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FILLING TEETH 117
nently tooth-saving amalgam ; the Contour alloy,
being a general purposes alloy, possessing great
edije streniitli, and better colour. Some dentists
claim that by mixing together the filings of two
or more amalgam alloys, they obtain a better
amalgam filling than in any other way. They
claim that a melting together of the mixed filings,
or the making of an ingot which contains the various
metals in the same proportions as the mixed filings,
does not give the same results. There is no doubt
that amalgam fillings in general have proved disap-
pointing, and how much of this is due to improper
proportions of the alloy, and the improper mixing
of the amalgam, time alone will show. That many
alloys have been extensively advertised and used,
which experiments have shown could by no possi-
bility have given good results, is proven ; and there
is every probability that, thanks to the investiga-
tions of Dr. Flagg, Dr. Black, and others, the
amalgams of the present and the future, will serve
a better purpose in saving teeth. The principal
defect in amalgam fillings is their great tendency
to curl away from the cavity margins. This leads to
either the amalgam edge, or the edge of the cavity,
or both, becoming chipped or broken by the force of
mastication, with a recurrence of decay as a natural
consequence.