Chapter 5 of 6 · 1723 words · ~9 min read

CHAPTER 5.

TEETH AND DIET

The question of diet is so frequently stressed that, superficially, it seems almost like carrying coals to Newcastle to be injecting the subject continually into a treatise dealing with the teeth.

There is no question, however, more important in its relation to the teeth than diet. It is this fact which makes it so necessary to emphasize the eternal food problem in this connection.

There are today perhaps millions of people who have been converted to the necessity of mouth hygiene, who clean their teeth daily, visit the dentist regularly, and otherwise observe a commendable degree of oral hygienic precautions, but who, nevertheless, have yet to learn of the equally fundamental requirement of safeguarding the teeth by dietetic measures.

In one sense at least diet is even more fundamental than mouth hygiene--if this may be said without implying that the latter is not absolutely essential. What we mean is that proper diet, in the first place--in the prenatal stage--builds good sound teeth that are an asset throughout infancy and childhood, and, with reasonable care, adulthood.

On the other hand, if the mother, for any reason, lives on a faulty diet during the period of pregnancy, the teeth of the baby are bound to be defective, particularly if the infant’s diet is not what it ought to be during the time the teeth are further developing in the gums, in the stage preceding eruption.

So if the teeth are not sound to begin with, because of improper diet, the most perfect mouth hygiene subsequently will not bring about good, sound teeth. Even then, of course, oral hygiene is most desirable, as it lengthens the period of usefulness of even inferior teeth, and postpones the day when they will have to be replaced by artificial ones.

Food is divided into the following classifications: Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, mineral salts and vitamines.

_Proteins_ are nitrogen-containing elements, which make up the greater part of our bodies. This substance is necessary to build up and repair tissue, and to replace waste in the somatic cells. Much more protein is required by manual workers and persons doing hard physical labor than those following a sedentary life. Most adults would be healthier if they cut down on the proteins, and used more of the mineral salts and vitamine foods. Protein is obtained from both vegetable and animal food. (See table on subsequent page.)

_Carbohydrate foods_, the principal ones being sugar, starch and cellulose, generate heat and energy. Starch is a staple food. In the process of digestion it is transformed into sugar, in which form it is absorbed and utilized in the organism. Its chief sources are certain vegetables, but not in greens or the leaves of vegetables, nor in fruit or animal foods.

_Sugar._ The system normally obtains its greatest supply of sugar from starchy food, by the process above mentioned. There is an additional supply of natural sugar obtained from sweet fruits, in a form known as levulose and grapesugar. Commercial, refined sugar is unnecessary for the well-being of the organism, because it is deprived of its mineral salts. It is therefore detrimental to health, and a prolific source of teeth infections. If sweetening is demanded, the natural sugar should be used--genuine brown sugar (which contains the mineral elements), molasses, maple-syrup and honey. And, of course, the sweet fruits are recommended.

_Cellulose_ and vegetable fibres are not assimilated in the body. Strictly speaking, therefore, they are not food products, but are valuable constituents of the diet, because they help digestion in a mechanical way and give consistency to the bowel contents. They are the _roughage_. A sufficient quantity of this substance is the best natural preventive of constipation. Cellulose is contained only in vegetables, fruits and the husks of grains. It is absent from refined wheat flour.

_Fats_ produce heat and energy, and in moderation have a particular value as a reserve food, for use by the body in case of deficiency. Thus, a person who is taken severely ill for an extended period, and unable to assimilate or digest sufficient food for the bodily requirements, lives in part on the reserve fat that is tucked away throughout the tissues of the body.

_Mineral salts_ are vitally important, as much so as protein foods. While the necessity of the latter is appreciated by practically everyone, the importance of mineral salts have been overlooked by the great mass of people. All the tissues of the body require these elements, and particularly the bone and teeth, more especially during the period of development. A well-balanced diet, therefore, should always contain a liberal quantity of food having potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, and chlorine. They are contained in varying proportions in green and leafy vegetables, fruits, the outer coatings of grains, and vegetables, also in milk and eggs. Lean meats contain some of the mineral salts, but are deficient in others.

