OUR BABIES.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14758, 30 August 1913, Page 16

OUR BABIES.

(By Hyp-sia.) f'Weekly Pres* and Referee.") DECAYED TEETH. The following enquiry was received & short time ago from a country towuehip. As the care of our children's teeth is a matter of the first imports ance, we feel suro that ''Inquirer's" letter and Dr. Pickeriii's reply will be read with interest:—

Dear "Hygeia,"—l wish to ask your advico about a little girl's teeth. Sh* is nearly six, and some of her lower iuol:irs are badly decayed, two being mere shells. Should those decayed teeth be extracted ? Wβ might have had this done, but

wore told her permanent teeth would then come through prematurely, and would not therefore bo to durable. In her upper jaw her second teeth aro very irregular, the two trout ones being very broad, but those adjoining quite small.—l am. etc., INQUIRER. This question was submitted to tho leading authority in the Dominion— namely. Dr. Pickorill, Professor of Dentistry at tho Otago University, who, as our honorary dental surgeon. has always given every encouragement and aoNi>ianco to the' Society. The following is his reply:— DR. PICKERILL'S REPLY. I am always very glad to bo of any use to you and your work. As regards the questions you ask, it ii very diiiieuk to lav dewn any hard-and-fast rules. It all depends upon whether sepsis is present or not. and whether tho latter is amenable to treatment. But in all cases of of carious deciduous teeth something iuu--it bo done. It must uot bo allowed (as is often the case) to slide. The teeth should be filled if possible, and if not they should be extracted. Two or three years of septic absorption may far outweigh in evil effects any deformity which may result from too early extraction. I am having typed extracts on the subject from my latest book on "Stomatology. '■' which explain tho position, I think; if not, please let nib know. EXTRACTS FROM "STOMATOLOGY." Tlio necessity of children masticating food which rcciuires tlio exercise of somo force should bo pointed out, and if necessary suitable diets arranged for particular cases. Great caro should bo taken of tho deciduous tooth, that these do not become so diseased as to necessitate their extraction before the right age. Should they, however, become hopelessly septic, they must be extracted, since tho risk of septic absorption for, perhaps, a year or two far outwoigns tho evil effect of crowding the permanent teeth. Deciduous teeth retained beyond tlio normal age should bo extracted if thero is any eign of tho presence of tho permanent tooth—usually to bo detected as a bulging of tlio bone upon palpation immediately below the deciduous tooth. Sometimes a difficulty may arise in deciding whether a particular tooth is a deciduous or permanent 0110. This may bo determined by drawing a fine-pointed probe over tho termination of the enamel at the cervix. In deciduous teeth it terminates in a distinct ridge; in permanent teeth its termination is not noticeable. A deciduous tooth should not, howover, bo extracted if passible before tho ago at which its permanent successor should erupt, and should not bo allowed to remain much after this period without duo reason. It is therefore eminently necessary to remember the numbers which represent tho ages at which the respective deciduous teeth should bo lost physiologically:— *7 central. 8 lateral 10 first deciduous molars. II canine. 11 second deciduous molars.