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FILLING WITH GOLD. 249

more difficult in these, for the reason that tlie cavities are gen-
erally of less depth in proportion to their breadth. The most
convenient cavity to fill with non-cohesive gold is one in which
the depth is nearly equal to the breadth.
One who has become skillful with this manner of manipu-
lating non-cohesive gold, can make gold fillings in cavities suited
to this work in much less time than they can be made with cohe-
sive gold. This plan of filling is often very desirable for first
molars for children, and in various eases that come up in prac-
tice in which it is important to shorten the time of the operation.
These non-cohesive gold fillings do not stand attrition so
well as cohesive gold fillings in positions where great wear
comes upon them. They are, therefore, more suital)le for buccal
and labial cavities. If very well done, however, they do excel-
lent service in occlusal cavities where the wear is not extraor-
dinary.
It is the general opinion of those who use much non-cohesive
gold that water-tight margins are more certainly made with
it than with cohesive gold. This is certainly correct. It seems
to have been the general opinion that, with the same care and
skill, more gold could be put into a cavity of a given size, using
non-cohesive gold than with cohesive gold, but careful measure-
ments have not supported this proposition.
The use of non-cohesive gold in this way is now almost a
lost art, and it seems jirobable that it will go out of use entirely.
Something of the differences of the instruments used for this
purpose from the present forms has been presented in discuss-
ing instrument grasps. At present there are no suitable instru-
ments in the market for this work, and dentists seem to be losing
the art of making these for themselves when occasion requires.
It is a great loss to dentistry that we do not now make use of the
plan of filling with non-cohesive gold; a plan that was general
before the discovery of the cohesive property of gold, and still
could be used to great advantage in certain cases.

FILLING WITH COHESIVE GOLD.
ILLUSTRATIONS: FIGURES 320-33Y.

Pkepabation of gold foil. Preparation of gold foil for
filling requires careful attention. The sheet of foil as it comes
from the dealer must be divided and formed into suitable sizes
of pieces for the particular case. A very convenient form, which
is the oldest in use, is to roll the sheet, or a division of it, into
34a