CHAPTER 5._Teeth and mouth hygiene

TEETH AND DIET

The question of diet is so frequently stressed that, superficially,

it seems almost like carrying coals to Newcastle to be injecting the

subject continually into a treatise dealing with the teeth.

There is no question, however, more important in its relation to

the teeth than diet. It is this fact which makes it so necessary to

emphasize the eternal food problem in this connection.

There are today perhaps millions of people who have been converted to

the necessity of mouth hygiene, who clean their teeth daily, visit the

dentist regularly, and otherwise observe a commendable degree of oral

hygienic precautions, but who, nevertheless, have yet to learn of the

equally fundamental requirement of safeguarding the teeth by dietetic

measures.

In one sense at least diet is even more fundamental than mouth

hygiene--if this may be said without implying that the latter is not

absolutely essential. What we mean is that proper diet, in the first

place--in the prenatal stage--builds good sound teeth that are an asset

throughout infancy and childhood, and, with reasonable care, adulthood.

On the other hand, if the mother, for any reason, lives on a faulty

diet during the period of pregnancy, the teeth of the baby are bound to

be defective, particularly if the infant’s diet is not what it ought to

be during the time the teeth are further developing in the gums, in

the stage preceding eruption.

So if the teeth are not sound to begin with, because of improper diet,

the most perfect mouth hygiene subsequently will not bring about good,

sound teeth. Even then, of course, oral hygiene is most desirable,

as it lengthens the period of usefulness of even inferior teeth, and

postpones the day when they will have to be replaced by artificial ones.

Food is divided into the following classifications: Proteins,

carbohydrates, fats, mineral salts and vitamines.

_Proteins_ are nitrogen-containing elements, which make up the greater

part of our bodies. This substance is necessary to build up and repair

tissue, and to replace waste in the somatic cells. Much more protein

is required by manual workers and persons doing hard physical labor

than those following a sedentary life. Most adults would be healthier

if they cut down on the proteins, and used more of the mineral salts

and vitamine foods. Protein is obtained from both vegetable and animal

food. (See table on subsequent page.)

_Carbohydrate foods_, the principal ones being sugar, starch and

cellulose, generate heat and energy. Starch is a staple food. In the

process of digestion it is transformed into sugar, in which form it is

absorbed and utilized in the organism. Its chief sources are certain

vegetables, but not in greens or the leaves of vegetables, nor in fruit

or animal foods.

_Sugar._ The system normally obtains its greatest supply of sugar from

starchy food, by the process above mentioned. There is an additional

supply of natural sugar obtained from sweet fruits, in a form known as

levulose and grapesugar. Commercial, refined sugar is unnecessary for

the well-being of the organism, because it is deprived of its mineral

salts. It is therefore detrimental to health, and a prolific source of

teeth infections. If sweetening is demanded, the natural sugar should

be used--genuine brown sugar (which contains the mineral elements),

molasses, maple-syrup and honey. And, of course, the sweet fruits are

recommended.

_Cellulose_ and vegetable fibres are not assimilated in the body.

Strictly speaking, therefore, they are not food products, but are

valuable constituents of the diet, because they help digestion in a

mechanical way and give consistency to the bowel contents. They are the

_roughage_. A sufficient quantity of this substance is the best natural

preventive of constipation. Cellulose is contained only in vegetables,

fruits and the husks of grains. It is absent from refined wheat flour.

_Fats_ produce heat and energy, and in moderation have a particular

value as a reserve food, for use by the body in case of deficiency.

Thus, a person who is taken severely ill for an extended period,

and unable to assimilate or digest sufficient food for the bodily

requirements, lives in part on the reserve fat that is tucked away

throughout the tissues of the body.

_Mineral salts_ are vitally important, as much so as protein foods.

While the necessity of the latter is appreciated by practically

everyone, the importance of mineral salts have been overlooked by

the great mass of people. All the tissues of the body require these

elements, and particularly the bone and teeth, more especially during

the period of development. A well-balanced diet, therefore, should

always contain a liberal quantity of food having potassium, calcium,

sodium, iron, and chlorine. They are contained in varying proportions

in green and leafy vegetables, fruits, the outer coatings of grains,

and vegetables, also in milk and eggs. Lean meats contain some of the

mineral salts, but are deficient in others.

