Page 152 - My FlipBook

METHODS OF FILLING TEETH.
138

tor catches in a bicuspid, the parent is admonished to bring her in
in a few months. Now such work on the of the dentist,
again part
though thoroughly conscientious, is not well directed. The bicuspids
have been neglected, and are sure to suffer from such a course of treat-
ment. In my opinion, the proper way to examine a young mouth is
to begin with a very fine-pointed explorer and examine closely each
end of each sulcus, searching for a place, however tiny, where the
instrument will penetrate to the dentine. I chose a "well-dressed"
miss, for the reason that in such a mouth we would probably find
clean teeth, and invisible decay as a consequence. If the explorer
discovers a cavity, however small, that tooth must be filled first.
What about those gaping cavities in the molars ? Let them wait, I
say. They have been waiting for months, and a day or two more
will not make much difference, whilst to begin with them, as I have
shown, usually leaves the bicuspids unfilled. The bicuspid with its
small cavity, when we consider its immense value in mastication, its
ready salvation if immediately cared for, and the extreme difficulties
FIG. 152. FIG. 153.

which it must
may bring to us later if not saved at the outset, certainly
be counted as worthy of our first attention. Of course there is no
need to neglect the molars to their detriment, either. If the work
cannot be done the decay may be removed from the
coincidently,
molars and temporary fillings inserted, whilst we give our first atten-
tion to the bicuspids.
Whether the crown of the bicuspid shows one or two cavities, is
immaterial. In either event the sulcus must be cut out entirely across
from end to end. This I have stated before, and I said that there
may be a few exceptions. These will occur more often in the lower
jaw, and are confined to that class of teeth in which there is no well-
marked sulcus, but simply a pit at each side, the cusps being fused
along the median line. In all other cases, extend the cavity to the
full length of the sulcus, and, moreover, it must not be cut out with
a
tiny drill, and filled afterward so that a thread-like streak of gold
is all that shows. Fig. 152 is diagrammatic, and is introduced to
show the fallacy of this procedure. It gives a section through a
bicuspid, and shows the tiny filling lying at the bottom of the sulcus.
To so fill a bicuspid gives the operator a chance to exhibit his skill,
for it is more difficult to place a solid filling in such a place than