Page 214 - My FlipBook

212

main and grow again as before. This is only done as a der-
nier resort, when every other has failed. It will then remain
at the discretion of the judicious practitioner. Cauterising
the nerve and sensible parts of the bony substance of the
teeth has been done but with indifferent success. I conclude
the subject with Mr. Delabarre's observations, who says,
* painful teeth are cauterized to obtain two results. The
first, to destroy the painful nerve ; the second, to put an end
to and dry up the caries. The instrument that is used for
this operation is various in its shape, on account of the caries
to be operated upon. To fulfil the first indication, the in-
strument is made red hot, and it is quickly applied to the cav-
ity where the nerve is to be destroyed. It succeeds some-
times very well in making the tooth insensible ; on other oc-
casions it is preferred to put into the caries equal parts of
caustic potash and acetate of lead ; the use of this means is
less terrifying to the patient ; plunging rapidly a small silver
sound, or a soft hog's bristle in the dental canal ; is also suc-
cessful, by destroying the nerve, is such a manner as to ren-
der the tooth insensible and admit of its being plugged. This
process is much less painful, and should often be prefered to
cauterization.
But at length when a caries is dried up, or to stop the
progress of erosion, or atrophy of the teeth in youth, in
order to make them insensible to the action of the air and
food, another method must be resorted to. This is by fre-
quently repeating the operation with an instrument hot, but
not red hot, that the desired success is obtained. This ope-
ration is a delicate one, and requires practice to judge the

* Odontologie Sur les Dents Humains, page 60, par C. Delabarre, Paris,.
1815.