Page 671 - My FlipBook

AMALGAM. 329

whom we serve has the right to expect the best service profes-
sional men can give.
A FINAL WORD BEGARDiNG AMALGAM. The idea that amalgam
is a cheap filling, to be done quickly in "any old way" should
be discarded forever. The dentist should have the same pay
for time in making amalgam fillings as in making gold fillings,
and take the time to do it well. If he does his duty as well, the
service to his patient in proportion to the time employed, will
be just as valuable.
Fillings properly made of the modern amalgams are a
close second to gold in their durability and in their protection
against the recurrence of caries. The difference is that the
amalgam filling is the more difficult to make perfectly. It is
more difficult to learn the manipulation, and, even then, it is
more difficult to secure perfect results regularly, filling after
filling. With the modern amalgams, there should never be any
discoloration of the cavity walls. Any such discoloration is, in
every case, an evidence of leakage, just as much so as in gold
fillings. The exposed surface of the filling turns black or brown,
but the tissues of the tooth should not discolor any more than
with gold fillings. This has been abundantly demonstrated.
Any discoloration of the tissues of the tooth shows a fault, either
in the manipulation or in the amalgam.