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and the treatment of the stump, will form the subject of a
separate section to be considered hereafter.
These are the general rules which are to direct us in de-
termining upon the extraction of the adult teeth, but such
are the variations which will occur in practice, that our judg-
ments will often be called into exercise, whether to pursue
these rules or not. In all cases of pained teeth, we ought
to use our efforts to preserve them, if they are useful, and
would be so, if preserved. Often in this way the judicious
surgeon-dentist will be able, and have the pleasure of pre-
serving many valuable teeth, by which he will insure the
gratitude of his patient, and feel the luxury of doing good.
A case of this kind I will mention, which occurred in my
last, Mrs. W
practice. In the month of July , a very
respectable lady, living opposite the new market, in Second-
street, called on me to ask my advice with regard to her
teeth. She said, in consequence of taking cold, several of
them were in pain, and had been so for three or four days.
She said, she sent for a dentist to examine her teeth, and he
instantly, and without regarding her feelings, advised their
extraction. Disgusted with his want of feeling, and appar-
ently slight consideration of her case, she declined his advice,
or the extraction of the teeth, and immediately called on me.
I found, upon examination, that the pained teeth were in a
state of decay, but not so much so but what they could be
preserved, and would be useful. The nerves of the teeth
before mentioned were considerably exposed, and in a state
of inflammation. I directed her to take a gentle aperient,
with fomentations to her face, and gave suitable directions
for the treatment of the teeth themselves, and in a few hours
had the pleasure of entirely arresting the inflammation of
the exposed nerves and teeth, and which has not recurred
again. The nerves and teeth are now in a state of prepara-