Page 13 - TheOperatorfortheTeeth

what reason and experience have taught me concerning the same; proceeding thus, In the first place, I would advise such as may be concerned in this affair, to take a special care in observing when the child’s teeth begin to trouble him: which (besides his forwardness, and excessive crying) may be known by his Salivation or Drivelling (as nurses are wont to style it,) and the inflammation, and swelling of his gums; and as soon as you perceive it to be so, you are to wash his mouth now and then with the following mixture: Take seven or eight as new Figs as you can get, and boil them in a pint or more of whey, till they grow very soft, and then squeeze the whey and as much of the substance of the figs as you can through a cloth; of which liquor take half a pint, of Honey of Roses, and syrup of violets of each half an ounce, and three or four spoonfuls of plantain-water: mix it all together and keep it closed in a bottle. The best way to use it, is with a stick of liquorish beaten at one end into small thread like a comb brush, or little broom, with which being dipped in some of the said liquor, you shall wash and rub the child’s gums, (especially where they are tumified,) at least five or six times a day, continuing so to do, till you perceive the gums to grow white above the tooth: (which is a sign of great pain in that part, and that the young tooth will in a little time break through the gums) and then take a lancet, or a very sharp pen-knife, and divide the white place, cutting it down to the head of the subjacent tooth, with two incisions crossing one another, at the centre of the white spot; continuing to use the mixture as is above said, till the tooth appears above the gums: observing to use the same method at the coming out of every tooth, which you may know by the foregoing tokens. Now the teeth being all come out, (except only such as remain latent within the jaw, till about the two and twentieth year of ones age) they keep firm and strong till the child is a matter of six or seven years old: and then most of them grow loose, and a while after are cast clear out: the treble teeth never change, the quadruples very rarely, but the Incisors, the Dog Teeth, and the double ones always do; sometimes whole, (and then the second teeth, or those that are to succeed them are a long time before they grow up again;) but most commonly their head only comes off, the other part remaining still for the making up of the next tooth; like unto the first production of a vegetable seed, or tender sprig of a young plant; for as the upper part of this being withered in the winter following, by the rigorous cold of that season, drops off in the next spring: (by reason that its texture being yet loose, and less firm, the pores or sap carrying vessels are over much dilated, by the great affluence of the nutritive juice: and so give admittance to some indigested, and grosser particles than is convenient for the nourishment of the vegetable: which particles being irregular, and unactive their motion is soon stopped; whenas a great cold intervening compresses a little young plant round about, so that they are congealed, and become fixed in their ducts, or leading pipes, whereby [12]