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180 HUNTER ON THE TEETH.

however, they have their uses, as it is a practice -which the
patients themselves can easily put into execution.
(J)
It often happens from neglect, and much oftener in spite of
all the means that can be used, that the Tooth becomes so
hollow, as to give way, whereby the passage becomes too large to
keep in any of the above-mentioned substances ; however in this
case it sometimes happens, that a considerable part of the body
of the Tooth will still stand, and then a small hole may be
drilled through this part, and after the cavity hath been well
stopped, a small peg may be put into the hole, so as to keep in the
lead, gold, &c. But when this cannot be done, we may consider
the broken Tooth as entirely useless, or at least it will soon be so
;
and it is now open to attacks of inflammation, which the patient

(/) [Of the various materials in use for the purpose of stopping teeth,
gold is still preferred to every other. The gold leaf at present in use is
of two distinct qualities, the one is termed adhesive and, after annealing,
separate pieces of it are capable of being united into a solid mass by-
moderate pressure ; the other is termed nor.-adhesive, and separate por-
tions cannot be made to unite ; in using the latter for the purpose of
stopping, the operator depends upon wedging the layers so closely
together that no fluid can penetrate between the folds inserted into the
decayed cavity.
The reader is referred to Tomes's System of Dental Surgery, or to
Arthur's Treatise on the Use of Adhesive Gold Foil, Philadelphia, 1857,
for further information upon this portion of the subject.
Lead is now excluded from use, but when a cheap material is reqvrired
tin foil is sometimes employed. Other substances that are used in cases
where gold cannot be applied consist of the various amalgams, of the so
termed osteo-plastic compounds, of Jacob's gutta percha stopping, and
some other materials.
Temporary stoppings are very beneficial when a tooth has to be under
treatment for some time before filling the cavity, and of these none is
perhaps better than gum mastic dissolved in spirits of wine mixed up
with a portion of cotton wool sufficiently large, when all the superfluous
portion of the mastic solution has been pressed out to fill the cavity
Camphorated spirits of vine applied in the same manner is exceedingly
useful where the cavity is so placed that the patient can daily remove
the stopping and replace it for himself-l