Keep Your Teeth Clean

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 28, 1863

Keep Your Teeth Clean.

THE almost universal complaint of decayed and decaying teeth among almost all classes, is indeed most deplorable. To know that our very bones should rot in our mouths in youth, and middle age, is, at least, a lamentable fact. Nor is this calamity confined to Americans; though it is said that American women more than any others, are unfortunate in this respect. But look in the mouth of the beef and plum-pudding-eating Englishman, the sturdy oat-meal-eating Scotchman, the potato-eating Irishman, the sausage-eating, tobacco-smoking, and beer-drinking German, the frog-eating, coffee and wine-drinking Frenchman; all have occasion for the services of a dentist.

It is said that the teeth of our native American Indians, including the Esquimaux, who live beyond the reach of whiskey and tobacco peddlers, are far better than those of their more civilized brethren.

The native African is said to be blessed with sound teeth, but, so far as our studies and observations extend, most, if not all civilized nations, are “rotting in the mouth.”

The old “remedy” of chewing and smoking tobacco, only aggravates the evil, so say all dentists, while the almost universal practice of medicine taking, hot tea drinking, eating hot food, including the flesh of animals, probably has something to do with this early decay of human teeth. Then, again, most people neglect to clean their teeth. Living upon unnatural condiments, pastry, confectionery, and drinking vile stuff—doctoring with vile drugs instead of pure water; the teeth become corrupt, and covered with foul tartar, and filled with rotten filth; then comes a sickening foul breath, so foul indeed, as to be almost past endurance, by another, whose breath, in turn, though of a different odor, may be no less impure. Now this nuisance may be lessened and abated, if not entirely removed. Let each and every person, old and young, make it an invariable rule to wash and clean their teeth at least once a day, though better still, after every meal. Let mothers see to it, that their own and their children’s teeth are properly washed. Begin now. If you have no teeth brush, get one the very first opportunity. You do not need either tooth powder, tooth paste, or powdered charcoal; a tumbler of clean [soft] water, in which to soak the brush a few moments before using, is all you need. To begin with, if your mouth should be very foul, use a little fine soap; but the frequent use of the brush with clean water, will render even soap unnecessary.