Page 222 - My FlipBook

wall, causing a g^ood deal of soreness and suppuration.
These things occur frequently, as I see it in practice.
There
are some wooden toothpicks that are made very smooth
and very nice, but I think upon the whole the quill tooth-
pick is very much the best to use,; they will get into places
where the wooden toothpicks will not reach and will clean
the surfaces very much better.
The difiference in persons as to the need of toothpicks
is very great indeed. Most young people have very little
use for the toothpick, if their teeth are well formed, if the
proximate contacts are good the rubber band would be
;
very much better. The toothpick need not be used gen-
erally by young people, unless there is a fault in proxi-
mate contact that causes lodgments to occur between the
teeth. Wherever these lodgments do occur the person
should be instructed to use the toothpick and to use it reg-
ularly after each meal. Now, persons who habitually have
lodgments between their teeth are very liable to neglect
them ; the lodgment from one meal remains until the next
meal, and that original lodgment is forced farther onto
the gum tissue and a new lodgment occurs, and this continues
meal after meal, day after day, until a great pocket is formed
between the teeth, the gum tissue is pushed aside and sore-
ness occurs, though this may not be very considerable. If
this food lies continually between the teeth fermentation
will go on, giving rise perhaps to caries, but not infrequently
to disease of the peridental membranes that will finally cause
the destruction of the teeth by destroying the peridental
membrane and alveolar process. A great many cases of dis-
ease of the gums are begun in that way, and in your prac-
tice you should guard this point very carefully. With every
patient that puts himself under your care you should ex-
amine for these lodgments and for the results of these lodg-
ments. The patients may pick them out before they come
to you and you will not see any food, but you will see the
condition that is brought about by this lodgment, and in
these cases you should warn your patients and see to it
from time to time that those spaces are kept clean. If
the conditions are such that the patient cannot keep these
spaces clean, then it becomes your duty to put them in
such condition that they can. Some of my best operations,

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