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74 Diseases of the Teeth.
In the artificial exfoliation of internal caries, very often, the
dead parts are peeled out, and we come to the sound bone at
once. This is the white species of decay, of some authors,
and is the animal matter of the diseased part of the tooth ; the
lime having been dissolved or absorbed. This species is never
seen in external caries, unless a large portion of the bone of
the tooth has been destroyed by inflammation.
&c. yet within a year afterwards, scarcely any of the teeth so affected
had escaped the attacks of gangrene, although the corresponding teeth
on the other side remained free from diseaes." Thomas Bell, page 180.
The case mentioned by Mr. Bell is notan isolated fact. We could cite
a great nuirber of similar cases if it were necessary. We beg to mention
the following case, which we think admirably illustrates the origin of
internal caries.
In the month of August 1S34, a gentleman called on me for professional
aid, stating that his teeth were rapidly decaying, and feared that he
should lose many of them in a short time. On examining his mouth, I
found his jaws remarkably well developed ; the incisores, cuspidati
and bicuspides of the upper jaw, stood a little asunder, and without any
symptoms of decay. The same teeth also of the lower jaw, were free
from disease. But ten molar teeth were decaying, and the disease made
its appearance in the centre of their crowns, in seven of these, the bony
abcess had burst externally, so as readily to admit a large probe—in the
other three, the enamel apparently was perfect, and the progressing
disease was only indicated by its color underneath the enamel.
In the artificial exfoliation of these teeth, I found the caries of that pe-
culiar color, which always indicates great rapidity of destruction. In
several of them, a large portion of the bony structure was destroyed, and
I peeled out the disease, portion after portion, till I came to the sound
bone, which was as defined, as the line of demarkation in a sphacelated
limb.
My patient was about 25 years of age—of a robust constitution, and
one year out from England. He said that in the early part of the pre-
vious winter, he had had ague in the face or swelled face, after exposure
to cold and wet, and that last spring, he first discovered his teeth to be
decaying.
In the above case, it is evident from the great rapidity of the disease,
its peculiar color, and its defined boundary, that it must have been the
result of inflammation and gangrene of a larse portion of the crowns of
these teeth. If the teeth be always destroyed by external caries, caused
by the chemical action of foreign matter, &c, the peculiar species of
caries just mentioned, could never take place, nor could caries ever
originate internally, the enamel being perfect. That caries frequently
originates internally, is affirmed by the best writers upon the teeth, and
is even admitted by these who contend that caries is always caused by
chemical agents: but the "latter assert, that there is a crack in the ena-
mel, permeable to their causes of decay, which is readily seen by the aid
of * magnifier, though not perceptible to the naked eye. This fanciful
notion requires no comment
74 Diseases of the Teeth.
In the artificial exfoliation of internal caries, very often, the
dead parts are peeled out, and we come to the sound bone at
once. This is the white species of decay, of some authors,
and is the animal matter of the diseased part of the tooth ; the
lime having been dissolved or absorbed. This species is never
seen in external caries, unless a large portion of the bone of
the tooth has been destroyed by inflammation.
&c. yet within a year afterwards, scarcely any of the teeth so affected
had escaped the attacks of gangrene, although the corresponding teeth
on the other side remained free from diseaes." Thomas Bell, page 180.
The case mentioned by Mr. Bell is notan isolated fact. We could cite
a great nuirber of similar cases if it were necessary. We beg to mention
the following case, which we think admirably illustrates the origin of
internal caries.
In the month of August 1S34, a gentleman called on me for professional
aid, stating that his teeth were rapidly decaying, and feared that he
should lose many of them in a short time. On examining his mouth, I
found his jaws remarkably well developed ; the incisores, cuspidati
and bicuspides of the upper jaw, stood a little asunder, and without any
symptoms of decay. The same teeth also of the lower jaw, were free
from disease. But ten molar teeth were decaying, and the disease made
its appearance in the centre of their crowns, in seven of these, the bony
abcess had burst externally, so as readily to admit a large probe—in the
other three, the enamel apparently was perfect, and the progressing
disease was only indicated by its color underneath the enamel.
In the artificial exfoliation of these teeth, I found the caries of that pe-
culiar color, which always indicates great rapidity of destruction. In
several of them, a large portion of the bony structure was destroyed, and
I peeled out the disease, portion after portion, till I came to the sound
bone, which was as defined, as the line of demarkation in a sphacelated
limb.
My patient was about 25 years of age—of a robust constitution, and
one year out from England. He said that in the early part of the pre-
vious winter, he had had ague in the face or swelled face, after exposure
to cold and wet, and that last spring, he first discovered his teeth to be
decaying.
In the above case, it is evident from the great rapidity of the disease,
its peculiar color, and its defined boundary, that it must have been the
result of inflammation and gangrene of a larse portion of the crowns of
these teeth. If the teeth be always destroyed by external caries, caused
by the chemical action of foreign matter, &c, the peculiar species of
caries just mentioned, could never take place, nor could caries ever
originate internally, the enamel being perfect. That caries frequently
originates internally, is affirmed by the best writers upon the teeth, and
is even admitted by these who contend that caries is always caused by
chemical agents: but the "latter assert, that there is a crack in the ena-
mel, permeable to their causes of decay, which is readily seen by the aid
of * magnifier, though not perceptible to the naked eye. This fanciful
notion requires no comment
