Page 175 - My FlipBook

FILLING TEETH 159

as a veneer, the union is very good, and that, unless
the tilling has been strained by biting before it is
set, the veneer will rarely break away.
Gold and Gutta-Percha.—A layer of gutta-percha
may be placed at the cervical margin, and then the
tilling completed with gold. The writer has occa-
sionally made use of this in cavities that were too far
below the gum to admit of the use of the rubber
dam until the filling Avas built up to the gum line.
In some cases the result has been satisfactory, in
others the gutta-percha has rotted ; it is therefore
only a method for occasional use : in all cases in
which it would not spoil the appearance of the
tooth, amalgam should be used in preference.
Gutta- Percha and White Cement.—This combina-
tion is useful in certain cases where a comparatively
temporary filling is needed to preserve a tooth for a
year or two as a preliminary treatment. It is
principally useful in approximo-occlusal cavities in
bicuspids and molars where the use of white cement
is precluded owing to presence of moisture, and the
rubber dairi has to be dispensed with. The pro-
cedure is to fill up to the knuckle with gutta-percha,
and complete with the cement. The better wear-
ing properties of the cement under mastication
protect the gutta-percha, and prevent its being
rapidly worn away.