Page 306 - My FlipBook

304 THE OPERATION OE EILLINU CAVETIES.

Eroded Areas.
Tliere is a class of cavities wiiich has not been s[)e<'ifi('ally tn-atcd in
the f'on'ii:;oiiii;- chapter, partly because the lesions nnder consideration
cannot, strictly speaking, be classed under the head of" carious cavities,
and they are of such a peculiar formation that no deliuite rule can be
laid down as to the best mode of treatment. If tlu; eroded area be
narrow and confined to the cervical border of the labial surface, and
in a mouth in which the teeth are not conspicuous, a filling of gold
may be employed; but not infrequently the eroded area extends over
a consideral)le portion of the labial surface, and in such cases a tilling
of gold would be so inharmonious that it should be avoided if })ossible.
Hitherto the operator has had little choice of filling materials, and has
often been compelled, against his better judgment, to employ gold in
these cases.
The zinc phosphates have been almost as inharmonious in (;olor as
the gold, and their durability has been so variable that they could not
be regarded as permanent in character. The same may be said of gutta-
percha.
Happily, the progress which is being made in jporcelahi inlay work
promises something both artistic and durable. It is quite possible, with
the great variety of shades of porcelain now being furnished, to match
the tint of the natural tooth, and if care be exercised in the selection of
shades and the contour given to the inlay these eroded areas may be
covered and the tooth made to assume almost as natural an appearance
as before the disease had attacked the surface. (For a detailed descrip-
tion of porcelain inlays the reader is referred to Chapter XV.)