Page 429 - My FlipBook

THE CHILDHOOD PERIOD OF THE PERMANENT TEETH. 277
sixteen and seventeen. More of these latter will abscess than of
those filled between seventeen and eighteen. This will continue
progressively to patients who are about twenty-five or twenty-
seven years old. Those root fillings made between the ages of
twenty-five to twenty-seven, and forty years will give the longest
average of service. After that age, there begins to be more fre-
quent interference with successful root filling in the way of calci-
fications, extreme narrowing of root canals, etc., that renders the
average endurance less certain. A strict account of root filling
with its results in the endurance of the teeth without abscess will
give results closely along these lines. Particularly the great
loss of teeth from abscess when root fillings are made before
persons are twenty years old, should warn us strongly to use
every reasonable effort to avoid destroying pulps for young peo-
ple. We must destroy pulps and make root fillings in the incisor
teeth, as the least of two evils, when there is no hope of saving
exposed pulps alive. The reduction of these cases of necessity
can come only through greater care in gaining the opportunity
to attend more closely to the care of the teeth of our people and
make necessary operations earlier in the progress of caries. This
means a better education of our people to the necessities of
greater watchfulness over the teeth of the young.