Page 92 - My FlipBook

METHODS OF FILLING TEETH.
78
if difference in In the rough, the
little, any, appearance. general
surface will resemble any ordinary gold, but as soon as a bur or stone
is passed over it the platinum asserts itself, and the yellow almost
to a color which is not as beautiful as either
vanishes, giving place
gold or platinum alone. This matter of color I dwell upon, because
to me it has been so objectionable that I have almost abandonee! the
material. I once had to build down the lower third of a living lateral
incisor, broken off by a fall. For some reason, which I have never
to I used this combination. The
explained satisfactorily myself, patient
was charmed, because her one dread was that she would show a lot of
gold. I suppose it was mainly to humor this fancy that I did not
depend upon gold alone. As soon as she stepped out of the chair and
stood a few feet from me, I realized what a mistake I had made. The
did not show as much as
filling gold, because, except in bright light,
it did not show at all. It looked so dark that the tooth
practically
seemed unfilled. To my mind, therefore, it is contraindicated for
ordinary work in the front of the mouth .
An advantage which it possesses over gold alone is that it pro-
duces a much more resistant surface. That is, it is tougher, or, to
express it otherwise, more dense. This quality would indicate its use
where we find a whole set of otherwise sound teeth being worn away
by abrasion during mastication. Some men chew so hard that they
actually wear out their teeth. Ordinary gold fillings only very slightly
check the havoc which is being done. If, however, we solidly fill all
the molars with gold and platinum, further mischief will be prevented.
For similar reasons it should be employed where, in cases of pyorrhea,
it becomes expedient to unite two teeth by a filling extending across
from one into the other, covering a platinum bar. The hardest possible
is desirable in these cases, and is obtainable with this material.
filling
Its manipulation deserves a few words of description by way of
caution. In the first place, care must be taken not to tear the surface,
as this exposes the platinum, and thus renders it non-cohesive at that
point. For the same reason, annealing should be done in a way that
will not risk burning off the There are
gold. annealing apparatuses
which serve very well, or a piece of mica may be used as a tray to
carry the foil over the flame before it is cut up. When I am using
this material, and I find that it is losing its cohesiveness, I lay on one
or two of the cohesive
pieces heavy gold foil, thus producing quality
in the surface of the once more, and then continue with the
filling
and
platinum gold.
Gold and Tin. In spite of the high authority for this method, it is
one in which I have no faith. In the first I think we make a great
place,
mistake in searching out as many materials as possible with which to
fill teeth. We have now good and reliable filling-materials, which