Ki?/ ■ '' »:»- ■’•' r-' ■''•-• ^ - JfeYv»\\<5» a.n4. ho ^ W'V"" , t:¥>J:?K-.rl>;s.' '.-t-V ^.r*v-'. -.?. -.-T „-•• • v.- ! . '* + ^r: rl ii' ..i'- ;• ;;f>; ; ; ■ '-^Js'- ■k •'' •• yr .' v " •VK" ' Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. A charge is made on all overdue books. u j Library hA't 15 134 1 It JRH ii-. MAR ? 0 ptrr ’0 iiaBffliKmnt(i)]KifiM INTROD UC TOR Y Decay of the teeth, defects in the nose, throat and ears, were not always as common as they are to-day. Of every thousand children examined, more than half of them will he found to have one or more decayed teeth, and a large number will have adenoids, large tonsils and defective hearing. Few men and women have perfect teeth, unobstructed noses and throats and sharp hearing. We do not know just why or just when these defects in the teeth, nose, throat and ears began to appear; they probably came when man left the coarse food, pure air and freer life of the fields to dwell in cities. No one can tell us whether the children of old sufiered from adenoids and large tonsils, but we do know that in Egypt, more than four thousand years ago, decay of the teeth was as rare as decay of the bones. T 0 help in the work for better teeth, to instruct patents and others in the care of children's teeth as well as their own, to insure children against the diseases that frequently come to them because of adenoids and large tonsils, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company presents this booklet to its policy-holders and to the public. Copyright, 1912 By Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. Teeth— Tonsils— Adenoids By GEORGE W. GOLER, M. D. Health OfiScer, Rochester, N. Y. THE TEETH The Baby’s Teeth. — If you look at the baby’s jaw before it has any teeth, you will see that its gums are pink and thin. Look again when the baby is five or six months old, or perhaps a month or two older. Just where the two lower front teeth are to come in you will see that the gum just over the tooth is swelling a little. In a few days the top part of the gum over the tooth will grow soft and let the tooth come through. Baby now has a tooth. Soon it will have another tooth right alongside of the first one. In this way all of the first teeth will come through the baby’s jaw about the time shown in the table. ERUPTION OF TEETH First or Temporary Teeth The lower teeth usually come in two or three months before the upper teeth. Front teeth 5 to 9 months Side teeth and first chewing teeth or molars .... 12 to 18 months Eye or cuspid teeth 16 to 20 months S^ond chewing teeth or molars 20 to 24 months Second or Permanent Teeth First chewing teeth or molars 5 to 6 years Two middle front teeth 6 to 8 years Two side front teeth 7 to 9 years First bicuspids 9 to 10 years Eye teeth 11 to 12 years S^ond molars 12 to 13 years Third molars, or wisdom teeth 7 to 21 years The Outside of a Tooth. — This is how a tooth looks when cut in two : The white part of a tooth that you see in the mouth is the crown. The crown is connected by a neck to a root, which holds the tooth firmly in the jaw. The neck of the tooth is just below the gum and is narrpwer 2 teeth— TONSILS— ADENOIDS than the crown. The tooth very hard, like ivory. The Tooth Cut in Two Lengthwise. is made of dentine and is dentine is covered on the outside by harder enamel, thicker on the biting edge where the tooth gets the most wear. Inside of a Tooth. — Inside of the tooth there is a hollow space for blood vessels and nerves, which enter the tooth from the end of the root. Toothache.— When you get toothache, something has made your tooth decay. It is this which causes the ache. What Makes Teeth Decay. — Two things make teeth decay. First, sickness in childhood, like scarlet fever, diphtheria, measles, whooping-cough and other diseases. Such diseases make the teeth decay by weakening the body and softening the teeth. Second, when the teeth are not kept clean and smooth they get rough and dirty. Food gets into the rough and dirty parts of the teeth or in between the teeth, where it ferments, forms acid and injures the enamel. What Happens if the Teeth are Not Cared For. — Should food collect on the teeth or between them, the acid that is formed works through the enamel and into the ivory. Sometimes this happens on the crown of the tooth; sometimes on the neck of the tooth under the gum; Decay Beginning in the Teeth, teeth— TONSILS— ADENOIDS 3 sometimes down near the root of the tooth. A dark spot begins to show; the tooth decays, and a little hole is made in the