Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-21
MILLIONS OF TEETH.

THE mar or woman who is much trou-
bled over the necessity of having an arti-
fetal tooth inserted" said a popular
dentist the other day, may take consola-
ton from the fact hat there are about
20. 600, 900 of such teeth manufactured and
sold annually in the United States, al
lowing on an average one artificial tooth
every four years to each man, woman
and child in the country, including In
dians, negroes and tramps.
o the authority of the greatest man.
ufacturer of dental supplies in the coun-
try. there are over 40, 600 ounces of pure
gold worked up annually for dentists use
in material for filling teeth, in plates and
soldiers, the value of this gold approx
mating 81, 1000, 600. In addition there are
about $4,000 ounces of platinum used an
nually by the various manufacturers of
porcelain teeth, to say nothing of the
large amount of silver amalgam prepared
for i~nconspicuous filings, such as these
in the back teeth.
'There is no other profession which has
made greater strides during the last few
years thar has dentistry, and the num-
Der Of practitioners has steadily in
creased until now there are 20, APP dent
lists. there being nine engaged in practice
in the territory.
A figures do not lie, the majority of
these men cannot have very much to do,
because 20, 600. 900 of false teeth and 81, 000,-
600 worth of gold for filings, etc, divided
equally between 20, 422 dentists, allows
only about 100 teeth and a little less than
$40 worth of gold perannum to each dem
fist. AS the popular practitioners in large
cities use many times these amounts,
many of them earning from $4,000 to $15,-
600 a year in the practice of their profess
sion, it will readily be seen hat a good
many of the. smaller ones must fall far
below the annual average.
The use of electricity has worked
wonders in dentistry. Until the discov-
cry of the X-rays it was often neces-
sary to remove 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, consid-
ers the discovery of is called dental
cataphoresis' to be of far greater import
ance to him personally, because of it's un-
precented power to deaden pain.
"Cataphoresis," continued the doctor,
lis the process of driving anaesthetics
into the bone tissue, or dentine, by means
of a gentle current of electricity applied
to the cavity itself. The method is rather
interesting. The cavity is first cleansed
as thoroughly as possible without causing
discomfort to the patient, and is then
closed with a plug of cotton just large
enough to fill it without d pressure
at any point. The electrode is placed in
the moistened hand of the patient, who
is required to grip it tight enough to Sc
cure a 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. If complete insulation is Sc
cured the process is not accompanied by
sensation of any kind, and the subsequent
drilling which is necessary in order to
cleanse the cavity prior to filing it can
be done with no appreciate degree of