GIVE BABY GOOD TEETH

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 3, Issue 2, 1 August 1924, Page 45

GIVE BABY GOOD TEETH

■yuE future of baby’s teeth depends almost entirely upon the mother. Seven whole months before he is born the work of teeth-forming is going on, and a healthy mother-to-be means that this teeth-forming process goes on in the best possible circumstances. If baby must be bottle-fed, see to it that the rubber teat is satisfactory. He must work for his food, so that the milk must not drip through without any effort on the child’s part. These teats deteriorate very quickly, and should be watched carefully for this reason. The milk should drop at the rate of one drop a second if the bottle is held upside down. The inside of a baby’s mouth does not need any attention in the way of cleansing till he has at least six teeth. This is contrary to advice very often given, but it is proved beyond doubt that swabbing out the mouth of a young child very often injures the delicate lining. Leave baby’s mouth alone till it is time to start cleaning the teeth. The first brush should be of the special small and soft variety sold for infants. But the bristles should not be flat-edged they should have the same kind of saw-like finish as the best kind of adult brush, and also the curved handle with a hole in it that enables the brush to be hung up to dry. Great care should be taken not to hurt the delicate gums, and baby should not he allowed to suck the brush and swallow the water from it.