
«s a gargle and wash. A mouth wash.
to be effective, should be strong
enough and used in sufficient quantity
to bathe freely all parts of the mouth
and to cleanse the throat by gargling
Use red litmus paper to test the fluids
of the mouth, because upon the alka
linity of the saliva depends the sal
vation of the' teeth. Red litmus pa
per will turntilue and the blue litmus
will be unaffected if the saliva is al
kaline as it should be. If the iluid
turn the blue litmus paper red — re
member, red is a danger signal — and
the case calls for alkaline washes and
treatment. Milk of magnesia gargled
with before retiring and allowed to re
main upon the teeth and gums will
counteract to a great extent the a,cid
conditions. Chalk painted upon the
teeth before retiring has a similar ac
tion.
Healthy gums can be brought about
by removing tartar and other irritants
and then massaging the gums with
the finger. This stimulates the circu
lation, lack of which is one of the
predominating causes of disease. It
is highly important to keep the tongue
thoroughly clean and a celluloid
scraper will keep that orgtin in per
fect* condition. The infant's teeth
must be cleaned by mother or nurse
and powdered chalk upon a soft cloth
or camel's hair brush, together with
little gargles of dilute peroxide of hy
drogen or glyco-thymollne, will keep
mouth and teeth sweet and clean. The
mother who neglects the eyes and ears
of her children and permits the dirt
to hold full sway would meet with the
supreme contempt of every other moth
er, but the hidden sin of the neglected
toofli seems to rest lightly on many
a maternal shoulder.
Young minds are roost succeptibl*
and the teaching which a growing child
imbibes sticks fast in his memory. See
how eagerly the little one instinctively
tries to imitate you in everything, even
in the art of brushing the teeth. By
encouraging this tendency the child
will not have the popular aversion to
the tooth brush and in time will find it
mightier than the dentist. By twist
ing a wisp of cotton about the end of
a wooden toothpick one can make a
very serviceable instrument for home
use and bo inexpensive as to be used
but once. The green stains so common
to children's teeth can be removed
readily by applying tincture of iodine
to the tooth with our handy dauber
imasize an tne terrtDie mental pictures
which the child lias conjured up about
this ancient foe of the human race.
First and foremost his very pfflce fur
nishings should bid the patient wel
come. Carpets, furniture, hangings and
v all decorations all should make their
first impression fayorable. Rather a
center table groaning under if 3 load of
current literature and comic papers
than one empty and bare. Rather
a surplus than a paucity of com
forts. Let all things conspire to
give the sufferer the "glad hand." Then
tlie dentist, immaculate and inviting,
has easy sailing. The moment he has
the child's confidence he has the bat
tle fought and won. His diplomacy
toward the child has made a lifelong
friend", a trustful patient and a walking
advertisement. Simply because "he is
so different."
No home in this day and age can
make any pretense . toward complete
ness unless the washroom has its medi
cine case or shelf. There, high up and
out of reaca of baby fingers or. in
quisitive youngsters, the home reme
dies should be kept On the dental
shelf should be such staple articles as
For Neuralgia.
while an abscessed on? has a dull
steady pain with heat and redness of
the abscessed parts.- Boar in mind
tftat in all cases of inflammation or
abscesses the natural outlets of the
system must not be dossed. Give
the child a good cathartic, such us
castor oi!. or in adult cases calomel,
at nightfall and the next morning ci
trate of magnesia. In this way all
the machinery of the system is
brought into co-ordinate action to
throw off the irritant (and we can ac
complish most when all thins3 work
together with one accord).
In all abscessed conditions home
remedies are but temporary, as the
dentist alone can afford permanent re
lief.
It Is a rule of dentistry to locate the
seat o? trouble and remove the cause.
Neuralgia may spring from a dozen
sources and medicines must be care
fully administered, only as directed
and to give temporary relief until the
dentist can be consulted. Make it a
rule of your life to use the simplest
remedies first, and the hot water ban
applied to the temple, or over the
point of greatest pain, will give the
needed relief. Hot or cold towels
bound about the face and head will
be found valuable in neuralgia and in
all facial inflammations. The follow
ing prescription, used with care and
only as directed, will be found valua
blf in neuralgic troubles. It should
not be taken by people with, weak
hearts.
