Page 234 - My FlipBook

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Mrs. M , a respectable lady, living in Tenth-street,
Philadelphia, sent her son, a child between five and six years
old, to me, that I might cure a very unpleasant state of his
gums and teeth. Upon examination, I found that the under
front incisores of the infant teeth were shed, and had been
succeeded by the permanent ones ; that the deciduous up-
per incisor teeth were very loose, and the under lateral in-
cisores also, and the gums around these loose teeth, were
greatly inflamed and swollen, and were in the worst state of
suppuration that I had ever seen in any case, and all the teeth
and gums were in the most offensive state. I immediately
extracted all the loose teeth, very carefully cleaned the re-
maining, and freely scarified the gums, and gave the person
who came with him a bottle of the oak decoction, with di-
rections to use a soft brush freely over his gums with the de-
coction, and to observe the most perfect cleanliness ; and
also that if any relapse of his disease appeared, to let me
see him again, and as I have not heard from him, I conclude
he is well.
In conclusion, I must say, that the most assiduous atten-
tion is necessary on the part of the patient, to the state of
his teeth and gums. The former ought to be kept perfectly
clean, and for this purpose he should have tooth brushes, so
as to clean the teeth, both on the inside and out. He may
use tooth-picks made of ivory or horn, or something of that
kind ; (one made from a common quill may answer very
well—metalic tooth-picks should never be used ;) and with
these he may remove any matter between his teeth which
the brush might chance to leave. All irritating dentifrices
should be avoided, and those composed of some astringent
and tonic, combining some mild ingredient which shall act
mechanically, in conjunction with the other means to remove
all foreign matter from the teeth. By these means he will