The youth's dentist, or, The way to have sound and beautiful teeth ... / by J.R. Duval ; translated and supplied with notes by J. Atkinson.

  • Jacques René Duval
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The youth's dentist, or, The way to have sound and beautiful teeth ... / by J.R. Duval ; translated and supplied with notes by J. Atkinson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    Aurora, the star of day appears and shines in all his splendor; a few drops of the elixir, or of any other liquor equally spirit- uous, will suffice to render the water aromatic; the mouth is to be rinsed with a little of this several times, and the gums and teeth are to be rubbed with a little lint moistened therewith; * the toothpick should be cautiously used to remove the pieces of food which sometimes remain between the teeth : the tongue should afterwards be scraped, to remove the mucus, &c. with ■which it is covered,! and afterward an opiate is used, which is applied to the teeth with a kind of root, or a brush. It is necessary to carry the root or brush, according to the length of the teeth, because then the hairs of the brush act as so many toothpicks, which glide between the teeth, and re- move every particle of slime ; while in directing the brush transversely from right to left, it only touches the more promi- nent parts of the dental arch, it is a tangent which only touches the circumference of a circle in a point, besides when the brush is thus directed, it tends to detach that conical point of the gums which separates the teeth, adheres to them and forms their ornament and support. After using the opiate, it is usual to gargle with pure water, rather too cold than too hot, for the latter by relaxing and softening too much the tissue of the gums, may augment their sponginess ; it is with these attentions that young persons may hope to have even to old age, Dent blanche comme crista], voire Ainsi que neige, ou blanc yvoire, Dent qui sent bon comme faict baulme, Dont la bonl6 vault un royaume4 In proposing an opiate for the cleansing of teeth, it is be- cause we think in general an opiate composed according to chemical and pharmaceutical principles is preferable to powders; • I prefer cotton or lint to sponge, which is apt to thiclcen and contract a smell unless the greatest care is taken to keep it clean. ' tThe instrument which is used lor this operation, is called a gratte-lansue or tongue scraper; and is made either of whalebone, ivory, gold or silver. t Blazons du corps f^menin, p. 15.