Dentine

“ The enamel is restricted to the front of the incisor, so that in gnawing the softer dentine is worn away at the tip faster than the enamel, thus keeping the tooth sharp. There are no canine teeth. Rodents are mostly herbivorous in diet, are usually small, and have clawed digits. ”

“ The dentine tubes cither run regularly closely side by side, when the teeth have greater power of resistance; or they branch and surround cellular bodies, or even small air-vesicles, when the teeth fall an easy prey to caries. ”

“ The hard parts of teeth are principally made up of dentine, or ivory, and a very hard substance called enamel. These are variously combined in different animals. Each tooth consist of three parts, a crown, or body, projecting above the gum, one or more fangs imbedded in the jaw, and the neck, or intermediate part. In some animals one or more of the teeth are modified into tusks which project from the mouth, as in both sexes of the elephant and of the walrus, and in the male narwhal. ”

“ In adult man there are thirty-two teeth, composed largely of dentine, but the crowns are covered with enamel, and the fangs with a layer of bone called cementum. Of the eight teeth on each half of each jaw, the two in front are incisors, then come one canine, cuspid, or dog tooth, two bicuspids, or false molars, and three molars, or grinding teeth. ”

“ The incisor teeth are generally of simple structure and nearly always single rooted. In the Rodents, in the extinct Tillodontia and in Diprotodont Marsupials, they have grown large, and, as has been already stated, they increase in size continuously from the growing pulp. These teeth have a layer of enamel only on the anterior face, which keeps a sharp chisel-like edge upon them by reason of the fact that the harder enamel is worn away more slowly than the comparatively soft dentine. The {49}"horn" of the Narwhal is another modification of an incisor, as are the tusks of Elephants. ”

“ These little germs always get into places that are not kept clean, and when they get into the mouth they go to work, like so many little carpenters, with pick and drill, and pick away the [60] outer covering of the tooth and then the tooth decays, and this causes toothache.
We all want to have pretty white teeth like Ned's, do we not? When we are little we must take care of the teeth, and if they begin to decay we must have them filled or treated by the dentist. Let us look at our teeth and see who has the prettiest and the best ones. Has every one a toothbrush? We must each have one. ”

“ The brain of the hare can, by being rubbed on the gums and jaws, serve for two important purposes, since it has not only the virtue of facilitating dentition, but also of making teeth grow again to those who have lost them! The brain of a partridge applied to a carious tooth makes it fall in pieces!
The treatment of odontalgia embraces, according to Gaddesden, both general and special means of cure. To the former belong purgatives, bloodletting, scarifications of the labial and sublingual mucous membrane, leeches, the application of scarified cuppings under the chin. ”

“ A moment's reflection will show the folly of extracting teeth to make room for those out of alignment, and modern dentistry has
proved that such extraction will defeat the object for which it is undertaken, viz., the restoration of the perfect denture. A man who will extract a tooth in regulating may be foolishly clinging to the old tradition, that was spoken of just now, that the unfortunate child had inherited large teeth from one parent, and small jaws from the other. ”

“ In cases of difficult dentition, the best remedy, according to Musitano, for facilitating the eruption of the teeth consists in friction of the gums, once, or at most twice, with blood drawn fresh from the comb of a cock!249 If, however, even this remedy fails to produce the desired effect, it will then be necessary to lance the gum at the point where the tooth is to erupt, or to press it hard with the thumb, that the tooth may the easier come through. ”

“ Butter, either alone or with honey, is very useful for children; and is very helpful, especially during dentition, in the diseases of the gums, and to cure the ulcers of the mouth. To prevent the disorders that generally accompany dentition, it is a useful thing that the child should wear a wolf’s tooth, or one of the first teeth lost by a horse. ”

