Note (26) — CANTO THIRD.

Tartar is an accumulation of acrimonious earthy matter, round the necks of the teeth. This accretion arises from the fluid secretions of the mouth, and consequently, few persons are entirely free from it, though some, from the state of their general health, may be more subject to it than others. The teeth to which it is generally attached, are those that are the least acted upon in the process of mastication; and the molares of the upper, as well as the incisors of the under jaw, being situated nearer to the salivary ducts, more readily become affected. Whenever tartar is permitted to accumulate around the teeth, the gums, the membrane lining the alveoli, and even the aveolar process itself, are liable to suffer through the powers of absorption being increased by inflammatory action. It thus not unfrequently happens, that persons through want of proper care and attention to the removal of tartar, have lost the whole of their teeth.

“The formation of a calculous deposit upon the teeth, in a greater or less degree, may almost be said to be universal; for, although in many persons of sound health and temperate habits, it is possible, by care, to remove it so immediately after its deposition, that the teeth are kept generally free from it, still, I believe it is in all cases produced, and would accumulate, but for constant attention to the proper means for its removal. It consists of calcareous substance, which, when first deposited, is soft, friable, and readily crumbling under the finger; but gradually, and, as it were, by a slow kind of crystallization, acquires almost a rocky hardness. Its usual color is a dull, whitish yellow, or buff; though in some cases it is dark brown, or black, and in others has a greenish hue. It also varies in the character of its surface, being generally smooth, especially in those parts where the tongue acts constantly upon it; but occasionally, in other parts, exceedingly rough and rugged. It is susceptible of being stained by any coloring matter frequently taken into the mouth during its deposition; as, for instance, from smoking tobacco, or from the long continued use of colored gargles, especially such as are composed of articles which are not capable of perfect solution in aqueous menstrua.

“With the exception of gangrene, there is no kind of injury to which the teeth are exposed, so commonly and so extensively destructive as this concretion.” (Bell on Human Teeth, p. 192.)