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82 THE TECHNICAL PROCEDUEES IN FILLING TEETH.

substituted foi* the fii'st, leaving the first finger free. AVhen the
rubber is passed over the tooth, the forefinger of the left hand
takes the place of the forefinger of the right, leaving the right
hand free. The clamp is then set on the tooth passing over the
finger of the left hand. When the reach back into the mouth is
not too great, the gi'asp may be as usual and the thumb of the
left hand used to relieve the finger of the right, but in this case
more of the hand is in the way of the clamp forceps. Some per-
sons seem to have much difficulty in bringing the ends of the
first and second fingers close enough together to hold the rubber
close against both the lingual and buccal sides of the tooth after
spreading them over the arch. In doing this, a certain bending
of the fingers is necessary in the first of the movement and a
straightening of the first finger as the clamp is placed. These
movements are usually difficult for the beginner, and any one
intending to use them should first practice them on models out
of the mouth and then in the mouth l^efore undertaking the work
for patients. This should generally be done without pain to
patients.
After the clamp has been placed over the rubber, the rubber
may be forced past the contact with the ligature. On the mesial
side of the tooth, that is perfectly simple; but it often is more
difficult to pass the contact distal to the clamp. In a large pro-
portion of the eases it will be unimportant whether the rubber
passes this contact or not. If the clamp is steady and there is
no leakage, there is no necessity for passing the contact. But
often it will leak and occasionally it is necessary to remove the
clamp in order to place a separator.
Tying a ligature under a clamp will require different
maneuvers with different clamps, depending much on the form
of the bow. Often with the special clamp the ligature may be
brought into position to pass the contact after passing it to the
distal of the bow; especially if after it is passed around the
foot of the clamp to the buccal and lingual it is caught with
hatchet 6-2-23 (a dull instrument of similar shape would be
better, as the danger of puncturing the rubber would be avoided),
passed through the bow of the clamp, to hook it up and pull it
forward into position to enter between the two teeth. In order
that the ligature may readily slip off the instrument into place,
it must b(^ caught from above, not from below. In doing tliis
alone the ligature must first be passed to the foot of the clamp,
both buccal and lingual, with one end wrapped on the little
finger of flic left hand, and with the second finger of the left at