¦R. Acetanilid Comp.
6 grain tablets.
Sis- Take 5 grains (1 tablet)
and follow each half hour for
lat) in water.
next ho ift- with 2\-> grains (ft tab-
Do not take more than three doses,
the first one being a whole tablet and
the two following half hourly being
half tablets. People must use some
discretion in the administration of
drugs and if the first tablet accom
plishes the result don't take the rest
of them. If the remedy should fail
to give relief, get as much comfort as
you can out of the hot water bag- un
til morning and make a bee line for
your dentist.
Earache is often caused by aching
teeth and your druggist can put up.
either of the following prescriptions,
which are to be used in the .ear only
and in smallest quantities:
Fl. ext. aconite, one-half dram.
Fl. ext. belladonna, one-half dram.
Water, one and a half drams.
For earache, apply on cotton tucked
into ear or use with dropper.
Laudanum and sweet oil. equal parts.
Apply on cotton to Inside of ear or
use with dropper.
• For earache, saturate a small piece
of cotton with either of the foregoing
remedies and tuck carefully into the
ear with a blunt wooden toothpick or,
better still, have some one drop a
couple of drops Into the ear. tucking in
a plug of cotton to prevent the out
flow. When the. eyes are inflamed or
bloodshot, as is often the case in ab
scessed conditions, an eye wash will be
found very soothing. Have either of
these prescriptions filled and their us*
will be found viry satisfactory:
Acid boracic (powdered), 4 ounces.
Dissolve a teaspoonful in a glass of
warm water and use In eye cup.
Zinc sulphate, 2 per cent solution.
Drop in eye night and morning.
But bear in mind that hot and cold
applications will do a great deal toward
reducing inflammations and should bo
used first. Antlphlogistine. except in
abscessed conditions, can be applied to
neck or any unexposed part of the body
to draw the inflammation.
Frequently in the cutting of wisdom
teeth the glands and muscles of the
neck become inflamed and often fol
lowing extractions of non-abscessed
teeth there is swelling of the tissues of
the neck and antiphlosristino Is valua
ble In such cases. When desirable tr>
draw pus to the surface, it will make a
grand poultice. Canker sores frequent
ly annoy us by appearing on lips or
cheek Inside the mouth and they re
epond quickly to treatment with aro
matic sulphuric acid. Keep the tissue
about the canker sore dry and with
wisp of cotton on a toothpick touch the
sore with the acid. Use care not to
get the medicine on any other spot
than the sore.
Powdered alum on a moist plec« of
cotton tucked into the socket is use
ful. Paint the gums around and in the
socket with tincture of iodine to re
duce soreness. If however, aii of these
remedies have no effect use Monsell's
solution and carefully pack a small
ball of cotton saturated with It Into
the c*avity and follow with 'a plus of
cotton to hold the first in place.
The care of the teeth and exercises
In the manipulation of the toothbrush
should be a vital part of the training
of t»e kindergarten. By nipping all
diseases In their lncipiency we can rear
a race of Trojans, and as we made the
education of the youth compulsory, we
must be equally despotic, and making
strong, healthy children, put a sound
mind in a sound body. For the great
mass of the poor properly conducted
clinics must be supported by the state
and by philanthronically Inclined hu
manitarians which will enable the p«or
to have skillful treatment. In such a
time those who prey upon them, the
dental parlor faker with the electric
sign and painless front, will fold up
his tent like an Arab and silently slink
away.
THE kcynoto of modern dentistry
Is the prevention rather than
the cure of diseased renditions
of the ir.outh and surrounding
tissues. The reformation must
begin in infancy and the battle be
ceaselessly waged from the^radle to the
grave. The parent who has never had
the advantage of a college or commer
cial education feels keenly that draw
back during his whole life and for
his children he wishes r.o such handi
cap. Such a father would almost beg
gar himself to afford a son, the apple
cf his eye and the pride of his old
ase, every advantage in life of which
he himself has been deprived. Eecause
our fathers had such magnificent teeth
end never kn?w a toothache, they are
singularly blind to the needs of the
child In this particular regard. Only
the man who has suffered- the pangs of
em aching or abscessed tooth and all
the attendant tortures of neuralgia in-
Kists upon his child being spared that
agony. The parent who has passed
through life nibbling on a few old
stumps or laboriously attempting to
Tuasticate upon ill-fitting plates wishes
his own child more comfort in life and
a more vigorous manhood.
