The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1899-06-14

and Color Nothing fs Impossible 10
Modern Dental Art.
Hundreds of thousands of artificial
teeth are manufactured and sold every
year What becomes of them? 1t is like
asking what becomes of pins and other
things which are practically indestruc-
tible
Before making guess it is worth
while to consider how artificial teeth
are made The story is told in Nan
5ucket of sea captain who was great
whistler until he lost one Of his front
teeth by accidental contact with be
laying pin For some time he bemoaned
bis lost accomplishment, until he found
that he could whistle very well with an
of wood When performance was de-
sired. he would calmly carve out an in
cisor and put it in position Then the
audience would wait until the tooth
was swelled by the moisture Of his
mouth so that it would not slip Ont
When plates were discovered and the
expert dentist was able to supply
whole mouthful of new teeth, the teeth
themselves were carved out of ivory.
But constant grinding would wear away
the ivory. and these elephant teeth
were not satisfactory.
Today all artificial teeth are made of
porcelain, and will outlast Methu-
selah Those which are known in the
trade as .stcre teeth. being carried in
stock by the big dental supply houses,
are manufactured in enormous quaDti-
ties
The porcelain material, which con-
tains various mineral proportions is
worked up like sort Of dough or plas-
ter. forced into molds and fused by in
tense heat in furnace Each tooth is
covered with enamel and has one or
more metal pins in the back to hold it
to the plate.
In large lots these teeth can be made
very cheaply. but there is one item of
expense that cannot be overcome. and
that is the cost of the metal holding the
pin The only metal which will stand
the intense heat of the porcelain fur
mace is platinum, and that costs at the
rate of a cent pin simply for the raw
material A great deal of money has
been spent in experiments to discover
some substitute for platinum. but moth
ing has yet been found.
While a cheap grade of ''store teeth
can be bought for a few cents apiece,
they are not nearly as satisfactory as
the standard commercial article which
is used by most dentists A big supply
company will carry hundreds of samples
of teeth. all of standard qualities, but
differing greatly in size, shape and col
or In color alone from 20 to 100 varia-
tions may be presented.
But as there are people who are not
satisfied with ready made clothing SO
there are people who are not satisfied
with ready made teeth. False teeth
may look Just as well or better than
real ones, but public speakers, singers
and other prominent people want their
own teeth reproduced in all their pecul-
iarities of form and color and filings,
if they have them. They want teeth
that cannot be told as false, and they
get them. not all at once perhaps, but
one by one. as the originals give out.
In teeth that are made to order moth
ing is impossible, from the short, white
teeth of normal youth to the long, dis
colored ones of extreme age, and the
or;ces range like those IF watches
The teetb are set in mates of rnbber
GOLD and aluminium Int tbe highest
ach;evement is considered To he Mat
;nr,o nlate mon which has boen fused
a lining Of tinted norcelain similar TO
that nsed FOR oum work Tinted mates
have been mazda of the Same material
10 the teeth Init as the norcelain sbrinls
i, tho fr;rg tbe fitt;na of spcb mates
il ,noerta;n
Ard NOW for tho ansver tn the ones-
t;or ..Wbat becomes Of false teatb ,,
Sometimes tbav arc lost sometimes
stolen and sometimes left as q family
legacv Genarallv however thew are
bnried with the owner and lie forever
hidden in the oronnd
r. f. o,oos;o,allv az, tod +bo+ tloro