THE TEETH 225 



the teeth to remove all food particles that may have 

 lodged between them. Rinse the mouth again, and 

 then use a tooth-brush, moving it from the roots up 

 and down rather than crosswise. The latter motion, 

 instead of removing the food particles, is likely to 

 deposit them between the teeth, which is the very 

 thing to be avoided. Rinse the mouth again with 

 water, and usually the teeth will be thoroughly 

 cleansed. 



A tooth powder recommended by a reliable dentist 

 may be an excellent help in the cleansing process. 

 However, as some preparations are said to be harm- 

 ful, none should be used unless one is sure it will not 

 do injury. Plain precipitate of chalk makes an inex- 

 pensive but excellent tooth powder. 



Using dental floss is a very important part of teeth 

 cleaning. If only a brush is used, food is likely to 

 remain between the teeth, especially when the latter 

 are close together. White linen machine thread No. 

 35 is cheaper than dental floss, and answers the pur- 

 pose even better, except when one's teeth are too close 

 together to admit it. In such cases, running the 

 thread over wax may cause it to slip between the teeth 

 readily. Sometimes persons who use a tooth-brush 

 three or four times a day wonder why, in spite of their 

 care, frequent visits to the dentist are necessary. 

 Often it is because the cleaning they have done has 

 not removed the food particles from between the 

 teeth. The use of dental floss or thread and a little 



