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OP THE CAVITY FILLING UP, ETC. 145
be right upon the whole, always to draw, at least the first Grinder,
and, perhaps, some time after, the second Grinder also. (/)

OF THE CAVITY FILLING UP AS THE TEETH WEAR DOWN.
A Tooth very often wears down so low, that its cavity would
be exposed, if no other alteration were produced in it. To
prevent this, nature has taken care that the bottom part of the
cavity should be filled up by new matter, in proportion as the
surface of the Teeth is worn down, (m) This new matter may be
easily known from the old ; for when a Tooth has been worn down
almost to the neck, a spot may always be seen in the middle,

(l) [The practice here recommended, " always to draw at least the first
grinder " of the temporary set has been too much followed by the inte-
rested or ignorant, who have readily shielded their malpractice under the
authority of Hunter's name. The early extraction of any of the tempo-
rary teeth to make room for the permanent ones is rarely necessary, and
it is on all accounts to be deprecated, unless the peculiar circumstances
of the case imperatively call for it. But the removal of the large molar
teeth in the child, in anticipation of a future deficiency of room, is so ob-
viously uncalled for, and such a wanton interference with the usual pro-
cess of nature, that we cannot but wonder at its being proposed as a
general rule, even were there no positive evils to be apprehended from
it : but this is not all ; not only does the premature removal of the tem-
porary molars endanger the perfect formation of the bicuspids which
succeed them, by the forcible laceration of the connecting cord before
described, but, if it take place before the permanent teeth are ready to
fall into their ultimate situation, the jaw will contract as the child grows,
and the second set of teeth will be forced into an irregular position, from
permanent want of room. These arguments hold good against the too
early removal of any of the deciduous teeth.] T. Bell.
(m) [The pulp cavity becomes rilled with a kind of irregular dentine,
and is occasionally completely obliterated by it. In caries the tooth is
sometimes found strengthened by additions of denture on the wall of the
pulp cavity.(l) Mr. Bell notices that filling up of the internal cavity of
the tooth is frequently observed in sailors who have lived much on hard
biscuit. 1
(1) Vide Tomes op. cit., p. 327.