"Some ask'd how pearls did grow, and where?
Then spoke I to my girl,
To part her lips, and shew me there
The quarrelets of pearl."
--_Herrick._
Femininity may be heir to many beauty woes, but ugly teeth is one
trouble which is often caused by sheer neglect. How many of us can
recall the days of childhood and girlhood without remembering the fibs
we told to escape cleaning our teeth? The blessed mothers implored and
begged and threatened and fussed, but we went our way joyful and
serene, making all due preparations for future unhappiness. But when
the girl began to think more about her personal appearance, and less of
the frivolities of advanced babyhood--oh, that we were all back at that
jolly time of life!--things were very different. The neglected teeth
got good attention then, but often the mischief had already been done.
I trust that the younger readers of this volume on beauty will remember
that this is hopelessly true, and something not to be forgotten--like
yesterday's toasted marshmallows or to-day's lesson in political
economy.
I have heard it said that too much brushing will injure the teeth, but
don't you believe it! The sooner you become accustomed to a moderately
stiff brush, that will do its work well and thoroughly, the better. All
foreign matter must be constantly removed, else decay will come as sure
as fate. A perfect state of cleanliness cannot be unless the teeth have
proper and constant attention. By this I do not mean that you must
cease all other occupations and take up that of eternal scrubbing.
Simply keep your teeth clean. Toothpicks must not be used excessively,
cold water should not be applied--or very hot, either, for that
matter--and all powders containing gritty substances must be tabooed.
It is quite unnecessary for me to add that you must not bite thread or
break nuts with your teeth, for all of us have had this bit of
information dinned into our ears since the time when "little children
should be seen and not heard" made life a worry and a care. I must
confess, however, that I have seen women untie knots and do various
bits of very remarkable mechanical work in this unique manner. My
experience has been so broad in this particular line of observation
that the expression "biting ten-penny nails" has never appeared to me
to be much overdrawn.
If one seriously desires fine, beautiful, white teeth--and who
doesn't?--one must treat them well. Just before going to bed, give them
a thorough cleaning, using waxed dental floss to remove any large
particles which may be between them. Use only a pure powder, the
ingredients of which you know. Be sure that all powder is well rinsed
away. See that your brush is kept scrupulously clean. Upon arising in
the morning rinse the mouth with diluted listerine. This makes an
excellent wash, especially when the gums are tender and liable to
bleed. Brush the teeth with tepid water. After breakfast, luncheon and
dinner, wash them again, letting the last cleansing be the most
searching and thorough. Once in a while it is wisdom to squeeze a
little lemon juice onto the brush. This will remove the yellow
appearance that often comes, and will also keep your teeth free from
tartar.
[Illustration: PRINCESS HENRY OF PLESS]
Every six months visit your dentist and have your teeth thoroughly
examined. The smallest cavities should be filled at once, and the pain
will be less than when these agonizing crevices get so large that you
feel that it's a flip-up between going to a dentist or jumping into the
lake. I know that most of us women are cowards when it comes to seances
in dentist chairs, but all such things--like house-cleaning and writing
letters to folks you don't like, and entertaining your husband's maiden
aunt--all these things are heaps nicer when they're well over with.
They are the events which we prefer should ornament the past instead of
the future.
To Sweeten the Breath:
Alcohol, twelve ounces.
Cinnamon, two and one-half drams.
Ginger, one-half dram.
Essence of peppermint, one dram.
Cloves, one-eighth dram.
Mix and leave in infusion for two weeks in a tightly covered
vessel; filter and bottle. Put one teaspoonful in a glass of water,
and rinse the mouth with this every morning.
Recipe for violet tooth powder appears in the chapter on perfumes.