The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1897-08-28
DENTISTRY IS NOW PAINLESS.
So Ia Practitioner Believes, But His
Pntient ThtnkA OthcrMise.

So the Practitioner Believes, But His
Patient Thinks Otherwise.
Should any single man be settled upon
as taking the most pride in the evolu-
ton of his calling it would undoubtedly
be the dentist. He has more new tools
than he knows what to do with. He
signs like a furnace for the number
of teeth that might have been saved in
the last 400 years if people had known
what is universally diffused to-day. He
devotes all his spare time specializing
as to the probable means that the
earlier Saxons used to extract their
moIars. coming generally to the rather
painful conclusion that they must have
knocked them out. But his pet theory
is tina physical suffering mas practical
iy been eliminated from modern lem
tistry.
In the office OF a downtown dentist
the following dialogue between his pa
tent and himself tool place a few days
ago:
Eyes, sir; we've got it down now SO.
there's. practically no such thing as
pain in dentistry"
Indeed"
Eyes, sir; if you'll just bend your
head over the edge of the chair so that
1 can get a little more leverage on that
tooth. Rather trying position, but it's
remarkable how-hurt you, did it?
Maybe 1 got my ~excavator up a little
too far"
THAT was awful, doctorl It felt as
though my head was going TO burst
right open"
Eyes, you see, the nerve distance is
SO short between the tooth and the
brain"
"Doctorl I can't stand it'll I believe
I'll come another day."
Hurt you a good deal, did it? Well.
you see, that was because I broke a
little piece of the tooth off. But, as I
was saying, the way people used to
suffer when they were having their
teeth fixed was terrible. Why, 1 re-
member even when I was a boy"
Doctor, hat was fearful I'm! o!
ALL"
"Yes, I expected you'd feel that. The
nerve is a little exposed right there.
But do you know people used to suffer
for weeks with toothaches rather than
go to a dentist, N you couldn't blame
them. Why. 60 years ago if you had a
tooth like that"
81 hope you I'VE no one downstairs
who will be disturbed by my groans."
$50 right ahead, sir; the office be-
low is empty. You are standing it mag-
nihcently. 1 rarely get a man who
doesn't complain when I use the auto
matte hammer on him, although really
it isn't half as bad as the electric
heel"
by George, doctor, I'll faint if hat
has to be gone through with again.
T."
That's the last of that, Mr.. Smith;
I will simply want to saw a little in
there now. I declare you have mag
nifcent enamel, Mr.. Smith; it actually
turned the edge Of one of my largest
saws; but. as / was saying, surgery
is nothing TO it. The progress that has
been made in dentistry is almost be-
yond belief. Why, look at the new in
struments which nave been designed
especially in h last ten years. Such
as the automatic hammer. the electric
wheel, the double-edge saw and the
three-pronged excayator. I'll put some
thing in now that will kill the nerve.
Yes, there is apt to be more or less ir-
ritation there for n little while, six or
seven hours, but when one thinks of
the pain that our ancestors used to have
in getting their teeth fixed. it's enough
to make us truly thankful that we live
In this age"
But by this time the patient was nur-
rying toward the nearest drug store
for some opium pills.-Chicago Times
Herald.