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359

have been done." When the deciduous teeth have been re-
moved by accident, or art, too soon, the permanent teeth
are apt, in some cases, to be very late in making their appear-
ance. I know a young lady, who, by accident, when she was
three years old, lost her upper incisor teeth, and the new
ones did not appear until her eleventh year. Of this I have
noticed several cases.

Of the Manner in which the Deciduous Teeth should be
extracted.

At first sight, one would suppose that no direction upon
this part of the subject need be given ; but as from caries of
the deciduous teeth, proceeding so far as to expose fheir
nerves, so as at times to produce tooth-ache, we are obliged
to extract these teeth while yet quite firm, I deem it proper
to give a few hints upon this subject. The instruments prop-
er to be used, in almost every case, are the common extract-
ing forceps ; for these teeth extract much easier than the per-
manent ones, because the infant jaw is not so hard and per-
fectly ossified as the adult. There is but one rule in regard
to the manner of extracting these teeth. They should be
extracted with the utmost care : they should rather be solici-
ted out, if I may use such an expression, than dragged out with
that violence and butchery which is sometimes practised.
Mrs. H , a few months ago, called on me with her daugh-
ter, a child about eleven years old, and wished me to clean
and perform some operations upon the daughter's teeth. One
she wished extracted ; and mentioned to me, that when her
daughter was about six years old, she procured a dentist to
extract one of her molar teeth, which he did in the most
barbarous manner, mangling the gum and breaking the jaw,
in the most shocking manner. A violent inflammation en-
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