The _Vitamines_, of which there are now four identified, are like the mineral salts, vital to health. They are obtained chiefly in the following foods: Vitamine A in milk (unskimmed), butter, young sprouting vegetables, and most animal fats, except lard, the yolks of eggs, and cod-liver oil. Vitamine B in whole grain cereals and practically all vegetables. Vitamine C in fresh fruits and vegetables, also in milk from cows that are grazing in green pasture. Fresh tomatoes are rich in Vitamines A, B and C. Vitamine D is found in egg yolks and cod-liver oil.

The following table is appended for the guidance of readers who are desirous of studying the food problem with the intent of availing themselves of a properly balanced diet. It is a fact that people living in the country, especially those who have gardens and farms, could make their diet much more healthful and vitalizing without adding to the expense; in some cases at less expense. To a certain extent, this applies to city and town people too. It is less expensive, for instance, to buy brown sugar, than refined sugar; whole wheat and rye breads cost no more than white: molasses is more desirable and costs less than refined syrups. Honey can be obtained for about the same price as many highly sugared preserves and jams.

PRINCIPAL NUTRITIONAL ELEMENTS OF COMMON FOODS

[A] Some mineral salts only.

DIET FOR EXPECTANT MOTHERS

As the pregnant woman is destined, for a period of nine months, to supply nourishment for an embryonic being, as well as for herself, the question of diet is to her one of double importance. The well-being of the prospective infant is equally involved with that of her own welfare.

At this time, while a sufficient quantity of food is necessary, the quality and right selection are really of more importance. The appetite ordinarily governs the matter of quantity (barring poverty or other hardship), but the right selection requires a knowledge of dietetic facts which is often lamentably lacking where there is ample means to obtain the best.

When we take into consideration that the baby’s first, or deciduous, teeth begin to form about the third month, we better realize how necessary it is that the mother receive the proper nutritional elements to take care of the new dental construction, as well as the building of the whole little, but complicated, body.

The materials needed for the developing embryo can come from only two sources: from the food which the mother eats, or from her own body tissues. If she does not eat the proper kind and amount of food, and assimilate it, then Nature draws upon the substance of her own body to nourish the baby. As we have already indicated, the embryo requires mineral salts and vitamines to grow good, sound teeth and strong bones, and if these elements are not contained in sufficient quantity in the mother’s food, they are taken from her own teeth and bones. During the last four months of pregnancy, the mother requires about one-fifth more food than normally.

The daily menu of the expectant mother should include the following: Vegetables--two or more a day, including a leafy vegetable. Fruit--preferably fresh, twice or more times a day. Graham or whole wheat bread, with meals, and a coarse cereal. Meat, fish or poultry--not more than once a day. Milk or buttermilk--a quart daily, used in cooking or as a drink. Eggs (not fried), occasionally instead of meat. Not more than one cup of coffee daily. Tea also in moderation. Water, drunk liberally between meals--a great deal of water is required in the biological process of baby-building. No fried foods, rich pastries, highly seasoned foods or strong stimulants. A glass of milk may be taken between meals in mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and before going to bed. Some coarse cereal also may be taken before retiring if the appetite calls for it.

The selection of food should be varied from day to day to avoid monotony, and to assure a supply of all the substances needed for both mother and the developing baby.

As Drs. Ryan and Bowers state in their excellent manual, _Teeth and Health_: “But it would be much better if dentists everywhere would teach the people that the great cause of tooth destruction lies principally in lime and phosphorus starvation, brought about by eating--from the time the mother first conceives the child, until the individual dies of old age--a diet robbed of its minerals, totally deficient in the lime and phosphorus necessary, not only to make teeth and bones, but also to make nervous systems and brains, and to keep the numerous functions of nutrition--regulated by the activities of the ductless glands--from going awry, and making a mess of the whole organic structure--mental, physical and moral.”