Part 165

«Peppermint as a Flavor.»—In France and all over Europe peppermint is the popular flavor, as wintergreen is in this country.

English apothecaries use sugar of milk and heavy calcined magnesia in many of their tooth powders. Neither has any particular virtue as a tooth cleanser, but both are harmless. Cane sugar is preferable to milk sugar as a sweetener, and saccharine is more efficient, though objected to by some; it should be used in the proportion of 2 to 5 grains to the pound of powder, and great care taken to have it thoroughly distributed throughout.

An antiseptic tooth powder, containing the antiseptic ingredients of listerine, is popular in some localities.

IV.—Precipitated chalk 1 pound Castile soap 5 drachms Borax 3 drachms Thymol 20 grains Menthol 20 grains Eucalyptol 20 grains Oil of wintergreen 20 grains Alcohol 1⁠/⁠2 ounce

Dissolve the thymol and oils in the alcohol, and triturate with the chalk, and proceed as in the first formula. {253}

One fault with this powder is the disagreeable taste of the thymol. This may be omitted and the oil of wintergreen increased to the improvement of the taste, but with some loss of antiseptic power.

«Antiseptic Powder.»—

V.—Boric acid 50 parts Salicylic acid 50 parts Dragon’s blood 20 parts Calcium carbonate 1,000 parts Essence spearmint 12 parts

Reduce the dragon’s blood and calcium carbonate to the finest powder, and mix the ingredients thoroughly. The powder should be used twice a day, or even oftener, in bad cases. It is especially recommended in cases where the enamel has become eroded from the effects of iron.

«Menthol Tooth Powder.»—Menthol leaves a cool and pleasant sensation in the mouth, and is excellent for fetid breath. It may be added to most formulas by taking an equal quantity of oil of wintergreen and dissolving in alcohol.

Menthol 1 part Salol 8 parts Soap, grated fine 20 parts Calcium carbonate 20 parts Magnesia carbonate 60 parts Essential oil of mint 2 parts

Powder finely and mix. If there is much tartar on the teeth it will be well to add to this formula from 10 to 20 parts of pumice, powdered very finely.

«Tooth Powders and Pastes.»—Although the direct object of these is to keep the teeth clean and white, they also prevent decay, if it is only by force of mere cleanliness, and in this way (and also by removing decomposing particles of food) tend to keep the breath sweet and wholesome. The necessary properties of a tooth powder are cleansing power unaccompanied by any abrading or chemical action on the teeth themselves, a certain amount of antiseptic power to enable it to deal with particles of stale food, and a complete absence of any disagreeable taste or smell. These conditions are easy to realize in practice, and there is a very large number of efficient and good powders, as well as not a few which are apt to injure the teeth if care is not taken to rinse out the mouth very thoroughly after using. These powders include some of the best cleansers, and have hence been admitted in the following recipes, mostly taken from English collections.

I.—Charcoal and sugar, equal weights. Mix and flavor with clove oil.

II.—Charcoal 156 parts Red kino 156 parts Sugar 6 parts

Flavor with peppermint oil

III.—Charcoal 270 parts Sulphate of quinine 1 part Magnesia 1 part

Scent to liking.

IV.—Charcoal 30 parts Cream of tartar 8 parts Yellow cinchona bark 4 parts Sugar 15 parts

Scent with oil of cloves.

V.—Sugar 120 parts Alum 10 parts Cream of tartar 20 parts Cochineal 3 parts

VI.—Cream of Tartar 1,000 parts Alum 190 parts Carbonate of magnesia 375 parts Sugar 375 parts Cochineal 75 parts Essence Ceylon cinnamon 90 parts Essence cloves 75 parts Essence English peppermint 45 parts

VII.—Sugar 200 parts Cream of tartar 400 parts Magnesia 400 parts Starch 400 parts Cinnamon 32 parts Mace 11 parts Sulphate of quinine 16 parts Carmine 17 parts

Scent with oil of peppermint and oil of rose.

VIII.—Bleaching powder 11 parts Red coral 12 parts

IX.—Red cinchona bark 12 parts Magnesia 50 parts Cochineal 9 parts Alum 6 parts Cream of tartar 100 parts {254} English peppermint oil 4 parts Cinnamon oil 2 parts

Grind the first five ingredients separately, then mix the alum with the cochineal, and then add to it the cream of tartar and the bark. In the meantime the magnesia is mixed with the essential oils, and finally the whole mass is mixed through a very fine silk sieve.

X.—Whitewood charcoal 250 parts Cinchona bark 125 parts Sugar 250 parts Peppermint oil 12 parts Cinnamon oil 8 parts