Page 58 - My FlipBook

42 THE TREATMENT OF TEETH
the form and thickness of the gold bear to one
another.
The finer the point—in reason—the greater the
condensation and the better the adaptation. The
heavier the blow, the better is the adaptation and
condensation. The more favourably the gold is
prepared for ease and accuracy of adaptation and
condensation, the more surely will these be obtained.
The difficulty is not so much in making fillings
sufficiently hard and strong to resist the wear and
tear of mastication, as to save teeth by perfectly
adapting the gold, and it may be said that any
method which will insure perfect adaptation with
cohesive gold will surely produce a well-condensed
filling, providing the whole of the filling is made
with equal care. Starting with the point that thin
strips of gold, or small cylinders, lend themselves
particularly well to adaptation, and selecting what is
known as a retaining point plugger, viz., one with a
condensing surface of ^^^ inch in diameter, as the point
that produces the greatest condensation and adapta-
tion, Ave must not forget that when the fine plugger
is applied to adaptable gold with great force, an
altogether unnecessary amount of time and energy
may be expended. The comfort of the patient and
the well-being of the peridental membrane render
the use of excessive mallet force undesirable, and a