The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-10-21
Dangerous Dentistry,

"Red valcanizedrubber as base for artif-
cial teeth"
Such was the heading to an article in Mon
days PRESS Now as the readers of the PRESS
or that portion who are wearing red rubber
plates, may have been frightened by reading
the article, l think my duty to reply, as i
happen to belong to that unfortunate class do
ing such an amount of mischief by inserting
red rubber in the mouths of innocent and I'M.
suspecting people, With all due respect to the
Doctor allow me to say that there Gre but few
mouths not diseased where artificial work is
worn. 1t is evident TO every physiological
mind that nature does not intend false roofs
to be worn; if such have to be, it becomes our
duty to select the kind safest and within the
reach of the poor as well as the rich. Idiosyn-
crasles are common where poor dentures are
worn L can refer to cases where platina worn
has given trouble, and coin gold also. l can
show you case OF lady wearing twenty
carat gold plate, who had raw sores in her
mouth cured by wearing red rubber or vulcan
lite. don't pretend that this proves any rule,
for there are too many exceptions This "poi-
SON. cry against rubber base is not new Many
of my profession have thoroughly investigated
it. DR.. W. o. Kelp, of Iowa, has exam
ined eleven hundred cases; seven hun
bred where red rubber was worn, one hun
dred and forty gold plates, two hundred and
thirty silver plates, ten platina, and twenty of
other bases, such as Chico plastic, tin, alumni
um, etc. He says in proportion, he found few
er mouths in diseased condition where rub
Der was worn than silver; about as many in
proportion where gold plate was used. Tin
and cheoplastic uniformly produced diseased
condition of the mucus membrane. Where
aluminium, having teeth attached, with some
other compound, was worn, the diseased con-
diton OF the membrane extended all over the
mouth. He says uniformly the testimony was
that rubber was worn with more ease than any
other substance except from its extra thick
ness.
The cleanest mouths and the most free from
disease, were those where aluminium was used
with teeth attached to plate with black rubber
His investigations illustrated that it is an alb
normal condition to wear a covering over the
roof of the mouth, and that any plate is capa-
BILE of producing a diseased condition OF the
mouth if worn constantly and not kept per-
fectly clean. Prof Atkinson of New York,
says in regard to this question: II am not 60
ing to worship Mercury nor Hygia,-they can
take care of themselves. What is the cause
of necrosis? Can mercury cause it? I chal
ienge the world TO prove it. hold that until
made binary product it cannot enter the sys-
tenn. Several months ago Mr.. B. called on
me for set of teeth, He had as nice set on
rubber as L ever saw, but could not
being ia the mouth four or five hours. He
wished me to make him a gold set, which I
did. After being worn few hours he expe-
rrlenced the same trouble. Now it could not
have been mercury that caused this trouble.
Again, have made several rubber plates for
persons who were wearing gold plates that
gave them great deal of trouble causing in
nammation and liberation of the soft tissues,
and were entirely cured by wearing rubber
plates. l might go on mentioning scores of
sucn cases put space will not permit. in re-
gard to the many other symptoms the Doc tor is
laying to mercuryit is profoundly ridiculous.
If he believes it l would like to know if he is
following the HomHp ithic idea compassed in
Latin phrase "sa,nelia simili6us curantur;' "like
cures like" an old adage which has been cur
rent for centuries, viz: "The hair of the same
dog will cure the bite" hope the Doctor will
not forget another proverb. viz: 'Lke pro-
duces like in endless succession;" or overlook
an established principle of philosophy,
which declares that { c@terisnaribus
whatever increases the cause, increas.
es the effect 1 am not surprised that
the Doctor took such view of his case, as he is
one of the advocates of a principle contradcted
by every rational thought and word and deed
throughout the world. Every where, in every
vocation and in every department of business
II meets flat contradiction. leave this sub