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80 THE TECHNICAL PKOCEDUKES IN FILLING TEETH.

drawn by a movement of the little finger on which it is wrapped.
Bring this ligature over the contact to be forced beside the finger,
or the thumb of the left hand, at the same time that the rubber
is stretched over the tooth. Then, by drawing with the little
finger of the left hand and by the grasp with the right, the liga-
ture is forced through, carrying the rubber before it. To get
just the right length and adjustment of the ligature, generally
requires a little maneuvering in each individual case. The
observant operator will see his way clearer and be better able
to avoid difficulties with each failure.
In cases in which considerable force is required to drive
the rubber past the contact, the grasp with the fingers is often
insufficient. The ligature will slip in the fingers and the rubber
will be stretched too much, and a general derangement of the
position will result. In this case, it will be necessary to arrange
to use greater force. To do this, wrap the ligature on the little
finger of each hand, noting carefully that the length between the
fingers is just right. It will often be necessary to try this length
a number of times before getting it to exactly suit the particular
case. Then bring the ligature over the contact and under one
of the fingers or thumb with which the rubber is forced down,
and stretch down the rubber into the embrasure as far as pos-
sible; then draw the ligature with the little fingers so as to
tighten it on the ruljber to hold it, and work the finger on the
opposite side of the tooth onto the ligature, so that it may be
forced on both sides of the tooth at the same time. The accom-
plishment of this last movement is the most difficult point, but it
can generally be done after a few efforts. Then the operator
has command of the situation. The rubber can be forced into
the contact with all of the power of the fingers. After forcing
the first contact, the grasp of the rubber must generally be
released, a second ligature wrapped on the fingers, the rubber
grasped anew, and the second contact forced in the same way.
This may now be continued until the rubber has been placed on
a sufficient number of teeth. Generally, when the rubber has
been forced past one close contact, this holds the rubl)er as a
starting point and the rest is much easier of acconiplislnuent.
Many of the difficulties of adjusting the rubber are relieved by
having an assistant pass a ligature or set a clamp in position in
these difficult cases.
The RUBBER DAM CLAMP. The clamp is one of the most
important aids in adjusting the rubber dam. Tlie kind of clamp
suitable for different positions, or the clioice of chimp, will be