THE TEETH 227 



the pain is so great that going to the dentist is usually 

 a necessity. The result often is that the patient, 

 dreading the pain and bother of the filling, or thinking 

 that the tooth is too far gone to warrant the expense 

 of such work, has it pulled out. By having the teeth 

 examined twice a year, and going to a dentist as soon 

 as there is reason to believe a cavity has been started, 

 such misfortunes may be prevented. 



A hard, yellowish substance called tartar often col- 

 lects on teeth. If allowed to remain, it will crowd the 

 gums away and cause the teeth to become loose. Be- 

 sides it makes the teeth look unclean and is likely to 

 cause an unpleasant breath. Tartar will often collect 

 in spite of the most careful brushing. For this reason 

 we should have the dentist remove it twice a year 

 when the teeth are examined. 



But acid is not the only cause of tooth disease. 

 Building material supplied by our wonderful river of 

 life, the blood, must contain lime and other salts 

 needed to replenish all parts of the teeth. Unless 

 our food contains such materials, the blood cannot fur- 

 nish them. Bread and breakfast foods made of entire 

 grain are especially well stocked with these salts. 

 White-flour foods do not contain them, because the 

 coarser parts of the grain which have this mineral 

 matter are not utilized in their manufacture. Milk, 

 eggs, meat, vegetables, in fact, nearly all foods de- 

 scribed in previous chapters as wholesome and nour- 

 ishing, are good teeth builders. Non-nutritious or 



