OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 166, 9 April 1921, Page 5

OUR BABIES

(By

"Hygcia.")

Published under »the auspices of the Koyal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” THE TEETH. Tn one of the public schools of the North Island, where the headmaster takes a great interest in the health of the children, and particularly in the state of their teeth, toothbrush drill is carried out in the most, systematic way. Each child has his or her own mug. toothbrush, etc., and- in fine weather the drill takes place out of doors. In wet weather the children are taken in squads of 10 to the lavatory basins The older boys Have already made some cupboards in Which to keen the mugs and toothbrushes, and soon the school will be fully equipped in this direction. Besides inculcating the importance of good, clean teeth and their care by daily toothbrush drill, thw teacher occasionally gives out as an exercise in composition some subject bearing on teeth. The following is. an essay on ''The Care of the Teeth, written by a girl of ten years:— ' , . , We have two sets of teeth, which arc the first and Second. The first, set have ten teeth in each jaw, and the second set have. 16 in each jaw. Our front teeth are used to bite with, but the back molars are used to grind our food with. We should clean our teeth, after every meal but more especially before going to bed. If we have bad teeth we get diseases, such b. 9 blood-poisoningr. pneumonia, diphtneriarheumatism, and many others. The germs in,our teeth get into our food and we swallow them. These germs get into our bodies, and cause us to have bad breaths and stomach-ache. Bad teeth also make our chewing difficult, and food which is not chewed or mixed with r.aliva causes indigestion and constipation. Bott teeth cause toothache, and chronic toothache makes children nervous and irritable. When a baby is born the teeth, bo*h first and second, are under the gum. Natural feeding is best for a baby', health, artherefore best for the growing teeth. If the teeth, are used when thev are growing they will never ?row strong. All children should have hard food, such , a? cruets, toast, and oatmeal cakes. A piece of apple is good to finish un a m*al with, and it also helps to clean the teeth. Unclean teeth .lead to deea-v* and we must not eat biscuits or sweets between meals. When ve clean our topfh wo should “brush well round the surface and on the gums. and especially round the molars. We should always tvatch for signs of decay, and if possible get the dentist to look at our teeth about once a month.’ A child with pood, teeth will always have pood health, but a child with bad teeth will have poor health and aaore mouth. A clean mouth ’better than a clean face. JVhen we have _bad teeth we are swallowfn? poison. If a tooth decays pet it treated at once. Money thus «>nent on teeth will be spent well, for !t will save doctors’ hills. MEMO. BY "HYGEIA."

The feeling uppermost in one’s mind when one reads and sees the amount of thought, training? and daily work that la being expended on the . feeble teeth of ns moderns is the longing to brin'* about sound health and fitness of mother and child, to', replace poor health, and weakness and decay of the teetn. If children were well-born and properly reared, and if the mothers lived in the best way for themselves and their progeny throughout pregnancy and for the first nine months of the babies* lives, sound, permanent foundations would bo laid fo* the rest of life. If thenceforward until the child wai se.ven years of age due care was taken to ensure proper daily habits in regard to air. food, exercise, etc., the toothbrush would not be absolutely necessary, although it might still be used as an item of the daily toilet. Of course, there is no ground for supposing that modern women have so far degenerated as to be unable to start their children in life with sound, healthy teeth, which would have no tendency to decay even if the toothbrush were used. However, we are far from the millennium. and meantime we must insist upon children brushing their teeth properly every day. and see that they do it i” the right way. All credit should be given to those school teachers who are taking this matter un in earnest and devoting attention to winning the children to take prooer care of their teeth.