Health Of Baby’s Teeth Value Of Mothers Care

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 187, 21 May 1938, Page 4

Health Of Baby’s Teeth Value Of Mothers Care

fA LL parents should know the main facts with regard to the building and cfere of a child’s teeth. Well-built healthy teeth are one of the visible results of good mothercraft. There are still many parents who do not know that a baby’s first teeth are built from the mother’s blood and are fully formed in the gums before the birth of the child; that the second, or permanent, teeth begin to form under the first teeth during the sixteenth week of pregnancy; and that the crowns of the second teeth are completed and enamelled when the child is four years old, though they are still hidden in the gums at the roots of the first teeth. The health of a child’s first and second teeth depends on the health and habits of the expectant mother. The baby who is blessed with a mother who has carried out Nature's laws fer health in the care of herself and her diet, and after baby is bom, gives him the benefit of natural feeding to the age of nine months, will have the best foundation for two sets of strong, healthy teeth. The exercise and stimulation given to the jaws and gums by the process of natural feeding cannot >be replaced by bottle feeding. As well as the mother’s milk being the only food that will build a baby’s teeth in a perfect way, the action of breast feeding stimulates the flow of blood to the gums, which carries the nourishment to the growing teeth in a way that sucking from a rubber teat cannot do. ’ ;

, The exercise of natural feeding broadens a baby’s jaw, giving ample room for the teeth to develop in a normal way. : The jaw of a bottle-fed babe is usually narrow and the teeth cramped for room, i Besides giving, baby the . right; kind i of food in the right v/ay, the other ( essentials of-good mbthercraft are necesi sary for the healthy building of his ■ teeth as for all other parts of his rapidly ; growing body. These include a maximum amount of fresh air, day and night, light and sunshine in the daytime, long hours of peaceful sleep in his cot, regular habits with regard to meal times, bowel action, sleep and exercise. The next step to take in helping a babe’s teeth to build well is to give him a bone to munch from about six months onwards. It is best to associate the munching of a bone in baby’s mind with a mealtime .by giving one to him to munch about ten minutes before his meal is due.From weaning time, at nine months, and onward baby should be given a twice-baked •>. holemeal bread finger, scraped with butter, at the beginning of the 10 a.m., 2 and 6 p.m. meals. This' habit should-be continued when baby’s food ration is’ divided into three meals a day at about 16 months old. When baby has learnt how to munch a baked bread finger at about 10} months old, he should be given a whole raw apple to munch. This will develop his jaws, causing him to open his mouth

wideband increase the circulation of the blood to the gums and erupting teeth. If a piothpr 'implants the habit and encourages> the desire to munch hard food in •, her r baby’s mind from when she ceases to suckle him at nine months of age? she will ensure him against the danger of becoming used to taking all his food in a liquid or soft form, which will destroy the health of his teeth.