Care of Teeth, Mouth, and Breath.

The teeth, through negligence and ignorance, receive less attention among the majority of people than any other subject of a personal character. The care of children’s teeth is very important, and if parents do not post themselves in the matter frequent visits to a skilled dentist should in their case be imperatively enforced, as well as upon the older members of the family.

The first teeth of the infant are called the deciduous or milk teeth, and are twenty in number—ten in each jaw. These twenty teeth are as follows: Eight incisors, four in each jaw—the four being composed of two central and two lateral incisors—also four canine or cuspid teeth, two in each jaw, and eight molars, four in each jaw—the molars being called first and second molars, indicating their relative positions as well as the periods of their eruption (commonly called cutting). It is generally recognized among physicians that all diseases of children are more difficult to treat during dentition than before or after. It is well enough for parents to recognize this fact in administering medicines to their children. Although the time of eruptions of the teeth differ with different persons, yet the following table gives a close approximation:

ERUPTION OF THE TEETH.

Deciduous Teeth.			Permanent Teeth.
(The lower generally precede the upper by two or three months.)			First molars	5 to 6	years
			Central incisors	6 to 8	years
			Lateral incisors	7 to 9	years
Central incisors	5 to 8	months	First bicuspids	9 to 10	years
Lateral incisors	7 to 10	months	Second bicuspids	10 to 11	years
First molars	12 to 16	months	Canines	11 to 12	years
Canines	15 to 20	months	Second molars	12 to 14	years
Second molars	20 to 36	months	Third molars	17 to 21	years

It would be difficult indeed to condense in so short a space so much practical information from a reliable source as has been given in the following prize essay on the teeth, which was awarded by the Dental Society of Philadelphia:

1st. Cleanse your teeth once, or oftener, every day. Rinse the mouth after eating. Cleansing the teeth consists in removing every particle of foreign matter from around the teeth and gums.

2d. To cleanse use well-made brushes, soft quill, or wood toothpicks, an antacid styptic tooth wash, and precipitated chalk. If these means fail apply to a regular dentist.

3d. Avoid eating hot food. Thoroughly masticate the food, and well salivate it before swallowing.

4th. Parents ought to carefully attend to the child’s second dentition. Prevail upon your children to visit, at frequent intervals, a careful and skillful operator.

5th. Remember that four of the permanent double teeth come in at the age of six years. They are very liable to decay early, are very large, and should never be allowed to require extracting.

6th. Never allow any one to extract a tooth or dissuade you from having them filled unless absolutely necessary.

7th. Carelessness and procrastination are responsible for a large proportion of teeth that are lost.

The teeth were never intended to take the place of nut-crackers nor to rival scissors in cutting thread. The teeth must be taken care of or your health will suffer.

Remember, a clean tooth would not decay in a hundred years.

Best Tooth Powder.

Precipitated chalk4	ounces.
Powdered cuttle-bone2	ounces.
Powdered orris root1 1/2	ounces.
Powdered borax 1/2	ounce.
Oil of cloves5	minims.
Oil of wintergreen2	fluid drachms.

Mix the powder thoroughly, and with a small portion add the oils and mix them until in the form of a moist powder. Then add the rest of the mixed powders gradually until all are evenly distributed throughout. A solution of carmine can be added in with the oils, which will color it as desired.

Some prefer a preparation in the form of a paste, as follows:

Cherry Tooth Paste.

Precipitated chalk4	ounces.
Powdered areca nut1	ounce.
Powdered quillaya bark (or soap root) 1/2	ounce.
Powdered cuttle-bone1	ounce.
Powdered borax 1/2	ounce.
Powdered orris root4	ounces.
Tincture of myrrh 1/2	ounce.
Oils of nutmeg, cloves, and bitter almonds, each15	minims.
Oil of rose5	minims.

Honey, glycerine, and mucilage acacia equal quantities of each sufficient to make into a paste of the desired consistence. First mix the powders and color with carmine, and then add the other ingredients and thoroughly mix.

Mouth washes are a valuable addition to the toilet as they assist to harden and heal the gums, cleanse the mouth and purify the breath.

Antiseptic Tooth Wash.

Salicylic acid12	parts.
Alcohol (95 per cent)315	parts.
Distilled water60	parts.
Oil of wintergreen15	parts.
Essence of orange flowers15	parts.

Color with tincture of cochineal. A few drops of carbolic acid may be added to the above in the case of decayed teeth and foul breath.

When the breath is very offensive the following should be taken in addition to rinsing the mouth with the mouth wash:

Solution for the Breath.

Solution chloride soda1	ounce.
Liquor potassa1	ounce.
Phosphate soda 1/2	ounce.
Water8	ounces.

Mix and take one-half tea-spoonful in water after each meal.

When the services of a dentist are not at hand and the teeth are badly decayed and aching, the following mouth wash is recommended. It is used by holding a tea-spoonful in the mouth as long as possible and spitting out:

Spanish camomile root4 1/2	drachms.
Sal-ammoniac2 1/4	drachms.
Vinegar and lavender water, each2 1/2	fluid ounces.

Cut the camomile in pieces and rub fine with the sal-ammoniac; add the lavender water and vinegar by placing all in a glass flask and let it digest for twelve hours and filter.

The following preparation is one of the best for relieving toothache until a dentist can be consulted:

Toothache Drops.

Chloral hydrate1	drachm.
Camphor1	drachm.
Morphia sulphate2	drachms.
Oil peppermint2	drachms.

Rub the solids in a mortar until they liquefy, then add the oil of peppermint. Apply on cotton.