CHAP. XXXVIII. Of Dentifrices.
* 1.1DEntifrices are medicines prepared and serving divers waies to cleanse, whiten, and fasten the teeth; for from their use they take their name. Of these, some are drie, othersome moist: of the drie, some have the form of opiats, others of powder grosly beaten, but the moist are commonly made by distillation; the matter of drie dentifrices is taken from deter∣gent and drying things; such as are coral white and red, harts-horn, scuttle-bones, alum, chrystal, pumice, salt-nitre, myrrh, frankincense, balaustia, acorns, all sorts of shells of fishes: all these are to be made into powder either by burning, or without it; for scuttle-bones burnt cast forth a stink∣ing and unpleasant smell. To these for smell sake are added certain aromatick things; as cinnamon, cloves, nutmegs, and the like: such powders if mixed with some syrups, as oxymel scilliticum, or with mucilage of gum Arabick and tragacanth, will become opiats, to be made into a pyrami∣dal form of some fingers length, round and square, and sharp pointed, that dried they may serve for dentrifices.
Sometimes emollient roots are boiled with salt or alum, that dried again they may be used for dentifrices: moist ones are made of drying herbs, distilled together with drying and astringent things.
* 1.2All the differences shall appear by the following examples. ℞. lapidis spong. pumicis & cornu cervi ust. an ʒii. coral. rub. & crystal. an. ʒi. alum. & sal. ust. an. ʒi ss. cinnamom. & caryoph. rosar. rub. pulver. an ℈ii. fiat pulvis pro dentrificio. Or, ℞. essis saepiae, ʒ ss. mastiches, coralli rubri usti, an. ʒii. cornu cervi usti. ʒi ss. aluminis, carbonis, rorismarini, an. ʒi. cinnamomi, ʒii. fiat pulvis pro dentrificio. Or, ℞. ossis saepiae, alum. & salis usti, an. ℥i. chrystalli, glandium, myrrhae, thuris, an. ℈ii. corticis grannatorum, macis, cinnamomi. an. ℈i. fiat pulvis qui excipiatur mucagine gummi tragacanth. & formentur pyramides longae, siccand. pro dentrificio. Or, ℞. rad. malvae junioris & bismalvae, an. ℥ii. coquantur in aquâ salsâ aut alu∣minosae, deinde siccentur in furno pro dentifricio. ℞. sali, ℥vi. alumin. ℥iii. thuris, mastiches, sanguis draco∣nis, an. ℥ ss. aquae ros. ℥vi. distillentur in alembico vitreo pro dentrificio.
* 1.3Dentifrices are not only known good to polish, cleanse and strengthen the teeth: but we also oft-times use them for the tooth-ach, the diseases of the mouth, and ulcers of gums. You may use them in the morning, before and after meat.
The ancients, of len isk-wood made themselves tooth-picks, and such divices to strengthen their loose teeth, which also at this day is in use with those of Languedock, with whom this wood is plentiful, so that it may be brought thence for the use of Noblemen and Gentlemen; myrrh may also serve for this same use, and any other astringent wood.