Omaha daily bee., 1899-07-23

Inc man OF WOmdu WHO Is mucn trOu-
bied over the necessity of having an arti-
fetal tooth inserted" said a popular dem
list the other day, may take consolation
from the fact that there are about twenty
millions Of such teeth manufactured and
sold annually in the United States, allowing
on an average one artificial tooth every four
years to each man, woman and child in the
country, incluGing Indians, negroes and
tramps.
ION the authority OF the greatest man
ufacturer of dental supplies in the country,
there are over forty thousand ounces Of
pure gold worked up annually for dentists
use in material for filling teeth, in plates
and soldiers, the value OF this gold approxi-
mating one million OF dollars. In addition
there are about $4,000 ounces Of platinum
used annually by the various manufac-
turers Of porcelain teeth. to say nothing
OF the large amount Of silver amalgum
prepared for inconspicuous filings, such
as those in the back teeth.
There is no other profession which has
made greater strides during the last few
years than has dentistry, and the number
of practitioners has steadily increased until
now there are 20,422 dentists in the United
States. Even the little own Of Alaska
have their dentists, there being nine en-
gagged in practice in the territory.
"As figures do not lie, the majority Of
these men cannot have very much to do,
because 20, 900, 900 of false teeth and $1,000,-
900 worth of gold for filings, etc., divided
equally between 20,4 2 dentists allows only
about 100 teeth and a little less than $40
worth Of gold per annum to each dentist.
AS the population practitioners in large
cities use many times these amounts, many
of them earning from $4,000 to SIS, 900 a
year in the practice of their profession, it
will readily be seen that a good many Of
the smaller ones must fall far below the an
nual average.
New Things I'm Dentistry.
TT use Of electricity has worked won
ders in dentistry. Until the discovery Of
the X-rays it was often necessary to re-
move a tooth in order to learn the nature
of some trouble at the root; but now the
root and a portion of the jawbone may be
photographed by means of the Roentgen
rays, the cause of the trouble located and
the tooth generally saved.
''The average person, however, considers
The discovery of what is called dental
eataphoresis' to be Of far greater i'm
portance to them personally, because Of its
unprecedented power to deaden pain.
"Cataphoresis,'' continued the doctor. us
the process Of driving anaesthetics into
the bone tissue, or d~entine, by means OF
a gentle current Of electricity applied to
the cavity itself. The method is rather in
teresting. The cavity is first cleansed as
thoroughly as possible without causing dis
comfort to the patient. and is then closed
with a plug of cotton just large enough
to fill 1t without undue pressure at any
point. The electrode is placed in the moist
ened hand of the patient, who is required
to grip it just tight enough to secure good
connection, the anaesthetic to be used is
drawn into the barrel of the syringe and
injected into the cotton. The current is
then turned on and gradually increased
till the proper amount is reached. II COM
plete insulation is secured, the process is
not accompanied by sensation Of any kind,
and the subsequent drilling which is nee
essary in order to cleanse the cavity prior to
filing 1t can be done with no appreciable
of pain. Without the aid of cat
aphoresis, however. there is no such thing
as good workmanship in painless dentistry.
but the new 'cataphoric bleaching is
more appreciated by women. The
bleaching fluid is driven into tho tooth by
means of a current Of electricity in a way
to that In which an anaesthetic is
driven into sensitive dentine. Even a
tooth that has become very much discolored
as a result of the improper treatment OF
a dead nerve may be rendered beautifully
white by this means. In fact, electricity
Is now used by the up-to-date dentist for
nearly everything connected with his work.
1t is used for killing nerves: 1t propels the
treadle for cutting and the mallet for nll-
ing; while light is supplied to the mouth
lamp and heat to the hot air syringe by
The same means.
Old Methods shelyed.
THE dentist Of twenty-fve-or even ten
years ago, who had not kept abreast of
the times, would hardly know what to
make Of the many improvements In the
modern practitioners operating room. The
sterilizer, for instance, into which every
instrument is placed after being used, is
now considered as necessary a part of the
cfice furniture as the treadle or the 'hy-
draulIc chair The certainty that every
put into the mouth has been
thoroughly sterilized since being previously
used means a great deal TO a sensitive
patient.
Another special horror has been done