Page 31 - My FlipBook

have found. If you have no assistant it is better that you stop
and make that record yourself as you go along. Now, hav-
ing made this examination of the proximate surfaces of the
lower teeth, you will raise the chair a little and throw it back
so that the light will come well into the upper mouth. Now
you will repeat upon the upper jaw the examination that has
been made upon the lower, with the same instruments and in
a similar way, examining the occlusal surfaces first, then the
buccal and lingual surfaces, and, lastly, the proximate sur-
faces, until you have passed each tooth in review. In this
examination you will find points occasionally about which you
will be in doubt. Particularly will this be the case when ex-
amining the proximate surfaces, and the ligature then will
often aid you. Take the ligature in your fingers (this may
be either in the upper or in the lower jaw), and I like to
throw the ligature around my little finger of the left hand in
that way (demonstrating), and have length enough so that I
can handle it. If there is doubt about certain teeth pass the
ligature, and in passing a ligature put your fingers close to-
gether on the buccal and lingual of the tooth; don't pass a
ligature this way (pulling the ligature over the lips) and cut
your patient's lip and gums with the ligature—do unnecessary
damage and inflict unnecessary pain—but put your fingers
close together and then when you pass your ligature, even if
it goes hard, you are not very liable to injure the gums or

lips; saw the ligature a little back and forth, and if there is
decay of any consequence you will find that it is rough; the
sharp edges of a cavity will cut the thread. You will discover
a cavity in that way, often, that is close in against the con-
tact, and which you will be unable to reach with the explorer.
But you may be still in doubt, even after all this, as to
whether or not there is a cavity in a certain position, and in
that case it may be necessary to put on the rubber dam, and
even to put on the separator and separate the teeth slightly,
so that you can pass your explorer over the surfaces before
you can be absolutely certain that there is no decay. You
will be surprised occasionally, after having gone to all this
trouble to find out whether or not there is a cavity, to find
that there is a large cavity—not a large opening—but that the
cavity has extended deeply into the dentin through a very
small opening, and that much of the tooth has been destroyed.

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