Page 97 - My FlipBook

MATERIALS FOR FILLING. 93

are based the arguments in its favor : it is easily ap-
plied, and consolidates with considerable hardness.
It is affirmed, also, that teeth which can not be saved
with any thing else, may be filled with this, and made
valuable. This, however, is not true since the em-
ployment of the adhesive property of gold ; which

property renders this metal equal in adaptability to
amalgam.
Non-metallic Materials.—Of the non-metallic mate-
rials experimented with for filling, there are not many
worthy of any particular consideration. Indeed, gutta-
percha and its preparations constitute the chief of
these substances now used for this purpose, though
some others have been employed. Gutta-percha is

useful for temporary fillings, and, under ordinary cir-
cumstances, is sufficiently durable. It is valuable for
filling those teeth which it may be desirable to retain
only a short time, or those in which it may be neces-
sary temporarily to protect a sensitive part against the
influence of irritating agents, in order to restore it to
health. Gutta-percha is not readily decomposed by
the fluids of the mouth, when they are in a healthy
condition. In some instances we have known it worn
in the mouth for years, with but little change. But
in cavities on the grinding surfaces of the molars and

bicuspids, it will not withstand the wear of mastica-
tion a great while, though long enough in most cases