Chapter XXIV Preparations for the Care of the Mouth
Besides the red lips and the gums, the teeth in particular ornament the mouth. Unfortunately there are but few persons who can boast of a perfectly healthy set of teeth, which is found as a normal condition only among savages and animals. The chief causes of the admitted fact that most persons have some defect in the mouth—bad teeth, pale gums, offensive odor—lie in part in our civilization with the ingestion of hot and sometimes sour food, in part in the lack of attention bestowed on the care of the mouth by many people. The care of the mouth is most important after meals and in the morning; particles of food lodge even between the most perfect teeth and undergo rapid decomposition in the high temperature prevailing in the mouth. This gives rise to a most disagreeable odor, and the decomposition quickly extends to the teeth.
Perfectly normal healthy teeth consist of a hard, brilliant external coat, the enamel, which opposes great resistance to acid and decomposing substances. But unfortunately the enamel is very sensitive to changes of temperature and easily cracks, thus admitting to the bony part of the teeth such deleterious substances and leading to their destruction. The bulk of the tooth consists of a porous mass of bone which is easily destroyed, and thus the entire set may be lost.
Hygienic perfumery is able to offer to the public means by which a healthy set of teeth can be kept in good condition and the disease arrested in affected teeth, and by which an agreeable freshness is imparted to the gums and lips. While true perfumes may be looked upon as more or less of a luxury, the hygiene of the mouth is a necessity; for we have to deal with the health and preservation of the important masticatory apparatus which is necessary to the welfare of the whole body, so that the æsthetic factor occupies a secondary position, or rather results as a necessary consequence from a proper care of the mouth.
With no other hygienic article have so many sins been committed as with those intended for the teeth; we have had occasion to examine a number of tooth powders, some of them very high-priced, which were decidedly injurious. Thus we have known of cases in which powdered pumice stone, colored and perfumed, has been sold as a tooth powder. Pumice stone, however, resembles glass in its composition and acts on the teeth like a fine file which rapidly wears away the enamel and exposes the frail bony substance. It needs no further explanation to prove the destructive effects of such a powder on the teeth.
Many person prize finely powdered wood charcoal as a tooth powder, and to some extent they are right. Wood charcoal always contains alkalies which neutralize the injurious acids, besides traces of products of dry distillation which prevent decomposition. But these valuable properties are counteracted by the fact that charcoal is always more or less gritty, or, being insoluble, will lodge between the teeth and form the nucleus for the lodgement of other substances.
In compounding articles for the mouth and teeth—tooth powders and mouth washes—the objects aimed at are to neutralize the chemical processes that injure the teeth and gums, and to restore freshness and resisting power to the relaxed gums and mucous membranes.
Remnants of food left in the mouth after meals soon develop acids which attack the teeth; they are neutralized by basic substances or alkalies which counteract them.
The formation of organic acids from food remnants is caused by microscopic fungi (schizomycetes) which adhere to the teeth (so-called tartar) in the absence of cleanliness; against these parasites there are at our disposal a number of substances which kill them rapidly and thus for a time arrest the process of decomposition; they are therefore called antiseptics.
Another group of ingredients acts especially on such abnormal conditions of the membranous and fleshy parts of the mouth as manifest themselves by colorless, easily bleeding gums. It is mainly compounds of the tannin group which strengthen the gums and are known as astringents.
In compounding articles for the teeth it has thus far unfortunately not been customary to combine several of the substances having the above properties, the general rule being to incorporate only one in the composition, and some so-called tooth lotions consist even of aromatics alone. Such articles perfume the mouth, but have no hygienic effect upon it.
Among the essential oils, however, there is one which should form a part of every article intended for the care of the mouth, provided it can remain unchanged in the presence of the other ingredients, which would not be the case where permanganate of potassium is used. Oil of peppermint and other mint oils exert a very refreshing influence on the mucous membranes of the mouth, in which they leave a sensation of freshness lasting for some time.
