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EXCITING CAUSES OF CARIES. 61

cavities these agents produce rapid results. They
should be as much as possible avoided, and, when
necessarily used, should be removed from the teeth
by cleaning with great care. It would be safest to
employ some neutralizing agent after the use of any

acids with food. During mastication, there is an
increased secretion of saliva, which, if in a healthy
T
state, w ill tend to neutralize any acid that may at the
time be present, and also, by its flow, to remove
foreign substances from the mouth.
Salts may be decomposed in the mouth, and their
acids act upon the teeth; as when the acid of the
salt has a stronger affinity for any element of the tooth-

bone than for the base with which it is combined.
Many medical preparations contain agents peculiarly
deleterious to the teeth; acids being especially in
requisition for these, and oftentimes in considerable
quantities. The acids most commonly thus adminis-
tered are the hydrochloric, the nitric, the sulphuric,
the acetic, the tartaric, and the citric, any one of
which will produce direct and rapid decomposition of
the dentine, even when unaided by the temperature of
the mouth. These acids are often administered by
physicians, without any regard to their nature or

their influence upon the teeth. Sometimes, however,
they are given through a tube; though this method
generally does not amount to much as a precautionary