Our Babies

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 12 October 1917, Page 4

Our Babies

(By Hygeia). Published under the auspices of tue Society for the Health of Women and Children.

"It jb wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

Crookedness of Teeth

"Mother of Three" writes from Canterbury as follows: "I am in great distress about my little girl's teeth, and wondered if you could, through the medium of the Baby Column, give me any advice tbat would help to relieve my anxiety. "My elder girl is six years old, and about two months ago shed her two bottom leeth: I can just ses the sawlike tops of thfl new ones peeping through, and one looks as if it will be behind tha other, or in in oblique direction. Her first teeth are so splendid and even tbat I'm really worrying about the crookedness of her new ones. "I should like to know; — (1) If I had pulled the first teeth out when loose, instead of practically allowing them to drop out, would it Lave made any difference to the newcomers? (2) Is there anything that one can do now to remedy the detect? "I may say that my girl is strong and healthy, and two months ago weighed 3st BJ)b, while her height is just off 4ft. She was breast-fed for three months (never had a dummy), then had humanised milk with plenty of hard crusts, etc.—in fact, was brought upon the lines of the Plunket Baby Book. "I have always studied children's health in every possible way, and so fail to understand the reason of the crooked teeth. Windows are open day and night, and the children are out in all weathers, and then they complain tbat they don't get enough ffesh air.

"Two younger children also have splendid sets of teeib, and I'm now wondering if their second teeth will come crooked like their sister'i." Keplv. My feeling ig that this mother ought to be heartily congratulated on having done so well. There is not the slightest ground for her fear thai the permanent teeth of the two younger children will come through irregularly or obliquely because this happens to be occurring in the case of some of the front teeth of the oldest child. Under the feeding conditions of modern civilisation the jaw» tend not to be big enough for the second set of teeth when they are pushing their way up to replace the smaller milk teeth. It is quite natural that the mother should form the idea that the milk teeth offer an obstruction to the permanent teeth; but this is not usua ly the case. A very beautiful provision of Nature is to be seen in the way in which the roots of the milk teeth are dissolved aud absorbed until practically nothing but the crown of the tooth remains. This is why the natural shedding of the milk teeth is almost entirely painless. An open passage is left for the a vancing permanent tooth by the root of the milk took melting away and being absorbed into the blood stream.

The milk teeth ought not to offer any obstruction to the coming through of the permanent teeth, but they may do so, and where there is any doubt it is best to consult a dentist. On the other hand, the permanent teeth very often jostle one another in their rival efforts to secure their places in jaws which are not big enough to hold them without over-lapping, or in extreme cases double-banking. Where a tooth is thrown completely out of the line end there are enough teeth to fill the jaw without it, it is sometimes necessary to removo the jostlel tooth as superfluous; but such a decision should never be hastily arrived at. being always a matter for careful consideration by a tirst-rate dentist. Extract From the Society's Book. I would strongly adviße the mother to read carefully what is said on pages 135 to 138 of the Society's Book (Feeding and Care of Baby) as to the development of the jaws and the proper eruption and placing or the teeth; and I may here quote the following passage :

Dr Angle (the great American dental

authority) is strongly opposed to "pullt iog out teeth to make room," if avoid-

able. He shows how jaws which had failed to develop properly have been made to grow in a marvellous way by coaxing or forcing the jostled teeth in- ! to the "working ■line."

The way to make jaws which are net large enough grow sufficiently is to give through .the teeth, enough work to da—the stimulus of extra work inducing increased blood supply and extra growth of bone. In infancy the mother has the golden opportunity for building model jaws, by giving the child bones to munch and gnaw, and dry, hard, or tough food to eat. Even the jaws of lads entering ihe Navy used to become bigger ai the result of having "hard tack" (ship's biscuits, etc.) to work on. I have seen a small boy quite toothless owing to starchy | foods, little fat or flesh-formers, and no hard food.

No Need for Anxiety,

Our correspondent is a little disap- ! pointed because, in spite of all the care she has taken, the second teeth are not as regular as they should be. This may be merely accidental, and may not be due to any lack of room, in which case the teeth would be very readily got into proper position with a littl > assistance from the dentist; but considerable time will be required if there is any decided deficiency in the size of the jaws. The natural question the mother would ask isWherein have I failed

in regard to this matter—whst more could I have done? The only thing I can suggest is that under the most ideal conditions for the full growth of mouth and jaws during infancy the baby would be suckled for full nine months, instead of three months. Breast-feeding always entails much more work for the mouth and surrounding parts than the best of bottle-feed-ing, and extra work means increased blood supply, and consequently more vigorous growth of all the parts involved.

In the present case, to make up for lost time, the best course to pursue is to get the child to do as much work as possible in the way of chewing and thorough mastication of food which requires active work done on it before it is swallowed. >We realise, from what the mother says, that ib« has been pursuing the right course in this connection, and all one can suggest is patience and perseverance. The worst course to pursue would be to resort to pip.feeding. The making of both the ivory and tne enamel of the permanent teeth is effected mainly in the first three years of life, so our correspondent need not doubt her powers to ensure a sound and perfect set of teeth.

These matters are folly discussed in all their bearing in the Society's Book, and the mother shoaid certainly read the section headed "Far-reaching Effects of Masticating Exercise," pages 146 to 148.

I think it may prove encouraging to the mother ib mention a case in my own experience in which the front teeth showed the tendency she mentions — there was decided obliquity. However, in the course of only a fortnight the dentist, by a simple mechanical contrivance which gave the child very little discomfort, set everything right, and the child now has quite ideal jaws and leetb. As we have indicated, the little girl should be taken at once to a firstrate dentist. I think he would confirm all i have said.