“ The development of the profession of dentistry has made possible the preservation of the teeth, even when naturally poor, as long as one has need of them. To preserve the teeth they must be kept clean. They should be washed at least once a day with a soft-bristled brush, and small particles of food, lodged between them, should be removed with a wooden pick. The biting of hard substances, such as nuts, should be avoided, on account of the danger of breaking the enamel, although the chewing of tough substances is considered beneficial. ”

“ The habit of caring for the teeth daily, and if possible after each
meal, should be established early in life.
Those who have neglected to do so should lose no time in consulting a
reputable dentist, and then persistently caring for their teeth day by
day. Children especially should be taught to use the tooth-brush and
some reliable dentifrice. The more pleasant the preparation the easier
it will be to teach them its daily use. A fragrant, refreshing liquid is
recommended, as it is a mouth wash as well as a tooth cleanser. ”

“ The teeth are a fruitful source of suffering and of disease; and are, with truth, styled "our first and our last plagues." Dentition is the most important period of a child's life, and is the exciting cause of many infantile diseases; during this period, therefore, he requires constant and careful watching. When we consider how the teeth elongate and enlarge in his gums, pressing on the nerves and on the surrounding parts, and thus how frequently they produce pain, irritation, and inflammation ”

“ It is plain enough that ninety per cent, of dental work might have been avoided; just as ninety per cent, of the sickness and premature death in the world is needless and could be prevented. The dentists have made the astonishing discovery that they can alter and enlarge the jaws of any child by simple means and they have found out, moreover, that the teeth themselves and their arrangement are the pattern from which the jaw takes its shape. ”

“ The front teeth are called incisors because they are used to cut the food. The back teeth are named molars because they are used in grinding the food.
Fig. 32 —Photograph of teeth not kept clean, showing how germs and a sour substance called acid eat holes in them and thus cause decay and toothache.
Toothache.—Toothache is a common ailment, and yet it can be entirely prevented. A tooth does not ache until it has a hole in it. The tender nerve within gives us warning that it is being hurt. The dentist can stop the ache and mend the tooth so that it will not ache again. ”

“ Even in our days, notwithstanding the superabundance of duly qualified doctors, there is, especially in certain countries, no small number of quacks, secretists, bone-setters, chiropodists, and the like. It is, therefore, not to be wondered at that in times when dentistry was still in its infancy there should have been persons more or less ignorant who undertook tooth drawing and the concoction and sale of specifics against odontalgia. ”

“ In other words, if you sit down to a meal after chewing gum for two or three hours, the saliva that you mix with your food will not have the normal digestive elements. One might say that the "strength" of the saliva has been lost while chewing gum.
If your teeth are decayed the offending members should be removed or the cavities filled. It is always wise to retain every tooth you can until extraction is practically compulsory. Decayed teeth should be filled promptly. As long as a tooth can be filled it should not be extracted. A good dentist should be consulted at frequent intervals. ”

“ Great care is required in compounding dentifrices and mouth-waters, and special attention must be paid to the correct selection of the material. The substances used must be chemically pure, and no caustic or sharp or grating materials, such as pumice, sand, ossa sepiæ, etc., should be employed, they destroying the enamel of the teeth.
The coloring substances used to give the dentifrices and mouth-waters a pleasing appearance should under no condition be injurious or poisonous, such as, for instance, brilliant rosa, cinnabar, aniline, chrome yellow, picric acid, etc. ”

“ The patient still persists in sitting with his mouth stretched open to its widest limit, waiting for the operation to begin, and will only close the orifice when he is well shaken and shown the tooth. The dentist gives him some yellow liquid to hold in his mouth, which the man insists on swallowing, wets a handkerchief and washes his face, roughly rubbing his nose the wrong way, and lets him go. Every step of the process is eagerly watched by the delighted spectators. ”

“ A most excellent dentifrice, which cleans and preserves the teeth, is made by mixing together two ounces of brown rappee snuff, one of powder of bark, and one ounce and a half of powder of myrrh. When the gums are inclined to shrink from the teeth, cold water should be used frequently to rinse the mouth; a little alum, dissolved in a pint of water, a tea-cup full of sherry wine, and a little tincture of myrrh or bark, will be found extremely beneficial in restoring the gums to a firm and healthy state. This receipt was given verbally by one of our first dentists. ”

