Page 325 - My FlipBook

THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURT :{();{

of the ideas of the author, howcNcr, nuiir coiisitltrarion. lie- (.kiiiK
expresses the opinion that the sheddino; ot'rhi.' milk tttrh is hioughr ahour
by the pressure exercised upon them h\ the genus of the |Hrnianeiu ttcrh
in course of development. The loss of the teeth in \()ung suhjccrs. or in
those who ha\e not yet reached fort\- \ears of age, is ex|>lainc(l 1>\ tin-
author in an altogether special manner. He relates that Louis \1\ , ar
the age of thirty-five, had lost all his upper teeth, and the considerations
he makes on the subject bring him to the conclusion that tIh- precocious
loss ot the upper teeth depends in many cases on a paralysis of rlu- ncrxous
fibers that go to them, which paralysis is probahh' caused b\ a dissolute
and intemperate lite, having as its consequence the weakeningof the organ-
ism and, above all, ot the nervous system. Without doubt there is some
truth in Gerauldy's ideas, it being well known that the falling of the teeth
(as well as of the nails and the hair) often depends on nutritive disorders
deriving from nervous disturbances. We have the clear proof of this in
certain cases of tabes dorsalis accompanied by the spontaneous tailing
of the teeth and nails.
Joseph Hurlock, an Englishman, published a treatise in 1742,' in
which he warmly recommends lancing the gums in cases ot difficult
dentition; he declares this to be entirely without danger, and affirms that
it constitutes the sole means of salvation for not a few infants who without
it would die of convulsions.
MouTON, in 1746, that is, in the same year in which the second edition
of Fauchard's w^ork was issued, gave to the light a monograph, the
first extant, on mechanical dentistry.- The methods of this author tor
the most part do not differ from those of Fauchard, nevertheless one
finds several important innovations in his work. To prevent the turther
deterioration of teeth already much destroyed, and to preserve them some
time longer, Mouton had recourse to the application of "calottes d'or,"
that is,*g<»ld crowns,. He used this for the front teeth as well as tor the
molars, but m the f'ormer case he had them enamelled to give them the
same apjfearance as natural teeth.
Mouton also invented a new method of applying artificial teeth. I p to
then the ordinary method had been that of fixing them to the natural
teeth by means of threads passed through holes made in the artificial teeth
expressly for that purpose. Alouton is the first to speak ot artificial
teeth fixed to the natural teeth adjoining them by means ot springs
or clasps.
This author relates having carried out several transplantations with
perfect success, a thing that contributed greatly to his renown not only
in France, but also in England. He distinguished himself, besides, by the

* A Practical Treatise upon Dentition or the Breeding of the Teeth in Children.
^ Essai d'Odontotechnique, ou Dissertation sur les Dents Artificielles.