Page 215 - My FlipBook

mind with mind which will enable you to operate for them
easily and well. And it is largely to this end that I have in-
sisted that you hustle for your own patients here in the in-
firmary, that you learn the art of practice building, that, just
as far as that is possible, you have patients in whom you are
personally interested, and that in this way you begin this
study here upon which your future success depends more
largely than it will depend upon your manipulative ability,
though you cannot succeed well as a practitioner without you
operate well. Some may make money without giving much
return for it ; that is true, but the happiness of a practice
depends upon your giving full value received for that which

you gain.
Cleanliness.

One of the important features of the management of a
practice is the management of the artificial cleaning of pa-
tient's mouths, or instruction of patients in the use of the
brush, the toothpick, silk floss, etc., and the recognition of
conditions under which these should be used. You will find
persons who have no use for any of these things, persons
whose mouths will be clean without them. Examine them
when you will, before breakfast, after breakfast, or any other
time of the day, and you will find the mouth clean, there will
be no lodgments of food, there will be no debris about the
teeth. They have no use for tooth brushes, they have no use
for toothpicks or any of these affairs for artificial cleaning.
They are practically perfect mouths, the health of the per-
son is practically perfect ; there is immunity from decay and
they go along possibly through life without any need for
these things. But such perfect health as this is not the rule.
Most persons need to use the tooth brush, and it becomes
the duty of the dentist to prescribe the manner of use ; not
only to prescribe the manner of use, but to teach his patients
the correct use of the brush. Nearly every person who uses
the brush will fall into certain fixed habits in its use. Some
will take the brush and make a few strokes in this direction
and that and are done (illustrating with brush). They have
brushed their teeth and they will tell you very conscientiously
that they have brushed them carefully. I used to make it a
regular rule to say to my little patients : "Now, the next
time you come bring your brush with you ; I want to see how

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