Page 17 - My FlipBook

THE

TIGHTENING OF LOOSE TEETH

General Suggestions.
Before undertaking the mechanical fixation of loose
teeth, it may be advisable to clear up the etiology of
loosening, and the condition of both the teeth and the
underlying jaw. Such a mental picture is arrived at
by radiography, by the induced current, and by the
thorough examination of every individual tooth:
Some confusion has been occasioned by reason of
the fact that a multiplicity of causes have been put
forward to account for the loosening of teeth, and
since many authors have advocated principles no
one of which is applicable to all the conditions and
phenomena present.
While, in removing an unsuitable crown, in shorten-
ing an antagonist, and in correcting the bite, we recog-
nize strain as being one of the factors in the etiology
of loosening, there are cases where loosening may be
due to either tartar or constitutional disease.
Topical reagents should be applied and all calcareous
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