We give below a number of formulas for the manufacture of articles for the care of the mouth, as to the value of which the reader can form his own opinion from what has been stated. Finally it may be observed that several of the so-called secret preparations for the care of the mouth are arrant humbugs, worthless substances being sold at exorbitant prices and, worse yet, lacking the vaunted hygienic effect owing to their chemical composition.
The articles for the care of the mouth and teeth may be divided into tooth pastes, tooth powders, tooth tinctures or lotions, and mouth washes.
A. Tooth Pastes
Tooth Soap (Savon Dentifrice)
| Soap | 2 lb. |
| Talcum | 2 lb. |
| Orris root | 2 lb. |
| Sugar | 1 lb. |
| Water | 1 lb. |
| Oil of clove | 150 grains. |
| Oil of peppermint | ¾ oz. |
The soap should be good, well-boiled tallow soap; it is mixed with the other ingredients (the sugar is to be previously dissolved in the water) by thorough and prolonged stirring, and is usually sold in shallow porcelain boxes. The talcum or French chalk is a soft mineral with a fatty feel and is a common commercial article.
This tooth soap and other similar preparations for the care of the mouth are frequently colored rose red. Of course only harmless colors can be used. The most appropriate are rose madder lake and carmine.
Tooth Paste (Pâte Dentifrice)
| Prepared chalk | 2 lb. |
| Orris root | 2 lb. |
| Sugar | 2 lb. |
| Water | 1 lb. |
| Madder lake | ¾ to 1½ oz. |
| Oil of lavender | 150 grains. |
| Oil of mace | 150 grains. |
| Oil of clove | 150 grains. |
| Oil of peppermint | 1 oz. |
| Oil of rose | 150 grains. |
The prepared chalk used in this and many other articles is pure precipitated carbonate of lime. It is made from pieces of white marble, the offal from sculptors’ workshops, which are placed in wide porcelain or glass vessels and covered with hydrochloric acid, when abundant vapors of carbonic acid are given off. When the development of carbonic acid has ceased, the liquid is allowed to stand at rest for several days with an excess of marble, whereby all the iron oxide is separated. This is necessary, otherwise the preparation would not be white, but yellowish. The liquid is filtered and treated with a solution of carbonate of soda (sal soda), in water as long as any white precipitate results. This precipitate is washed with pure water on a filter, and when slowly dried it forms a fine, brilliant white powder. Crystalline calcium chloride may also be purchased, dissolved in water, and treated with the soda solution to obtain the white precipitate. The quantity of madder lake in the above formula is given within the limits to form light or dark red tooth paste.
B. Tooth Powders
Quinine Tooth Powder
| Prepared chalk | 2 lb. |
| Starch flour | 1 lb. |
| Orris root, powdered | 1 lb. |
| Sulphate of quinine | ¾ oz. |
| Oil of peppermint | 150 grains. |
Cinchona Bark Tooth Powder
| Cinchona bark, powdered | 1 lb. |
| Prepared chalk | 2 lb. |
| Myrrh, powdered | 1 lb. |
| Orris root, powdered | 2 lb. |
| Cinnamon, powdered | 1 lb. |
| Carbonate of ammonia | 2 lb. |
| Oil of clove | ¾ oz. |
Borated Tooth Powder
| Borax, powered | 1 lb. |
| Prepared chalk | 2 lb. |
| Myrrh, powdered | ½ lb. |
| Orris root, powdered | ½ lb. |
| Cinnamon, powdered | ½ lb. |
Homœopathic Chalk Tooth Powder
| Prepared chalk | 4 lb. |
| Starch flour | 5½ oz. |
| Orris root, powdered | ½ lb. |
| Oil of cinnamon | 1 oz. |
Camphorated Chalk Tooth Powder
| Prepared chalk | 4 lb. |
| Camphor | 1 lb. |
| Orris root, powdered | 2 lb. |
| Cinnamon, powdered | ½ lb. |
Charcoal Tooth Powder
| Charcoal, powdered | 4 lb. |
| Cinchona bark, powered | 1 lb. |
| Oil of bergamot | ½ oz. |
| Oil of lemon | 1 oz. |
The charcoal must be derived from some soft wood; willow, poplar, or buckthorn are among the most appropriate.
