170 Where There Is No Dentist 2012
WHY FALSE TEETH ARE HELPFUL
When you take out a tooth, it is like removing a brick from the center of a
wall. The area around the space becomes weaker and begins to crumble.
To prevent this, a plastic tooth can fit into the space. This tooth is not
for chewing food but to hold the remaining teeth in their normal, healthy
position.
A full set of teeth allows a person to chew the foods needed to stay healthy
and feel good. Moreover, teeth help you look good!
A person
without many
teeth looks old.
With a new set of
plastic ‘false teeth’,
the same person
looks and feels
much younger.
If possible, after you take out a tooth, encourage the person to replace
the tooth with a plastic tooth. Find out where they are made and how
much they cost. Then explain:
• how to clean the remaining teeth to prevent them from going bad
(pages 69–72), and
• how it is possible to get a replacement plastic tooth.