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Irregularities of the Teeth. 45
try and beauty of the mouth depend
: it is rarely necessary,
unless through gross neglect. As the incisores and bicuspides
make their appearance before the cuspidati, these latter teeth
are most frequently rendered irregular for want of room. It
was formerly the practice to allow these teeth to grow down, and
then to extract them ; but this was bad practice, as the cuspi-
dati are the longest and strongest teeth in the head, and very
useful for the support of artificial teeth in the event of the
decay and loss of the incisores. It is better to extract either
the posterior or anterior bicuspides, according to circumstances,
when the cuspidati will soon fall down into their proper places.
To remedy many cases of irregularities, it is necessary to
have recourse to gold or silver plates, or other mechanical
contrivances. When the front teeth stand too far asunder,
from natural conformation, or from too early extraction of the
temporary teeth, they may readily be brought into their proper
position, by means of silken ligatures frequently renewed so as
to exert a gentle but continued pressure.
Irregularities of the teeth are occasionally produced by other
causes than those that have been noticed.
Supernumerary teeth—these teeth generally appear behind
the incisores of the upper jaw and thrust them forward out <.f
their places, and give the mouth a most unseemly appearance.
The remedy is the extraction of them, as soon as they pierce
the gum.
Teeth are sometimes formed with ragged edges, or corners
of them are broken ofF by accident : these irregularities are
remedied by filing off portions from the cutting edges. This
operation is not only useful by improving the appearance of
such teeth, but is often necessary, for badly formed, projecting,
or broken teeth are apt to occasion ulceration of the cheek and
tongue ; it often happens that very useful teeth are extracted,
when the judicious removal of portions of them, would have
remedied the evil and preserved them.
In conclusion of this subject, we would observe, that in a
future part of this work, " on the prevention and treatment of
the diseases of the teeth," we shall have something very im-