enamel or dentine. Food and then germs from the mouth get into the little hole in the tooth and the hole gets bigger and bigger. Then toothache begins, because the nerves in the tooth are being irritated by the fermenting food, the acid and the germs. What Toothache Means. — The tooth is trying to tell that it has not been given the right kind of care. If pain in the tooth is not heeded the hole grows larger, the pain gets harder, the tooth bleeds, air gets into the hole in the tooth and makes the pain worse by irritating the nerves in the tooth, a gum-boil may form and the tooth may die. Holes in Six-year Molars. What Happens Because of Toothache. — Pain, loss of sleep, loss of temper, loss of work, indigestion, bad breath, are the results of toothache. How to Prevent Toothache. — Keep your child strong- and well. Don’t let it catch children’s diseases. Don’t neg- lect your child’s teeth. Take care of your own teeth too. Follow the directions in this booklet. Look at the table on page 1. Has the child all of the teeth for its age? If not, ask a good dentist why not. Six-year Molars. Count yOUr child’s teeth. Be careful to see that the child at six years of age has its six-year molars. 4 TEETH— TONSILS— ADENOIDS Keep All of the Teeth in the Jaw. — The six-year molars are the first of the second set of teeth They are four in number, two in each jaw. Took at the picture and see what happens to the child if it loses even one of these four teeth. See if there are any holes in these teeth. Have the teeth plenty of room in the jaw? See What Happens to the Teeth When the Six-year Molar IS Pulled Out. that they are not crowded; that they do not overlap one another. Are they in line in the arch or curve of the jaw? Are the teeth clean? Does your child chew its food well before it swallows it? Chewing food will help to make good, strong jaws and strong, beautiful teeth. Teeth in Line in the Arch oe Jaw. Before Going to Dentist. After Going to Dentist . teeth— TONSILS— ADENOIDS 5 What to Do if the Teeth are Irregular and Decayed. — Save the teeth. Every tooth pulled out causes more wear and work to be put on the other teeth. Never pull a tooth if you can help it. Save it. Just as soon as you have read this booklet, look at the teeth of every member of your family. Look at them with a small looking- glass that you can put in the mouth. Wash the looking- glass in soap and water after using it upon each person. If there are holes in the teeth or they need cleaning, go to a dentist — go to the best dentist you can find. Do not go to an advertising dentist or doctor. First and Second Teeth. — A child has a first set of teeth to prepare the way for a second set. The first set makes a kind of scaffold to keep the jaw wide apart, so that when the jaw grows there will be room enough for the bigger set of theth Thhough-seco™ teeth. Coming Through. Good Teeth are Jewels. — This second and last set of teeth are worth more to the child than much gold or many jewels; they are its pearls. Treasure them like the jewels they are. You can’t always put much money in the savings bank for your child; but you can save all of its teeth, and they are worth more to it than much money. Good teeth will help to keep the child well, and health is far better than wealth. Child’s Upper Jaw. 6 teeth— TONSILS— ADENOIDS Temporary Filling. — If there is a spot or hole in ohe of the teeth, give it the best treatment you can. Even though you have not much money, go to the best dentist — the best is the cheapest in the end. If you have not much money, ask the dentist to put in a temporary filling of cement or amalgam, which looks like silver. This cement or amalgam filling will keep the tooth from decaying for some time. Then, as soon as you can, get a gold filling or porcelain inlay; even though it costs much money, have the better filling put in the tooth. When the Teeth are Irregu- lar. — Ask the best dentist what to do. Begin with the child as early as possible. The earlier you begin the easier it will be to straighten the teeth. Straight Teeth. — Even if you are grown up you can have crooked teeth straightened. The dentist will tell you how. The jaw and face may have been stunted, the Jaw with Crowded and Irregular Teeth . Round Jaw. Hatchet Jaw. body weakened; but still the teeth can be straightened and the whole appearance of the face changed for the better and the health improved. The Baby’s Teeth. — Just as soon as the teeth come, wipe them night and morning with a soft cloth wet in water just salty to the