Know Your Teeth
Teeth
Of all parts of the human body, the teeth are perhaps, least able to withstand civilization. They have failed to adapt. For some reason, teeth, which are the hardest part of the body, are also the weakest, unable to bear up against the soft living of contemporary society. Ninety-eight out of a hundred Americans have some form of dental disorder. Less than half of the adult population do not seek, or are unable to afford, needed dental care. Some 20-odd million Americans have lost all their teeth. An additional 9.5 million have lost one complete jawful of teeth. One out of five persons has lost all his teeth by forty; two out of five by fifty-five; three out of four by seventy.
In a lifetime, the teeth are subjected to wear from normal mastication. If the diet contains much raw food with abrasive material, the attrition will be faster.
The grinding surfaces of the teeth develop highly polished surfaces with the cusps flattening or disappearing. Nothing much can be done about this wearing down process. Another form of attrition results from periodontal (gum) diseases, which can be helped by the dentist. Gum disorders, the major cause of tooth loss, affect 90 percent of the population.
During development of the teeth in the fetal or postnatal stage some abnormalities can occur, such as extra teeth crowding the mouth or missing teeth, or teeth not properly formed or badly positioned. These defects are usually indicative of a family trait.
Yellowish brown teeth in infants are often due to the mother’s taking tetracycline during some period of her pregnancy, even if only for a week or two. Mottled enamel in infants and very young children is due to too much fluorine in the drinking water. Light brown or brownish black discoloration of the permanent teeth can develop.
The American dental profession rates highest in the world. If from childhood to old age one maintains constant communication with a good dentist, the likelihood is that he will have a good set of functioning teeth all his life. In the long run, this is far less expensive than the cost of negligence, which will eventually require a great deal of dental work-and expense to replace lost teeth.
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