First molars 6 years Incisors 7 to 8 years Bicuspids 9 to 10 years Canines 12 to 14 years Second molars 12 to 15 years Third molars 17 to 25 years CARE OF THE TEETH.--The teeth should be given attention as soon as they appear. It is an excellent custom to wash the teeth and gums twice daily with a piece of clean absorbent cotton rolled round the finger of the mother and dipped in a saturated solution of boracic acid. This should be done up to the second year. After the second year a soft brush should be used and the teeth thoroughly cleaned morning and night with pure castile soap or a powder. The teeth of every child should be examined by a dentist every six months. All cavities should be filled with a soft filling. The milk teeth should not decay, but should fall out, or be forced out by the second set. A child should be taught to gargle early and a mouth wash should be used morning and night. DENTITION.--As a general rule the process of teething is accompanied by some symptoms. There may be fever, restlessness, and loss of appetite; though in many cases there are absolutely no symptoms. Some children seem to teethe hard, others easily. The same child may have some teeth without pain, and with others it may suffer severely. The condition of the child at the time, its age, and the season of the year undoubtedly have an influence. Children who are sickly and puny may have much difficulty while teething. The degree of sickness varies quite considerably. There may only be, as stated above, slight fever, restlessness, with loss of appetite; or there may be, in addition to these symptoms, a pronounced fermentative diarrhea, which may lead to serious intestinal diseases; frequently there is a cough. This is more apt to be the case if the child is teething during the hot season. TREATMENT.--When dentition affects the child's disposition it is a good plan to reduce the feeding in quantity and quality for the time being. If the child is bottle-fed, two ounces can be taken out of each bottle and one ounce of boiled water added. If the child is breast-fed, he should be given two ounces of warm, boiled water before each feeding, and the actual feeding time at the breast shortened. Rubbing the gum over the erupting tooth with a clean cloth may aid in helping it through. If the child is very restless and has lost sleep, the cloth may be moistened with brandy and water. Lancing the gum, though it is seldom done now-a-days, is justified in a few cases. Teething is not the cause of actual disease as was once thought, but it must be remembered that a child whose vitality is reduced by fever, restlessness, loss of appetite, loss of sleep, and irregular bowels, is more susceptible to disease than when enjoying robust health.