Cuttlefish-Bone Tooth Powder
| Prepared chalk | 4 lb. |
| Cuttlefish-bone, powdered | 2 lb. |
| Orris root, powdered | 2 lb. |
| Oil of bergamot | ¾ oz. |
| Oil of lemon | 1½ oz. |
| Oil of neroli | 150 grains. |
| Oil of orange | ¾ oz. |
Cachous Aromatisées
Cachous are of a pillular composition, and used not so much for the teeth as to impart fragrance to the breath.
They are made as follows:
| Gum acacia | 1½ oz. |
| Catechu, powdered | 2¾ oz. |
| Licorice juice | 1¼ lb. |
| Cascarilla, powdered | ¾ oz. |
| Mastic, powdered | ¾ oz. |
| Orris root, powdered | ¾ oz. |
| Oil of clove | 75 grains. |
| Oil of peppermint | ½ oz. |
| Tincture of ambergris | 75 grains. |
| Tincture of musk. | 75 grains. |
Boil the solids with water until a pasty mass results which becomes firm on cooling. The aromatics are then added, and the mass is rolled into pills which are covered with genuine silver foil. One of these pills suffices to remove the odor of tobacco, etc., completely from the mouth.
Pastilles Orientales
| Sugar | 8 lb. |
| Carmine | 75 grains. |
| Gum acacia | 2 lb. |
| Musk | 15 grains. |
| Oil of rose | 75 grains. |
| Oil of vetiver | 15 grains. |
| Civet | 15 grains. |
| Tartaric acid | 150 grains. |
Add the essential oils to the powdered solids, mix intimately, and add enough water to form a stiff dough, to be made into pills which when chewed remove the odor of tobacco or other unpleasant odors.
Rose Tooth Powder
| Prepared chalk | 4 lb. |
| Orris root, powdered | 2 lb. |
| Madder lake | 1¾ to 2½ oz. |
| Oil of rose | ½ oz. |
| Oil of santal | 150 grains. |
Sugar Tooth Powder
| Bone-ash | 4 lb. |
| Orris root, powdered | 4 lb. |
| Sugar, powdered | 2 lb. |
| Oil of bergamot | ¾ oz. |
| Oil of citron | ½ oz. |
| Oil of mace | 75 grains. |
| Oil of neroli | 75 grains. |
| Oil of orange | 150 grains. |
| Oil of rosemary | ¾ oz. |
Chinese Tooth Powder
| Pumice stone | 4 lb. |
| Starch flour. | 1 lb. |
| Madder lake | 1¾ oz. |
| Oil of peppermint | ¾ oz. |
The pumice stone must be ground into the finest powder and levigated, before being mixed with the other ingredients. Note our remarks on pumice stone on page 258.
C. Tooth Tinctures (Lotions) and Mouth Washes (Essences Dentifrices)
Eau Anathérine
| Guaiac wood | 3½ oz. |
| Myrrh | 8 oz. |
| Cloves | 5½ oz. |
| Santal wood | 5½ oz. |
| Cinnamon | 1¾ oz. |
| Alcohol | 4 qts. |
| Rose water | 2 qts. |
| Oil of mace. | 75 grains. |
| Oil of rose | 75 grains. |
| Oil of cinnamon | 75 grains. |
The solids are macerated in the alcohol, the essential oils are dissolved in the filtered liquid, and lastly the rose water is added.
Eau de Botot
This tooth tincture, which is quite a favorite, is made in different ways; the compositions made according to the French and English formulas are considered the best. For this and many other tooth tinctures rhatany root is also frequently used. Rhatany root is derived from Krameria triandra, a South American plant. Its alcoholic tincture has a red color.
