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DIAGNOSIS OF MOUTH AFFECTIONS. 177

ducing the condition, by the administration of proper remedies.
For the pitting variety, properly inserted fillings.
Odontomes are indicated by irregular masses of dental tissues,
which result from morbid conditions of the formative pulp, such
as nodules of enamel and dentine, hypertrophy of cementum,
etc., some being congenital, others induced.
Treatment.— Extraction, when they are a source of irritation,
or an injury to the normal teeth, or are unsightly.
Syphilitic Teeth are indicated by notches, generally crescentic,
in the cutting edges of the incisors, and peg-like shaped cuspids
;
also, a dark color and soft consistence are characteristic of such
teeth.
Treatment.—The most skilful treatment by properly intro-
duced fillings and constant attention, are necessary for their
preservation.
Erosion of the Teeth is a progressive chemical solution of the
enamel of the labial surfaces of the incisors, canines, and some-
times of the bicuspids, generally in the form of a continuous
horizontal groove, smooth and regular, and not due to caries or
mechanical abrasion ; in some cases it may extend over nearly the
whole of the labial surface, the color of the enamel being rarely
changed. Erosion is the removal of the surface of the enamel,
without apparent cause, although it has been ascribed to an altered
secretion of the labial follicular glands, acid in reaction probably
being the solvent. It is usually found in persons with a gouty
diathesis. Its first appearance consists of a slight cup- or dish-
shaped cavity in the enamel a short distance from the margin
of the gum, usually on the anterior surfaces of the front teeth,
although it is not confined to such teeth, the small excavations
gradually broadening and deepening until the surface of the
dentine becomes exposed, which remains hard and finely polished
;
and a pit or groove is at length formed which gradually widens
and deepens until a considerable portion of the crown of the
tooth is destroyed. The affected area of tooth structure remains
polished, and the invasion of the dentine is less rapid than the
surface destruction of the enamel. True erosion differs from the
destruction of the enamel in the form of pits and irregularities
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