, 1886-09-24
DENTISTRY AND ITS SECRETS.
A Profession in Which Big income Arr
Kealired-Women Dentists

a fTofeaston IN Which Big Incomes Ar@
Reaiired-women Dentists
One afternoon, not long ago, l met a
friend, a dentist who, being in a conf
dental mood, consented to talk of the
profession of which he is a shining
ornament. He said:
dentistry is not what it is cracked up
to be, and, although it pays big profits
many bills for work done are not collect
able. For this reason honest men and
women are compelled to suffer for the
transgression of dead beats l nave a
friend who recently sold a set of teeth for
s9j which cost him exactly $500 By
a set of teeth | mean upper and lower
seq. The teeth mentioned above were
set on aluminium. Teeth set on rubber
cost the patient $50 and the dentist 80.
The prices given are average ones. Some
dentists who serve the best people ask
even higher rates. All dentists claim to
do their mechanical work On their prem
ises. This is not SO. Less h one-half
of the dentists in Brooklyn do their own
work or employ mechanical men by the
week. A larger part of the work claimed
to be done by local dentists is performed
by a half dozen mechanical dentists who
make a speciality of that branch of the
business"
What are mechanical dentists paid
for their s%ervices?- | asked.
Eight dollars per set, which includes
upper and lower. The dentist so CON
tracing for the work is obliged to furn-
ish the teeth, which usually cost from
"a to SO per double set. Plain teeth are
worth 10 cents and gum teeth 10 cents
each. The best teeth are made in Phila-
delphia and are sold at a branch os the
manufacturing firm in this city. Den
fists try to convince their patients that
teeth arc very expensive. and that to
make an upper and lower set takes two
or three days. This is all humbug. A
mechanical dentist who Is a good work
man can make three sets in tw~enty-four
hours. You can see by the foregoing
figures that patients pay good round
prices for a mans nS.ne or reputation.
Dentists who employ mechanical men
make a plaster paris cast Of their pa
tents jaw so as to get the articulation,
or fitting of the teeth, correct.
These casts cost about 8 cent
each, and when made are sent TO the
dental laboratories where the remainder
of the work is done. Until the middle
of September dentists might as well close
their offices and go in the country, as
little or no work is being done. The
months of August and September are
the dullest in the year for the dental
profession.
"Suavity of manner is the great draw
ing card of many dentists. Ladies pre-
fer to patronize pleasant and agreeable
dentists to men who are surly and un-
couth in Dentists who are
personally popular have the largest in
comes. Women ~lentists? Oh, yes. To
my knowledge there is one in Brooklyn.
This lady attends almost exclusively TO
and children. Occasionally she
has a male patient. but not often
"Do women make a success of lent
istryY'
Not always. The feminine mind is
sometimes unable to grasp its in~tricacies.
Many women dentists practice their pro
fession in New York. They are usually
discouraged in their attempts to study
dentistry, AS close association with male
students has often unpleasant results.
The only plan which | think would work
satisfactorily would BE- 10 separate the
sexes in dental colleges. This plan has
shown good results in medical schools.
Moro women dentists practice their pro-
fession in Europe than in America
How are Sl2 a set teeth. made while
you wait, manufacturedf'
"In almost the same manner that 500
sets are made. 4 mechanical dentist
would charge the same price 49, foI
making a S12 set of teeth as he would
for q higher priced set. Dentists. how.
ever, who make teeth at the rate named
always do their W work. In cheap
upper and lower sets Of teeth
the teeth cost 81. while in the
higher priced sets the teeth are worth
but ~ more. In cheap sets the only
additional expense is for rubber and
plaster. The latter is worth, possibly, 5
cents and the rubber %, The materials
used in dentistry cost but little. 1t is the
work and skill for which the patient is
obliged 10 pay .'-Brooklyn Eagle.
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