taste. TEETH— TONSILS— ADENOIDS 7 A Baby’s Tooth-brush. — Get a baby tooth-brush and brush the baby’s teeth; brush them front and back. Remember that the back of the teeth ought to have just as much attention as the front. Brush the teeth up and down, even more than across, so that the tooth- brush may get in between the teeth. Get a looking- glass, as near like the den- ^ upper jaw. tist’s looking-glass as you can, lay it back of the teeth. Hold a looking-glass in front of your face and see if the back of the teeth is just as clean as the front. Watch the teeth. Once a week look at the jewels you are saving for the baby. See that no spot comes upon them, no holes come in them. Just be- cause they are so fine and beautiful, do not neglect to care for them. Beau- tiful jewels receive great care; so should the pearls in the mouths of your children. N Time Baby’s Tooth-brush. Chew Food and Have Strong Teeth. — The teeth and jaws will not be strong and well unless you teach the child to chew its food. How to Brush the Teeth. — Even the savage brushed his teeth with a stick for a tooth-brush. Brush the teeth. Brush them carefully. Spend at least a minute in brushing them — when you get up in the morning when you go to bed at night. Divide up the minute, and be sure and give at least part of it to the back of all of the teeth, especially 8 teeth— TONSILS— ADENOIDS the lower ones that lie just behind the tip of the tongue. If you want to preserve your teeth very well, and wish to keep from wearing “false” teeth, brush them after meals also. Get a brush, neither too soft nor too hard, dip it in salt and water, or use some good tooth powder. Don’t spend all of the minute in brush- ing just across the teeth, but give the brush a little quarter turn, so that the bristles will get in between the teeth. Brush from the gums toward the biting edge of the teeth. Wash the tooth-brush after using it and hang it up to dry. Rinse Out Your Mouth. — After brushing yoiir teeth be careful to rinse yoiu* mouth well with plenty of pure water. Take a swallow of water, and with your teeth closed force it back and forth between the teeth; spit out the water. If the Gums Bleed. — If you find that on brushing the teeth the gums bleed, go straight to a dentist, because you are having the beginning of a disease that will cause your teeth to fall out. How to Clean the Spaces Between the Teeth. — A tooth-brush and powder alone are not enough to clean the teeth. You must have either dental floss or a small rubber band. Night and morning, but at least every night, pass a piece of dental floss between the teeth to get out all the food that has lodged there. It is the By permission Dr. M. H, Fletcher, Cincinnatii TEETH— TONSILS— ADENOIDS 9 decaying tooth or the fermenting food between the teeth that makes the breath smell badly. Dental Floss. — Dental floss is a coarse silk thread made espe- cially for use in cleaning between the teeth. Use it gently so as not to bruise or injure the gums. Rubber Bands Cheaper, But Not as Good. — If you cannot get dental floss use a small rubber band, such as the druggists put around small packages. Stretch the rubber band and pull it gently between the teeth. Be careful not to pull it down hard on the gum so as to make it bleed or brushing between the Teeth. hurt it. Tartar on the Teeth. — Look at the back part of the lower front teeth — those which lie against the tip of the tongue — you may see a dark substance, known as tartar, upon the teeth. If you clean the teeth and use dental floss or a rubber band between the teeth, you will do much to prevent this collection of tartar, and you will do much to prevent your teeth from decaying. If pos- sible, go to a dentist at least twice a year, and have your teeth cleaned. The dentist will scrape the tartar off the crowns and around the necks of the teeth. Prevent the Teeth from Decaying and Getting Loose. — By cleaning the tartar off the teeth the dentist will prevent your teeth from getting loose, especially if you join with him and keep your teeth clean by daily brush- ing and by the use of dental floss or the elastic band. Such care of the teeth will prevent them from falling out; will prevent the oncoming of “Riggs Disease,” 10 TEETH— TONSILS— ADENOIDS which makes the teeth loose — the looseness usually begin- Keep Your Own Teeth Until You Are Old. — This is the care you are to give the teetn of your child and your own teeth. You should remember that clean teeth and a beauti- ful, clean mouth, will do much to make you friends, and