A. French Formula
| Anise | 10 oz. |
| Cochineal | ¾ oz. |
| Mace | 150 grains. |
| Cloves. | 150 grains. |
| Cinnamon | 2¾ oz. |
| Alcohol | 3 qts. |
| Oil of peppermint | ¾ oz. |
B. English Formula
| Tincture of cedar | 4 qts. |
| Tincture of myrrh | 1 qt. |
| Tincture of rhatany | 1 qt. |
| Oil of lavender | ¾ oz. |
| Oil of peppermint | 1 oz. |
| Oil of rose | 150 grains. |
Borated Tooth Tincture
| Borax | 5½ oz. |
| Myrrh | 5½ oz. |
| Red santal wood | 5½ oz. |
| Sugar | 5½ oz. |
| Cologne water | 1 qt. |
| Alcohol | 3 qts. |
| Water | 3 pints. |
Macerate the myrrh and santal wood in the alcohol, then add the Cologne water, and lastly the sugar and borax dissolved in the water.
Camphorated Cologne Water
| Camphor | 1 lb. |
| Cologne water | 4 qts. |
Cologne water with myrrh is made in the same way, by substituting a like weight of myrrh for the camphor.
Eau de Milan
| Kino | 3½ oz. |
| Civet | 75 grains. |
| Cinnamon | ¾ oz. |
| Alcohol | 5 qts. |
| Oil of bergamot | 150 grains. |
| Oil of lemon | 150 grains. |
| Oil of peppermint | ¾ oz. |
Kino contains an astringent, a variety of tannin, and forms a dark red solution with alcohol.
Eau de Mialhe
| Tincture of benzoin | ¾ oz. |
| Tincture of tolu | ¾ oz. |
| Tincture of vanilla | 150 grains. |
| Kino | 5½ oz. |
| Alcohol | 5 qts. |
| Oil of anise. | 75 grains. |
| Oil of peppermint | ¾ oz. |
| Oil of star-anise | 75 grains. |
| Oil of cinnamon | 150 grains. |
Myrrh Tooth Tincture
| Mace | 1¾ oz. |
| Myrrh. | 8 oz. |
| Cloves | 8 oz. |
| Rhatany root. | 8 oz. |
| Alcohol | 5 qts. |
Chloral Mouth Wash
| Chloral hydrate | 1 oz. |
| Water | 10 oz. |
A small quantity of this, rinsed about the mouth, removes every trace of bad odor.
Potassium Permanganate Water
| Potassium permanganate | 3½ oz. |
| Distilled water | 5 qts. |
Potassium permanganate easily dissolves in distilled water and forms a beautiful violet solution, a few drops of which are placed in a glass of water for use. This salt is one of the most valuable articles for the teeth; it has the property of readily giving off oxygen to organic substances and hence immediately destroys all odor in the mouth by oxidizing the organic bodies; it also removes at once the odor of tobacco smoke. After rinsing the mouth with this solution, it is well to use some peppermint water for polishing the teeth. This mouth wash leaves brown stains on linen and other materials as well as on the skin; such spots can only be removed with acids (hydrochloric, oxalic, etc.).
Salicylated Tooth Tincture
| Salicylic acid | 1¾ oz. |
| Orange-flower water | 30 grains. |
| Water | 2 qts. |
| Alcohol | 1 qt. |
| Oil of peppermint | 30 grains. |
Salicylic acid is a substance possessing strong antiseptic properties; therefore, when this mouth wash is used after meals, the occurrence of any bad odor, even in persons with defective teeth, is prevented and the progress of caries is arrested, so that the acid may be considered one of the most valuable substances in hygienic perfumery.
Dissolve the salicylic acid in the warm alcohol mixed with water; add to the still warm solution the orange-flower water and the oil of peppermint dissolved in some of the alcohol.
Eau de Salvia
| Oil of lemon. | ¾ oz. |
| Oil of sage | 1¾ oz. |
| Alcohol | 1 qt. |
| Water | 4 qts. |
The essential oils are dissolved in the alcohol, and this solution mixed with the water.
Eau de Violettes
| Tincture of orris root | 1 qt. |
| Rose water, triple | 1 qt. |
| Alcohol | 1 qt. |
| Oil of bitter almond | 75 grains. |
| Oil of neroli | 30 grains. |