Page 176 - My FlipBook

162 METHODS OF FILLING TEETH.
able, a properly placed and properly polished amalgam filling will
do good service.
is connected with an
Where a festoon cavity approximal one, the
former should be filled first. In these cases, build the gold well up
along the gingival border, so that when the clamp is removed to allow
the dam will not slip down. A
access to the approximal cavity, liga-
ture may then be applied, and, forced above the gold, will easily be
so that all will be it is de-
tied securely kept dry. Where, however,
cided to fill the approximal cavity with amalgam, the reverse order
must be followed. The amalgam must be placed first, and thoroughly
when be
polished at the next sitting, gold may placed in the festoon,
which is to be seen.
the part readily
Before leaving festoon cavities, I may mention that on more than
or ten such cavities occur
one occasion I have seen eight suddenly
in the mouth of a person suffering from an acute attack of gastritis.
They are also common in connection with a chronic gingivitis, and
in such teeth will fail unless the is treated
fillings gingivitis properly
and cured. Again, there is a species of deposit found in the mouths
of persons who may be scrupulously cleanly, which seems to have
the power of producing caries. This deposit is most often seen at
the labial festoon of the lower anterior teeth. It is whitish, and of
After the teeth, the
a creamy consistency. properly filling patient's
attention should be attracted to this condition, and special brushes
recommended, the bristles of which will reach and cleanse these
Without this precaution the best will fail.
places. filling
Cavities upon the labial surfaces are rare, and mainly due to a mal-
formation, which either produces a crevice, or else poorly calcified
enamel. The depredations assume all manner of irregular shapes,
but two rules cover them all. Where the cavity is single, prepare
it approximately circular, or with the borders of the best curve which
will include all of the carious region without unnecessary enlargement.
Secondly, where there are two or more small cavities, they are not
to be united be so near that, filled as
except they
a single cavity, the gold will not be more con-
spicuous than where each is treated separately.
(See Figs. 21, 22.) A single illustration will suffice
to show the method of management. In Fig. 183
was shown an surrounded
irregular-shaped cavity
by decalcified enamel. Fig. 186 shows the -same
prepared for filling. To accomplish this, first use a
fine corundum over the surface, removing all of the
decalcified territory, which is so superficial that after grinding it
away the underlying enamel may be polished. This will leave a clear
indication of what the limits of the must be. The
cavity necessarily