"Whether the wretchedly poor teeth of
to-day are inherited or are the result
of the present day mode of life, with
Its dissipations and neglects, the father
and mother mu6t grapple with this
most serious problem, and the sooner
the better. Without good teeth the
whole body suffers the effects of im
proper mastication and imperfect di
gestion, which inevitably brings about
111 health, and without good health what
happiness can there be in life?. Does it
not then devolve upon the parent of to
day to guard well the teeth of the
child if they would have the sturdy,
vigorous manhood of the morrow? By
universal consent we have given to the
mother the training • of - the children
and before the bar of public opinion
she must sooner cr later give an ac
count of her stewardship. Is there a
mother who would not lay down her
life gladly for her children or suffer in
tlieir stead any and all of the aches
and pain of childhood? What mother
would refuse to relieve the distress of
her child if she but knew how? The
wise mother is the one who makes a
memorandum of the things she has
found useful in her life and such a
«oman always knows as well what
remedy to apply in time of sickness as
the docs where the shut-off is located
when a v.ater pipe bursts in the
house.
The mother's ear is most sensitively
attuned to the faintest cry of her off
spring and when this practical mother
is aroused from the sleep which "knits
up the ravel of the sleeve of care" she
does not feebly light the gas and won
der what to do. She straightway finds
out what to do — because her notebook.
ber adviser in whom there is no vari
ance, is in its proper place. She does
not have to rack her brain to remem
ber the dentist's prescription and di
rections and have those dreadful
doubts and mis^ivinss as to whether
she is using the right medicine or the
proper proportions. If we will but sys
tematize our lives and jot down the
helpful hints which have stood the
test of time, we will always know the
most effective remedy to allay an ach
ing tooth, how to check a hemorrhage
or banish the dread visitor of the
nigbtly watches — neuralgia. It is fool
hardy for a parent to be indifferent to
the baby tcth, and it is simply crim
inal carelessness to permit neglect after
the sixth year. If a parent is so t-hort
eighted as to ignore the infant teeth as
things of Heeling existence and of no
permanency the will, if there is a bit
of maternal instinct within her. at
least see that the permanent teeth do
rot fall into a sknilar decline. It is
just as harmful to your child's future
welfare to al'.ov/ him to associate with
the riff-raff of society and not expect
him to be contaminated morally as to
permit good strong young teeth to lio
in uninterropte'd contact with decayed
or ulcerated ones and expect them to
suffer no harm physically. The parent
should guard against the premature
loss of the baby teeth and a permanent
tooth must never be sacrificed save as
a last resort. The poor teeth of this
generation aro caused in great meas
ure by lack of cleanliness, indifference
to the care of the baby teeth, overin
dulgence in sweets and the lack of
coarse foods, and In many cases to the
use of powerful tonics, \chich are tak
en to build up the weaKened system
and are allowed to react upon the
teeth by coming in contact with them.
The youngster of to-day,- and the
mother,'' too, who knows how to brush
the teeth, is a rarity. The brush is of
primary importance and must be so
constructed as to conform to the cen
| eral contour of the teeth and arch. The
prophylactic— a brush made in adults'
and children's sizes, will be found very
satisfactory, as It . reaches into the
cpaces between the teeth arid cleans
decay generally starts. Adults
should use a medium stiff brush, the
child a soft one. Brush the teeth
after meals and always before retir
ing at night. Decay works while we
sleep. Rotate the brush in the hand so
as to clean between the teeth, using
care to always brush away from the
sums and toward the cutting edsres of
the teeth. With mouth open brush
across the grinding surfaces, cleaning:
thoroughly one set at a time. It is
• wise to avoid brushing the gums at
all and use care not to force them
away from the teeth, thereby exposing
the roots and permitting decay to gain
a hold in these softer structures. An
alkaline tooth powder or paste must
be used and one free from gritting
particles likelv to scratch the enameL
Common prepared chalk makes an
acceptable tooth powder and is used
upon «. moist brush. Rinsing the
mouth with salt water, hardens the
dims and also has an antiseptic ac-
TOOTH TALK FOR PARENTS & CHILDREN
THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALU