Page 578 - My FlipBook

576 EXTRACTION OF TEETH.
The Mfx'iianicat. Mouth-opener (Fig. 507).—This inslrumcnt
is made in various shapes and sizes. It is inserted between the jaws
wlien the ])r()])s are to be removed or in eases of trismus, and may also
be used to separate tlie jaws and retain them so in eases of emergency
or (bn-ing eertain o])erations within the oral eavity.
All denti>^ts, and espeeially those
V\v,. 504.
who extract teeth, should have at
least one ])airof I'HAiiYNCiEAL FOR-
CEPS (Fig. 508). It is possible that
they may never be used, but on the
other hand an accident may occur
such as a fragment or tooth slip-
ping into the pharynx, where if the
finger cannot reach it this instru-
ment will be absolutely necessary.
Surgical Anatomy.—To extract
teeth successfully it is first neces-
sary to be perfectly familiar with
the general shapes of the difi'erent

Fig. 50.").

Mouth mirror.
Curved scissors.
teeth and their position in relation to the jaw and to their associates, in
order that the operator may intelligently apply the force in the line of
the least resistance required for their removal. This knowledge cannot
The jaws of the
be obtained from books ; they are but the guides to it.
dead subject must be dissected—both the cleaned bones and those with
the soft tissues left upon them. "Dissection" means that not only
shall the superficial relations be studied, but that the bones shall be cut
in various directions, both with the saw and other instruments, until