help you and your child to get on in the world. The care of your teeth will preserve you from toothache until a ripe old age. It will prevent the wearing of “false” teeth; it will help your digestion ; it will help you to be well, to be success- ning in the two lower front teeth. Riggs Disease. Before Going to Dentist. After Going to Dentist ful in your business. Such care of the teeth will enable you to wear the beautiful white crowns of your own teeth, and not the gold crowns of the dentist. Gold crowns are going out of fashion; but the white crowns of beautiful teeth— TONSILS— ADENOIDS Jl teeth firmly fixed in healthy gums in a setting of red lips will never go out of fashion. Tooth-powder. — It is not necessary to use tooth- powder. Water made salty to the taste is good en<^'t\gh, or plain precipitated chalk and water will answer. If you want a tooth-powder, go to a druggist and get it in quan- tity. There is no tooth-powder nor any tooth-brush that will do your teeth good if you let the powder remain in the bottle and the tooth-brush hang on a nail. If you want a good tooth-powder, buy the following articles and mix them according to directions. How to Make Tooth-powder: Powdered chalk 1 lb. (costs about 20c.) “ Castile soap 3 oz. ( “ “ 10c.) “ sugar 2 oz. ( “ Ic.) “ orris root 2 oz. ( “ “ 10c.) Take all of these substances and mix them together on a large sheet of paper, stirring them about with a table knife, and holding up first one side of the paper, then the other, until all the powder is thoroughly mixed. Then put it through a flour sieve. You will thus be able to make a poimd and a half of tooth-powder for about forty cents. 12 teeth— TONSILS— ADENOIDS TONSILS—ADENOIDS Adenoids and Large Tonsils, — When your child is two years old, and the teeth have all come in, look at its nose. Look at Your Child’s Nose. — Does its nose run? Is its nose sore? Does it snuffle much? Does it have fever sores or eczema around its nose and mouth ? Are the eyes red? Is it dull? Does it stand and look at you with its mouth open? Does it put its hand to its head as if it had earache? Does your child sleep with its .mouth open? Does it snore? Mouth Breathers. — If your child does any of these things it is a mouth breather. Take it to your doctor A FouR-YEAK-OLn Boy Whose Face is De- formed EY Mouth Breathing. The Same Boy at Five Years, After One Year’s Treatment and ask him ii it has adenoids or large tonsils. Mouth breathing in children is nearly always caused by adenoids. Axdenoids should always be removed. Where Adenoids Grow, — Adenoids grow from the baci. part of the throat where the nose and throat join. Adenoids are shaped like a little head of cauli- TEETH— TONSILS— ADENOIDS 13 flower, colored red. They hang from the back part of the nose and stop it up and make the child breathe through its mouth. Breathing Through the Mouth Not the Right Way. — When air is taken through the mouth much dust and many more germs are taken into the body than when air is taken through the nose. Adenoids and Earache. — Children with adenoids often have earache. Notice if your child complains of earache. Whether a little matter does not come from his ear. Does he hear well? Don’t always blame him if he is slow — perhaps he is deaf. Ear- ache often means that the child has adenoids. Adenoids should be removed. Earache always means that the child is in danger of getting deaf. Earache always means that the child is in danger of getting a running ear. A run- ning ear is always dangerous, for the child. may get brain fever from it. A running ear should always be treated by an ear doctor; it will not get well without good care. It may make the child deaf. Large Tonsils. — Have the child open its mouth, press its tongue down with the handle of a spoon and see if the tonsils stick out into the throat, especially when you press with the finger on the outside of the jaw two inches below the ear, just where the jaw begins to turn forward. Look at its nose and see if one nostril is not smaller than the other. Is your child’s nose stuffed up? Teach the child to blow its nose, one side at a time. Is the child’s upper lip short? When it sleeps, is the upper lip pulled back so as to show the front teeth? See Tonsils and Adenoids. 