Page 149 - My FlipBook

ABRASION. 135

the procedure would be as follows : Grind off all the
ing, ragged ends
of the four incisors, and then prepare each in the form of a groove,
in which place screws, three in each central and two in each lateral
incisor, as shown in Fig. 147. The fillings should be made with gold
and platinum, and the contour restored sufficiently to render the
length of the teeth adequate, though we need not always build to
original lines. The result is shown in Fig. 148, where we note that
the border-line on all four teeth has been made uniform. im-
Slight
FIG. 147.

(; h*

perfections still appear in the centrals. These are merely pits which
are shallow, and it would be unwise to remove enough of the teeth
to eradicate them when they are so high. Some would argue in
favor of tipping these teeth with porcelain, while others might advo-
off the crowns and
cate cutting replacing them with artificial substi-
tutes. I am not discussing here the relative values of such methods,
but must be understood simply as describing how to fill these teeth,
when such procedure is deemed best by the operator.
The incisive edge of the cuspid is different from that of incisors,

Fir,. 148.

and may be considered unique, since it also varies materially from the
cusp of the bicuspids, in being more readily cleansed of food because
of its being a single instead of a double cusp. Nevertheless, genuine
caries will occur with more frequency along the edge of this tooth
than in the incisors or the ends of the bicuspid cusps. This will be
seen with greater frequency in mouths which show such incisors as
and the is that whilst the
I have just been discussing, probability
cuspids escape the extensive malformation, nevertheless there often