“ On the slightest appearance of decay or tendency to accumulate tartar, go at once to the dentist. If a dark spot appearing under the enamel is neglected, it will eat in until the tooth is eventually destroyed. ”

“ And between the lips were teeth that had never known nor needed the dentist's care. They were white and strong and regular, he decided, as he looked at them. But as he looked, he began to be troubled. Somewhere, stored away in the recesses of his mind and vaguely remembered, was the impression that there were people who washed their teeth every day. They were the people from up above--people in her class. She must wash her teeth every day, too. What would she think if she learned that he had never washed his teeth in all the days of his life? ”

“ Let the dentist clean them and remove the tartar, if any, as commercial preparations often injure. Most dentists will save a tooth wherever possible. There is little excuse for bad teeth these days, since modern dentistry can work marvels. ”

“ Provided, that the lower jaw and the tongue and lips are strong and well developed, made so by sufficient chewing, especially from the years of two to six, in a child's life. If the child's education in chewing, however, has been neglected, the dentist can and does spread the jaw as already stated, so that it will have room enough for all the teeth. In other words, orthodontia does what nature would accomplish unaided were her simple laws of development properly observed.
A full set of teeth forms a beautiful arch, no stone of which should be missing. ”

“ I. All men's teeth are naturally in a state of total decay or caries, and, therefore, no man can bite until every one of them is extracted and a new set is inserted according to the principles of dentistry adopted by this Society.
I, for one, should want to discuss that before signing my name to it, and I should say this:—Why, no, that isn't true. There are a good many bad teeth, we all know, but a great many more good ones. You mustn't trust the dentists; they are all the time looking at the people who have bad teeth, and such as are suffering from toothache. ”

“ Decayed teeth may be filled, according to Valescus, to satisfy four different indications: To calm or prevent pain, to prevent any further spreading of the caries, to kill the worms, and to sweeten the breath. He advises that the carious cavities should be filled up with powdered nigella, pepper, myrrh, salt, and theriac; or else with pyrethrum, gum ammoniac, and opium; or else with celery seeds pulverized, opium, and hyoscyamus; or with the cast-off skin of serpents boiled in vinegar; or with gallia and cyperus. ”

“ This author condemns as harmful the use of hard substances (such as bone rings, etc.) that people are in the habit of putting into children’s hands during the period of the first dentition, in the idea that by pressing these objects between the gums, as children instinctively do, they cut their teeth more easily. As to emollients, he holds them to be completely useless, and prefers to all these remedies the use of lemon juice. ”

“ They crack or wear away the enamel of the teeth, leave the nerve exposed, and cause the teeth to decay. If you are wise, dear reader, you will never use a dentifrice, unless you know what it is made of. ”

“ Today it goes without saying that the body cannot be kept well unless the teeth are kept in condition. One of the manufacturers of tooth brushes tells us that “a clean tooth never decays.” More than half the bills of dentists could be saved if we gave the necessary attention twice a day to our teeth. Doctors tell us 33that care at night before going to bed is even more important, both for the teeth and for the body in general, than the care we give the teeth in the morning. ”

“ Health depends in a great measure upon the soundness of the teeth, and all dentists will allow that neither washes nor pastes can possibly be as efficacious for polishing the teeth and keeping them sound and white as a pure and non-gritty tooth-powder ”

“ In the third book of Aphorisms, where Hippocrates speaks of the illnesses that prevail in the various seasons of the year and in the various ages of life, mention is also made of the accidents of dentition. The twenty-fifth aphorism says: “At the time of dentition, children are subject to irritation of the gums, fevers, convulsions, diarrhea; this occurs principally at the time when the canines begin to come forth, and in children who are very fat or constipated.” ”