Page 84 - My FlipBook

68 THE TREATMENT OF TEETH
harm. The part removed is replaced with gold,
and it can be done in such a manner that the tooth
is in no way weakened, or in any way made less
useful. To open an occlusal cavity the overhang-
ing edges of enamel are cut away until they are
level with the interior walls. It must be remem-
bered that, owing to the body of a tooth being
composed of dentine, it usually decays to a greater

Fig. Sn. Fig. 3/^

extent than the enamel, and on the removal of the
decay the interior is consequently larger or more
hollowed out than the orifice (Fig. 3«). The rule
in occlusal cavities is to make the orifice as large as
the interior diametei-, so as to do aAvay with any
overhanging ledge under which it would be almost
impossible to accurately pack and condense the
gold (Fig. oh). This applies also to cavities on
the labial, buccal, and lingual surfaces of the teeth,
and to a certain extent to all cavities.