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188 PATHOLOGY OF THE HARD TISSUES OF THE TEETH.

TREATMENT OF DENTAL CARIES.
In what is said in this volume of the treatment of dental
caries, attention will be directed to general principles of the
plans that may be employed for its prevention, and for its erad-
ication and cure, the management of cases and classes of cases
in combating pathological conditions, and the discussion of pro-
phylactic measures that may be used by patients themselves.
The technical procedures in filling teeth are fully presented in
the second volume. No discussion of methods of operating will
be given here.
Prophylactic Treatment of Caries by Artificial Cleaning.
If the local conditions surrounding the beginnings of caries
of the enamel and controlling its localization are as have been
represented in preceding pages, and, if it also be true that with-
out these, or equivalent conditions, the beginnings of caries would
not occur, which all logical consideration of the conditions seem
to declare, the first inquiry as to treatment should be directed to
the question of the possibility of preventing the beginning of
caries of the enamel in susceptible localities by systematized
methods of periodical removal of all deposits. In the consider-
ation of the beginnings of decay of the enamel, the natural proc-
esses of the cleaning of the teeth by the mastication of food have
been pointed out in brief and its limitations cited in connection
with Figures 101-103, inclusive. This shows that the points of
failure of cleaning, in the chewing of food, are the points at which
the beginnings of caries occur. Then, if these points could be
cleaned artificially at sufficiently short intervals, dental caries
ought to be prevented. The proposition that dental caries never
begins on a clean surface of any tooth is old, and all modern
research tends strongly to support and to strengthen it. It there-
fore seems certain that if such parts of every tooth as have been
indicated could be kept clean, dental caries would be banished.
From time to time, propositions looking to the cleaning of every
part of every tooth at frequent stated intervals in order to pre-
vent caries have been made. Most of these have also had in
them some form of medication applied to the surfaces of the
teeth accompanying the cleaning. Recently Dr. D. D. Smith has