FoodNet

The housekeeper's companion

1883

Page 46

Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
In both capitals the utmost care is bestowed upon the decora- tion of the feet; and from this results that symmetrical form which fixes the attention of the English stranger. The Teeth. — Many reasons combine to render early and persevering attention to the cleanliness and care of the teeth an imperative duty; a white, regular dental arch is, besides be- ing beautiful in itself, a most advantageous accompaniment to the finest features and renders even homely ones agreeable, and is necessary in order to preserve the contour of the face. The teeth are usually thirty-two in number, sixteen in each jaw; they are divided into three classes: ist. The incisors, which are the four cutting teeth in front of each jaw. 2nd. The canine, or cuspidati, the longest of all the teeth, derive their name from their resemblance to the tusks of a dog, and are four in number, one appearing on each side of the upper and lower row of incisors. 3rd. The molars, or grinders, of which there are ten in each side, five above and the same num- ber below, so called from being, as to size, figure, and situa- 68 ETIQUETTE. tion, best calculated for the mastication of our food. The teeth of the first and second classes have only one fang each; the three last molars two fangs, and the same teeth in the upper, three. Each tooth is divided into two parts — its body, or that part which is above the gum, covered with the hard, white, peculiar substance called enamel, and its fangs, or root, which is fixed in the socket; the boundary between these two, called the neck of the tooth, is formed by a small, circular de- pression immediately above the edge of the gum. The teeth should be washed with a moderately soft brush and tepid water every morning, taking care that the brush operates also on the gum, for the purpose of keeping up a brisk circulation and at the same time rendering its surface firm and healthy. The mouth should also be carefully rinsed with tepid water after meals, as the small particles of food which may remain in the interstices of the teeth are liable, by their decomposition, to impart an unpleasant odor to the breath, and this precaution should be particularly attended to after supper, with a few strokes of the brush, as a very slight roughness of the surface materially assists the accumulation of tartar. Tartar appears to be a residuum of the saliva, as it is found to invade those teeth more particularly which are in the immediate vicinity of the openings of the salivary ducts; these are the inner sides of the front teeth in the lower jaw and the outer surfaces of the molars in the upper jaw; it is, therefore, a natural source of annoyance peculiar to every human being; in some constitu- tions it is more largely deposited than in others; but never so obstinately as to resist the brush, if constantly used; we do not mean to say that a brush can remove tartar when once suffered to effect a lodgment and acquire consistence, but we are certain that the daily use of the brush will, in most individuals, pre- vent its being deposited altogether. The operation for remov- ing the tartar is called scaling, and in the hands of an exper- ienced dentist, is both a simple and a safe one. In some instances, however, the teeth will be so loaded with tartar that it is unsafe to remove it at one time.