Take Care of Your Teeth

There is no doubt that the teeth occupy an eminent place in the world of beauty. And it is a crime to begrudge them your full attention, quite apart from the grave position they hold in determining the state of one's health. The books of anatomy have said that when the teeth go wrong, they bring upon their owner unbearable ailments and afflictions: among them, disorder of the digestive system, poisoning, headache, and the nervous breakdown that follows from them.

Thus it has become incumbent on every person not to neglect the matter of his teeth. Here are some counsels on how to preserve them:

1 - You must have your teeth examined by the doctor at least twice a year.

2 - Clean your teeth first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Better still, clean them after every meal. And eat nothing after the evening cleaning.

3 - Use a small brush with stiff, well-spaced bristles.

4 - Brush your teeth for five minutes, cleaning them thoroughly on every side, and pass the brush from the gums over the teeth, not from side to side.

5 - Make your cleaning include the inner surfaces of the teeth, for if deposits of acidified saliva accumulate between them and are left there a long while, it becomes impossible for you to be rid of them easily.

6 - Choose yourself a toothpaste of the good kinds.

7 - Rinse your mouth well with salt water morning and evening - a teaspoon of salt in a glass of lukewarm water.

8 - Gargle with salt water to clean the throat, the tongue, and the tonsils.