14 TEETH— TONSILS— ADENOIDS if there are not {some little lumps in the neck, just back of the ear. These are enlarged glands. They always mean that there is some poison or irritation in the nose, throat, ears or teeth, which should be removed at once if you wish to keep the rest of the body well. Adenoids and large tonsils stop up the nose and throat so the child cannot breathe or smell properly; they cause the glands to enlarge from overwork. Adenoids and Large Tonsils Cause Rheumatism and Heart Disease. — Large tonsils and adenoids hold poison- ous germs which may be carried by the blood to the heart and cause heart disease; or to the joints and cause rheumatism. The germs in the tonsils and adenoids are also carried to other parts of the body and cause other sicknesses. They may prevent the body from growing, and prevent the face and jaws from growing, so that many children with adenoids and large tonsils have poor, little bodies, and faces which look like babies’ faces. It is Hard for Children with Adenoids to Learn. — Children with adenoids do not feel well. They are often scolded for being slow in learning their lessons when they cannot see or hear properly. They cannot smell because their noses are stuffed up. They are sometimes suffering from pains in the joints; from beginning heart disease or from enlarged glands. They are unable to learn or work, because their bodies are being slowly poisoned by the germs in the large tonsils and adenoids and the germs about decayed or dirty teeth. The germs from dirty teeth, adenoids and diseased tonsils are carried into the stomach^with food and drink and may also be carried to the lungs, and may cause stomach, bowel or lung diseases. Easier for a Child with Large Tonsils and Adenoids to “Catch” Diseases. — A child with crooked, decayed teeth— TONSILS— ADENOIDS 15 teeth and diseased tonsils and adenoids has a much greater chance of getting diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles and whooping-cough. When such a child gets any of these diseases, it has the disease a great deal harder than a child which has had its tonsils and adenoids taken out. Large tonsils and ade- noids make good places for disease germs to grow in, and, therefore, a sick child does not get well of the disease as soon as a healthy child. The sick child with large tonsils and adenoids has much more catarrh in the nose and throat than a healthy child. The glands in the neck and in other parts of the body have to enlarge to help to carry off the poison when the disease is severe. If your child is sick be very careful to see that its mouth is kept clean so that danger- ous germs may not be carried into the body. How to Tell When a Child Has Adenoids and Large Tonsils. — If the child takes cold easily and has sore throat often, or if it complains of earache; or if it is hard for it to breathe through its nose, the tonsils and adenoids should be taken out at once — no matter what the child’s age. Don’t wait, thinking they will get better. It is dangerous ! For the child may lose its hearing in twenty- four hours and never get it back. The Best Time to Have Them Removed. — Tonsils and adenoids can be removed at any time of the year — the 16 teeth— TONSILS— ADENOIDS child will not “catch cold.” Most of the harm done by tonsils and adenoids is done during the first six or eight years of the child’s life. Be very watchful for the danger signals — mouth breathing and earache. Teeth, Tonsils and Adenoids, and the Growth of the Face and Body. — ^When a child is bom it usually weighs seven to eight pounds and measures about one and one- half feet in length. At one year of age it should weigh at least 18 to 20 poimds, nearly three times as much as it did at birth, and measure 28 to 30 inches; nearly twice as much as at birth. At 5 years of age a boy or girl should weigh about 40 pounds and be at least 40 inches high. Before a child is one year old it should have two lower front teeth and two upper front teeth ; before it is two years old, it should have all of its first teeth. Now is the time to watch your baby grow. When it is a baby weigh it every week. When it gets to be two years old weigh it every month. Every time you weigh the baby look at its teeth; see that no spot comes on them ; no holes in them. See that the eyes are not red. Be sure the ears are not mnning, even a very Httle. Be sure that your child has neither adenoids nor large tonsils. If your child weighs enough and measures enough for its age; if its teeth are clean; if it chews its food well and has a good appetite; if it breathes through its nose; if it hears well and its ears have never “mn,“ then you may be sure you have a good, healthy child. Take care of the child’s health and teach it to take care of its health all through life. 9 m \ 9 The Light That Never Fails