HEALTH OF CHILDREN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18076, 26 October 1920, Page 7

HEALTH OF CHILDREN

SOME 'FACTS ABOUT TEETH. (Published uurler the Authority of the .fc/ducataon Department.) It is the object ot this article to correct * o "' e nr orrOiieOLla OPImOUS " Pwvalont amoug't parents uoncorinng chinUon s teeth It commonly nssumod mat tlio lirst set o teem ai'u ot Utilo importance, as they are replaced later cy uie secoiia set, ana ailo tnat :t is necessary ior tnem to decay m order to nuuee room for the permanent set On the coiiuary, the lirst set are relatively moro important, xhej are in use durm« a period oi Uβ when growth is active and the constitution is being built up whbn uealthy nuuiuon and aucquute mastioat.on in a clean mouth are so esswitiaL It is more linpoiUiai to have a complete sound set of teeth duriug mis period tuan at any other.in tne ate oi tne individual. Nature's uietaoa is that &ich tooth of the hist set .gradually loses its roots, which are absorucU uy tne pressure of the permanent tooth coming'up beneath it. lue urst tooth oeing ion w.tnout a root, becomes loose' and painlessly shells orl the gum. When tuose tet-iiu av~\y eaj-iy, taoir roots not being absorbed in this way, extraction may bo necessary. It is unnatural tor the iirst teeth to aocuy. Tnat they do so is in a luigu m.asurc clue , to the e/rors of d.ct which have .been set forth in previous articles of this series. When they do decay they should receive caroiul attention trom a dejitist: A third error—and one of serious conse-quencc-ris that the four large grinder, or molar, teeth, which como througn at about six years of age, are temporary teeth, and belong to the iirst set. lliey are in consequence frequently neglected and allowed to dooay in tiio buliei tnat tlioy will soon be replaced by others. Hie first set of teeth 10 in each jaw, have all como through by tho age of two years or a little later, i these largo grinders of which we speak appear one at each side behind tho first sot in each jaw. Ihey do not displace any of the teeth of the first set. Ihcy aoine through' about the same time as tho front teeth of the first set are coming out. Thoy take tho brunt of the work of mastication, and act as buttresses or outposts in the developing jaw while tho teeth of the first set are being shed and replaced by their succesThe importance of taking every pro.caution to preserve those sixth-yoar permanent grinders cannot be overestimated.