Diseases and injuries of the teeth, including pathology and treatment : a manual of practical dentistry for students and practitioners / by Morton Smale and J.F. Colyer.

  • Smale, Morton.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Diseases and injuries of the teeth, including pathology and treatment : a manual of practical dentistry for students and practitioners / by Morton Smale and J.F. Colyer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    25/456 page 5
    Treatment.—The first of these local conditions is best treated by the administration of a brisk purge, which generally will relieve the local symptoms, and the gums can be scarified by giving the child a hard substance to bite at, such as a lump of sugar. Should the symptoms persist, it is best to remove the tension at once by free incisions. The second is best treated by the local application, and by the internal administration of chlorate of potash, care being taken that the bowels are freely relieved. The chlorate of potash can be rendered palatable by administering it mixed with sugar in equal parts. The symptoms generally yield to this treatment. The third condition is relieved by touching the ulcer with some escharotic, such as pure phenol. In addition to the above troubles, most authorities are of opinion that the process of teething may give rise to reflex dis- turbances. While, no doubt, the process does in many cases initiate such troubles, it is probable that this liability has been much over-stated, as it is more than possible that many of the conditions which do occur at this period may arise from causes other than dentition; for it should be remembered that develop- ment of other special organs is taking place, and may give rise to constitutional disturbance, while some can be accounted for by errors of diet either on the part of the mother or infant. These disturbances may be grouped as follows :— (1) Affections of the cerebro-spinal system, i.e. restlessness, sleeplessness, convulsions, or paralysis. (2) Affections of the respiratory tract, i.e. cough, catarrh, laryngismus stridulus, or bronchitis. (3) Affections of the alimentary tract, i.e. loss of appetite, diarrhoea, or vomiting. (4) Affections of the skin, i.e. erythema, eczema, herpes, or impetigo. (5) Affections of the genito-urinary tract, i.e. increased or diminished secretion of urine, and in one instance a dis- charge from the penis, resembling a violent gonorrhoea, was recorded by Hunter. The treatment of these conditions naturally falls within the
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3