The _Vitamines_, of which there are now four identified, are like

the mineral salts, vital to health. They are obtained chiefly in

the following foods: Vitamine A in milk (unskimmed), butter, young

sprouting vegetables, and most animal fats, except lard, the yolks

of eggs, and cod-liver oil. Vitamine B in whole grain cereals and

practically all vegetables. Vitamine C in fresh fruits and vegetables,

also in milk from cows that are grazing in green pasture. Fresh

tomatoes are rich in Vitamines A, B and C. Vitamine D is found in egg

yolks and cod-liver oil.

The following table is appended for the guidance of readers who are

desirous of studying the food problem with the intent of availing

themselves of a properly balanced diet. It is a fact that people living

in the country, especially those who have gardens and farms, could

make their diet much more healthful and vitalizing without adding

to the expense; in some cases at less expense. To a certain extent,

this applies to city and town people too. It is less expensive, for

instance, to buy brown sugar, than refined sugar; whole wheat and rye

breads cost no more than white: molasses is more desirable and costs

less than refined syrups. Honey can be obtained for about the same

price as many highly sugared preserves and jams.

PRINCIPAL NUTRITIONAL ELEMENTS OF COMMON FOODS

--------+----------+------------------------------+-----------

| | CARBOHYDRATES |

Proteins| Fats +--------+------------+--------+ Mineral

--------+----------+--------+------------+--------+-----------

(10%) | | | | |[A]Meat

--------+----------+--------+------------+--------+-----------

[A] Some mineral salts only.

DIET FOR EXPECTANT MOTHERS

As the pregnant woman is destined, for a period of nine months, to

supply nourishment for an embryonic being, as well as for herself, the

question of diet is to her one of double importance. The well-being of

the prospective infant is equally involved with that of her own welfare.

At this time, while a sufficient quantity of food is necessary, the

quality and right selection are really of more importance. The appetite

ordinarily governs the matter of quantity (barring poverty or other

hardship), but the right selection requires a knowledge of dietetic

facts which is often lamentably lacking where there is ample means to

obtain the best.

When we take into consideration that the baby’s first, or deciduous,

teeth begin to form about the third month, we better realize how

necessary it is that the mother receive the proper nutritional elements

to take care of the new dental construction, as well as the building of

the whole little, but complicated, body.

The materials needed for the developing embryo can come from only two

sources: from the food which the mother eats, or from her own body

tissues. If she does not eat the proper kind and amount of food, and

assimilate it, then Nature draws upon the substance of her own body to

nourish the baby. As we have already indicated, the embryo requires

mineral salts and vitamines to grow good, sound teeth and strong bones,

and if these elements are not contained in sufficient quantity in the

mother’s food, they are taken from her own teeth and bones. During the

last four months of pregnancy, the mother requires about one-fifth more

food than normally.

The daily menu of the expectant mother should include the following:

Vegetables--two or more a day, including a leafy vegetable.

Fruit--preferably fresh, twice or more times a day. Graham or

whole wheat bread, with meals, and a coarse cereal. Meat, fish or

poultry--not more than once a day. Milk or buttermilk--a quart daily,

used in cooking or as a drink. Eggs (not fried), occasionally instead

of meat. Not more than one cup of coffee daily. Tea also in moderation.

Water, drunk liberally between meals--a great deal of water is required

in the biological process of baby-building. No fried foods, rich

pastries, highly seasoned foods or strong stimulants. A glass of milk

may be taken between meals in mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and before

going to bed. Some coarse cereal also may be taken before retiring if

the appetite calls for it.

The selection of food should be varied from day to day to avoid

monotony, and to assure a supply of all the substances needed for both

mother and the developing baby.

As Drs. Ryan and Bowers state in their excellent manual, _Teeth and

Health_: “But it would be much better if dentists everywhere would

teach the people that the great cause of tooth destruction lies

principally in lime and phosphorus starvation, brought about by

eating--from the time the mother first conceives the child, until the

individual dies of old age--a diet robbed of its minerals, totally

deficient in the lime and phosphorus necessary, not only to make teeth

and bones, but also to make nervous systems and brains, and to keep

the numerous functions of nutrition--regulated by the activities of

the ductless glands--from going awry, and making a mess of the whole

organic structure--mental, physical and moral.”