Montgomery County Sentinel

Actual Facts And
Not Superstition
Needed For Health
Dr. Leonard
Speaks Of Old
Time Beliefs And Cites Ex-
periences Of Today
Speaking of the teeth and their
care, Dr. Richard C. Leonard, Chief
of the Division of Oral Hygiene of the
Maryland State Department of Health
said:
"Certain beliefs regarding the teeth
and their care held by persons unacquainted
with the facts, have nearly
become superstitions. For instance,
there is the unfounded one that a child
who is born with one or more well
formed teeth is destined for either
good or bad fortune. This can probably
be traced back to some of the
old folk beliefs concerning children
who show any unusual characteristics
at birth. According to some of them,
such developments signify good luck;
according to others, they indicate the
opposite, which is about the way life
turns out, at any rate, whether we are
born toothless or with a full set. As
a matter of fact, fully formed teeth in
the mouth of the new-born child signify
nothing more than a probable excessive
activity on nature's part in the
formation of the child's dental apparatus.
"Another belief that amounts almost
to a superstition is that it is
dangerous for an expectant mother to
have her teeth attended to, and that it
will have an unfavorable effect on the
health of the new-born child if the
mother has any teeth treated or extracted.
Experience has shown that
dental care can be safely given to
practically every expectant mother.
It should be part of the routine care
she has during this period, and should
never be neglected. The truth of the
matter is that such treatment is essential
to the health of both mother
and child.
"A third very general belief, for
which there is no foundation, is that
there is no necessity for caring for
the first, or 'baby teeth'. The mere
fact that they are temporary does
not prevent them from needing strict
supervision and the best of care. They
are important organs, with a definite
function, and with important tasks to
perform. Neglect may make it impossible
for them to do their work--which
is chewing the food--properly. This is
likely to open the way for serious
systemic disease, and probably will
result in discomfort and pain for the
child. There is no question but that
the baby teeth should have the same
sort of care that the later teeth need.
"My advice in regard to all of
these things is to rid your minds of
unscientific, unfounded beliefs, and to
base your dental practices upon actual
facts."