Page 218 - My FlipBook

TWENTY-FIRST LECTURE.

Cleanliness— Continued.
March ii.
When I stopped in my last lecture I was speaking otf
the brush ami the manner of its use. I did not speak of the
frequency of its use or definitely of what might be accom-
plished by its use, but I gave you somewhat explicit direc-
tions as to the manner of using and spoke of the fact that
it was to become your duty to teach your patients the
proper use of the brush and what they could do with it.
The frequency of using the brush is an important item.
This should be regulated somewdiat by the needs of the par-
ticular person. Some persons, as I told you, do not need a
brush at all. Most people do need to use a brush, particularly
on account of our artificial manner of preparing food we
do not make that use of the teeth that Nature seems to in-
tend. If I have a patient who is very susceptible to caries
of the teeth I like to have them use the brush frequently,
as often as three or four times a day, and usually the best
time for using the brush is after meals and before retiring
at night. If patients form the 'habit of using the brush at
these times they will, once the habit becomes fixed, pre-
fer to do it. It is necessary, however, for the dentist to
watch them carefully until this becomes a fixed habit. In
other Dersons, where the susceptibility to caries is less,
we may moderate this use oi the brush ; in fact, a great
many persons, if they use the brush once a day, will do well
and will perhaps have no necessity for using it more
frequently. This is sufficient to keep of¥ calculus and keep
the gums in condition; but where we use the brush as a
prophylactic against caries of the teeth, and especially where
the tendency to caries is very considerable, the brush ought
to be used as often as four times per day—after each meal
and at night (before retiring. This frequency is necessary
to prevent the formation of microbic plaques in positions
reached 'by the brush, and especially is this necessary in
cases where there is a strong tendency to the formation
of buccal cavities. It is in these that most good can be
done by the use of the brush ; indeed, if it is properly used

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