Your children's teeth (1945)

[Music] have you noticed how few people over 21 have really good strong white teeth and how many have decaying and dirty ones like these good teeth don't just happen they need constant care and attention from the very beginning this expectant mother is visiting an anti-natal Clinic she wants advice on how to produce a healthy baby and make sure that it will have good teeth the teeth are forming in the baby's jaw long before it is born during pregnancy the mother must give these a sound Foundation otherwise much of the Care taken of the baby's teeth after its birth will be wasted first she must keep herself healthy by eating the right kinds of food milk is the most important food of all it is rich in calcium and builds strong bones and teeth eggs cheese and butter also contain the vitamins needed for good teeth and bones fresh fruit and vegetables especially when they're raw provide the vitamins and mineral salts necessary for the Healthy Growth of the baby orange juice and card liver oil are also very important for the expectant mother many women believe it is dangerous to have dental treatment whilst they're pregnant this is entirely wrong decayed teeth should be filled or even taken out if they're too bad septic teeth poison the food the mother eats and that causes danger to the health of the mother and the child so at the beginning of pregnancy be sure to visit the dentist for a thorough examination of your mouth and teeth when the baby is born the mother should if possible feed it herself natural food is better in every way and helps to form good teeth and of course the mother must continue her careful Dart as the quality of her milk depends on it all this time the baby's teeth have been growing though they will not start to show before he's five or six months old as soon as this happens he is ready to have solid foods added to his diet when a baby is teething he likes to bite on something hard to help the teeth come through the gums and of course he'll bite anything he can get hold of a grabby toy or even his thumb so instead give him a bone or bake a light ring not a dummy a ring is far easier to keep clean and won't spoil the shape of his mouth and you will find he'll like the ring just as much harder foods such as chopped meat not minced meat should be given to a child by the time he's 2 years old and his double teeth are through chewing helps to develop his Jaws so don't hurry him if he's rather slow at his meals and by 3 years the child should be eating normal adult food this is how the teeth grow at about 2 years all the baby teeth should be in position as the child grows so do the jaws and spaces appear between the front teeth beneath the baby teeth the permanent ones are being formed and at about 6 to 7 years the four baby front teeth loosen and fall out making way for the permanent ones to come through at the same time all unnoticed the first permanent molers the double teeth appear behind the baby double teeth the baby double teeth are not replaced for some four or five years yet so take special care of them for if they are lost too soon the child will not be able to chew her food properly all this time the permanent teeth are being formed in the Jaws at about 11 to 12 years the baby eye teeth fall out and are replaced by the permanent ones and at about the same time the baby double teeth make way for the permanent premolar teeth all unnoticed again the second permanent double teeth appear at this age behind the first and lastly at 18 years or so come the wisdom teeth this is how they should have developed and with care everyone could have attractive teeth but unfortunately and mainly through neglect this seldom happens here is a girl of 17 who has lost many of her back teeth her front ones are decaying and will have to come out soon unless they are cared for immediately she cannot chew her food properly and with the food she swalls the poisonous discharge from her B teeth this makes her tired and listless the discharge from the bad teeth causes gum boils and abscesses the poisons pass into the bloodstream and are carried to every part of the body leading to poor health and often serious illness when through neglect the teeth have got as bad as these nothing can be done to save them so they'll have to come out fortunately this stage is only temporary until the gums are ready for false teeth false teeth can be quite comfortable and are far better than decayed ones but they are poor substitutes for good natural teeth and can never look so well even good teeth will Decay if they're neglected and now we'll see how a tooth decays a tooth consists of two parts the crown above the gums and the root below the crown is covered by a hard white substance called enamel beneath the enamel is the Ivory or dentine next the pulp which is the sensitive living part of the tooth from which not only the nerves but also the blood vessels are connected with the rest of the body through a little channel in the root decay is caused by food sticking to the teeth and especially in the spaces between them germs grow in the food particles and ferment them into an acid which dissolves away the enamel this process takes quite a long time and months before the hole is big enough to be noticed or cause toothache a lot of damage has been done when it reaches the dentine the Decay will spread more quickly but it is only when it reaches the nerve that severe toothache occurs this usually means the loss of the tooth decay is often caused by the highly refined food in our diet especially if it is sweet and sticky like bread and jam and biscuits food particles cling to the teeth after swallowing and even the movement of the tongue and cheeks can't shift them as it is food sticking to the teeth that causes Decay each crumb must be got rid of as soon as possible fruit or raw vegetables will do this better than anything else these are cleansing foods and everyone especially children should eat them after each meal but all the good done by this will be undone if sticky foods are eaten in between meals brushing the teeth and gums regularly is also extremely important clean them morning and night and after meals whenever it is possible the the most important time of all is last thing at night now a few points on how to clean the teeth properly don't use a hard brush it will only scratch the enamel and make the gums sore it'll last no longer than a short soft brush made of nylon this will get into the crevices far better as the bristles are more pliable use any toothpaste or powder your dentist recommends or you can buy very cheaply from your chemist an equal mixture of precipitated chalk and baking soda with some flavoring added to give it a pleasant taste roughly 6 penny worth will last you 6 months there are more ways than one of using a toothbrush brushing across the teeth like this is no good at all you can't get in between them properly if you wanted to clean in between your f fingers you wouldn't brush across them you would brush up and down like this cleaning in between thoroughly brushing up and down isn't very easy for children to do so train them to use this round and round movement it is much easier and gets in between the teeth just as well keep the teeth together all the time especially when you do the back ones in this way the cheeks are relaxed and there is plenty of room for the brush you can do the upper and lower ones at the same time use the same movement on the inside surfaces don't forget the front teeth especially the lower ones and of course the crowns of the teeth by the time they're fre children should be encouraged to brush their own teeth give them a toothbrush of their own and show them how to do it correctly soon they'll be able to do it quite well by themselves keeping the teeth clean is essential it is especially important to end the last meal at night with something cleansing a piece of apple or a tomato or even a bit of carrot brush the teeth thoroughly before going to bed so that the mouth is cleansed for the night and finally nothing more to eat whatsoever before going to to sleep in spite of all this care small holes will still occur from time to time so children should be taken regularly to visit the dentist for examination often a hole is too small to cause pain and cannot be seen or felt until it has got much larger the dentist will find it however and the filling will be far easier and more satisfactory than this large hole which has been so neglected that the tooth may have have to come out so never allow your children's teeth to get into such a state before taking them to a dentist they should see their own dentist or go to the welfare center or to the school Clinic every 6 months to have their teeth examined and Polished later when the first signs of a whole do appear they'll be so used to going to the dentist that they won't mind a small filling At All by doing things in this way your children need never be afraid of going to the dentist in order that your children shall have good teeth remember these Five Points the right building foods during pregnancy hard foods and full adult feeding by 3 years of age regular visits to the dentist every 6 months each meal and especially the last meal at night to end with fresh fruit or raw vegetables and finally nothing to eat between brushing the teeth and going to bed you can all have good teeth if you take care and it's well worthwhile because good teeth mean good health and good looks [Music] a