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208

caused by a similar malady of the first little molar tooth on
I
the right side of the upper jaw, she had recourse to me :
made use of the same method as before with so much success,
that the pain ceased almost immediately, and this religious
woman preserved her tooth.
" It should never be neglected to trepan a tooth on a similar
occasion ; whether this operation is performed on the skull or
other bones, to give exit to the matters which are diffused in
the cavities of these bones, where they are formed contrary
to the order of nature."

Cure.

As Odontalgia is usually caused by an irritated state of the
nerve and lining membrane of the affected tooth or teeth,
consequently our plan of cure must be, as far as is in our
power, to remove or prevent the influence of the exciting
causes, and, at the same time, make use of those curative
measures which soothe the irritated nerves. But it is some-
times the case that no remedy which our patients will allow
us to use will be of any service, and we are compelled to
extract the tooth. In all cases when the molar teeth are af-
fected and so far decayed as not to be of use if preserved,
and plugged, &c. they ought to be extracted or excised. The
canine and incisor teeth, if they are affected, ought not to be
extracted ; but if all our endeavours to quiet the inflamed
nerves should fail, then the tooth should be cutoff at the very
edge of the gum, and the stump treated on the principles
which will be laid down in the chapter on the preparation of
the stumps of teeth for the reception of artificial ones. By
these means we shall be able to preserve the stumps of the
canine and incisor teeth, on which the crowns of natural
teeth may be engrafted in the most perfect manner, so that,