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234 PATHOLOGY OF THE HAED TISSUES OF THE TEETH.

or what material may be used in the restoration. Hence it applies
to artificial crowns and to artificial teeth on plates as well as to
the restoration of parts of crowns in filling operations.
The marring of the beauty of the form of the teeth by wear
is of frequent occurrence in middle age or later, and occasionally
in younger persons. In these cases, imperfect occlusion has
caused the incisal edges of the front teeth to be shortened irregu-
larly. For instance, the mesial angles of the central incisors may
have worn much more than the distal angles, giving the teeth
a particularly unsightly appearance. Generally, this appearance
may be much improved by so grinding the teeth, that to appear-
ance, the wear will be regular. This may often be done to
advantage even when it is necessary to shorten several other
teeth in order to regain a neat and pleasant expression of the
mouth. Many other forms of irregular wear will be presented
in a general practice, in which good taste will prompt a similar
correction. Any such work must be directed by good taste and
judgment to obtain good esthetic effects. The conditions requir-
ing this kind of interference vary so greatly that nothing more
than this very general statement can be given.