Camphorated And Carbolated Powders.
Carbolated tooth powder may likewise be made with the first formula by substituting 2 drachms of liquefied carbolic acid for the oil of wintergreen. But the tooth powder gradually loses the odor and taste of the acid. It is not of much utility anyway, as the castile soap in the powder is of far greater antiseptic power than the small amount of carbolic acid that can safely be combined in a tooth powder. Soap is one of the best antiseptics.
Alkaline salts, borax, sodium bicarbonate, etc., are superfluous in a powder already containing soap. The only useful purpose they might serve is to correct acidity of the mouth, and that end can be reached much better by rinsing the mouth with a solution of sodium bicarbonate. Acids have no place in tooth powders, the French Codex to the contrary notwithstanding.
Peppermint As A Flavor.
English apothecaries use sugar of milk and heavy calcined magnesia in many of their tooth powders. Neither has any particular virtue as a tooth cleanser, but both are harmless. Cane sugar is preferable to milk sugar as a sweetener, and saccharine is more efficient, though objected to by some; it should be used in the proportion of 2 to 5 grains to the pound of powder, and great care taken to have it thoroughly distributed throughout.
An antiseptic tooth powder, containing the antiseptic ingredients of listerine, is popular in some localities.
| IV.— | Precipitated chalk | 1 pound |
|---|---|---|
| Castile soap | 5 drachms | |
| Borax | 3 drachms | |
| Thymol | 20 grains | |
| Menthol | 20 grains | |
| Eucalyptol | 20 grains | |
| Oil of wintergreen | 20 grains | |
| Alcohol | 1/2 ounce |
Dissolve the thymol and oils in the alcohol, and triturate with the chalk, and proceed as in the first formula. {253}
One fault with this powder is the disagreeable taste of the thymol. This may be omitted and the oil of wintergreen increased to the improvement of the taste, but with some loss of antiseptic power.