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EXAMINATION. : 135 ;
and supplying these organs, art is in constant requi-
sition ; and, in these respects, great achievements
have been made. In the operation of filling the
teeth, especially, the achievements are conspicuous
and here is scope for the highest skill. Every suc-
cessive step in the process of filling a tooth demands
a complete and conscientious application of the most
efficient and best adapted formulas of the art. In
the following remarks, it is proposed to analyze this
whole process, examining, in their order, the various
steps necessary to be taken, and endeavoring to incul-
cate the true methods of accomplishing them.
EXAMINATION.
When a case is presented, there should first be a
thorough examination, since by this all the subse-
quent work will be modified. The points to be noted
in the examination are as follows
The temperament ; the present health ; the consti-
tutional tendencies ; the secretions,—the saliva and
mucus ; the mucous membrane and the gums ; the
constitution and condition of the teeth; the num-
ber of them remaining in the mouth ; the number
affected ; and the extent and nature of the decay,
and the character of the agents producing it. By
the examination we ascertain how to proceed in the
