The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-03-19
FILLING DOGS TEETH.
rhe Odd Occupation of a New York
Dentist.

Dentist.
A New York dentist makes speciality
of filing the teeth of dogs. His prac-
tice, it is said, is quite large.
The extraction of the decayed teeth
Of dogs has been common for years, but
the filling of them is new branch of
the business. The teeth of a dog are
meant to be exercised on tough meat
and hard bones, but wien he is fed on
chicken, pate de foie gras and such
delicacies the teeth do not get enough
work, and consequently decay. My
lady's pet dog then begins to howl with
pain. Formerly the only remedy was
TO yank out the offending tooth. Now
the sufferer is taken to the dog dentist
and goes away smiling with polished
gold filling in the tooth.
The operation is comparatively Sim
pie, except with vicious or unman-
ageable dog. The dentists assistant
holds the animals head while his chief
examines the decayed tooth and de-
cides upon the best way to fill it. When
he has reconnoitered the ground he
takes a hand eXcavator, very much like
the instruments of the dentist with
which most of us are painfully familiar.
and cuts away the decayed part. The
following operation is exactly the same
as putting in amalgam filling in hui
man tooth.
He fills up the cavity with amalgan
and holds the dogs mouth open until it
has had time to set. The animal comes
down next day The rough edges are
filed off and the filling FURNISHED. In
stead of the aching molar there is then
serviceable tooth in the dogs mouth,
The filling requires renewing every two
years, sometimes oftener. Many wealthy
owners insist that only the best ma
terial is fit to go in the dogs precious
mouth, and gold must be used. The
dentist signs resignedly and complies,
but the operation is very tedious and
can only be performed on quiet dogs.
Gold has to be hammered in with a
great deal of care, and the process is
lengthy-almost as lengthy as the bill,
which is very high for gold filings. A
vicious dog has to be chloroformed be-
fore his teeth can be filled. Back teeth
are, of course, much harder to fill. A
wooden gag is employed to keep the
mouth open.
'How do you manage with a big
dog?' the dentist was asked.
Il wear thick gloves, and if the animal
is vicious l put him under an anaes-
thetic. It's mighty strange, though,
how often my opinion and that of the
owner differs upon the disposition OF
the dog. Gentle as lamb doesn't
mean much to me, L can tell you. l am
q pretty good judge of dog, however,
and take no chances. If | see any
trouble in sight 1 chloroform the beast
before operating upon it. There is no
reason why dog should lose its teeth
any more than a human being if they
are properly looked after. OF course,
if a dog eats bones and good, hard,
wholesome food, that filling would not
stay in a week. But, then, if he were
fed that way his teeth would not de.
cay, so there you are. Dealers often
wedge dogs teeth with little wooden
wedges when it is a puppy in order to
shape the teeth and make them set
even. This is prohibited, but cannot be
detected when properly done. Very
often a fine dog is overshut or under
sLut-that is, the top and bottom teeth
do not meet. In such a case little jul
dicious wedging will add largely to the
value of the animal. "-Chicago Journal.