Page 223 - My FlipBook

those that have done my patients the greatest service, have
been those in which I ihave cut cavities on the proximate
surfaces of the teeth, where there was no cavity as yet, and
made fihings for the purpose of forming a contact that would
not leak food in the interproximate space. The patients
were relieved from the annoyance of food crowding between
the teeth, the gum tissue which was pushed away grew up
and filled the space properly again and the person could
chew meats afterward with comfort. Now, these have all
been cases where the patient was intensely annoyed by the
lodgments between the teeth ; but sometimes I think we
should perform these operations in cases where patients do
not recognize this annoyance, wliere the injury is evidenit
and yet the patient does not feel cognizant of any injury.
It is as important an item in the management of a practice
as I can give you, this matter of carefully looking into the
condition interproximate spaces.
Now, in all of this matter of cleaning and directing the
cleaning and teaching of the method of cleaning, you have
your duty to do to those who put themselves under your
care. I hope that each one of you may have in a large
degree what I would call a family practice, where families
of children come under your influence and look to you for
the care of their teeth. They will grow up with you, de-
pending upon you, if you do your duty, and you will have the
direction of their personal care of their teeth and the direction
and management of those operations that may be necessary
for them. It is in the directions you will give them and
the management of them that you will rmake your greatest
success hereafter. There is fully as much depending upon
that, or more, than upon your personal skill in manipulation.

Evil Habits in Chewing Food.
I want now to turn your atttention to the proper mas-
tication of food by those patients who come under your
care. A great many patients will come to you who are
not using their teeth as they should use them ; indeed, in
many communities you will find a popular fad which in-
duces persons to chew lightly. Persons who will come to
you who have felt that they are liable to injure their teeth
by hard usage, by the chewing of hard foods, and have

211