Dentistry, the art of preserving, repairing, and,
in need, of extracting teeth. So far as the history of
dentistry can be traced, it appears to have
originated among the Hindus or Egyptians. At least
the teeth of Egyptian mummies are as old as any in
which evidences of dentistry can be found.
The technique of dentistry has developed by
leaps and bounds in the United States, and among
the later triumphs of dentistry several may be
mentioned. Instead of confining repairing to
plugging cavities, any portion of a tooth is rebuilt to
its original shape. During the work rubber
cofferdams are placed around a tooth to keep out
moisture. Cavities are cleared out with whirling
drills driven by means of electricity or by a treadle.
An electro magnetic mallet is used to drive gold foil
into place with rapid blows. It works on the
same principles of attraction and release as an
electric bell.
Readymade porcelain teeth of all sizes and
shapes are now turned out in factories to imitate
natural teeth very closely. Crown work is a name
given to a tooth fastened to sound, natural roots
either by metallic dowels and cement, or by the
latter reinforced by a gold collar encircling the
upper end of the root and the lower end of the
crown.
In making a set of false teeth the dentist works
from an impression of the gums taken with a
plastic material consisting usually of plaster of
paris, beeswax, or other similar material.
The recognition of diseased teeth as the source
of many bodily-and in extreme cases, mental-ills
has resulted in widespread and intensive teaching
of oral sanitation. Development of the X-ray as it
applies to dentistry has given rise to a body of
knowledge regarding the human mouth such as no
previous generation possessed. New discoveries
have necessarily caused many changes to be made
in the technique of dentistry. As an example, many
modern dentists recognize the crown as a potential
disease breeder, and for that reason usually
substitute some other form of repair. Oral
sanitation is taught in the schools, the army and the
navy, and many minor and major ills are avoided.
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