The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-08
QUACK DENTISTS WILEs.
How Some DENTAL Par1ors" Do II
Dubious Business.
From the New York Post.

There are indications, according to
reputable practicing dentists, that the
business of the unscrupulous, incompe-
tent, quack dentists is not so profitable
as it was four or five years ago. The
constant vigilance of the regular den
tai socities. which are always ready
to detect and prosecute any instances
of malpractice, combined with the fact
that the classes from which the den
tai parlors' draw their patronage are
gradually learning their real character,
have driven several of these places
out Of business, and few others are be-
ing started.
The advertising dentists" made their
appearance in this city twelve or fif-
teen years ago, and their numbers have
greatly increased since then. 1t is not
generally known that one man often
owns three or four OF these establish
ments each having a diff erent name
and not the slightest ostensible con-
nee tion with any of the others. One
man is credited with the propriet0rsEip
of nearly twenty of them. The rea-
sons for using more than one title are
sometimes fairly obvious.
Until the state law prohibited them
from treating patients, dental students
places. Now, it is said, the quacks
are more apt to employ older denusts,
who. presumably, have not succeeded
in their own practice, or they would
not take employment that keeps them
busy at comparatively small salaries
from a. m. until 6 p. m, with some
night work and only every third sun
day off. .tasa
told. There
was one, for instance, who by mistake
Injected carbolic acid instead OF CO.
oaine into a woman's gum. The aclo
really did, of course, act temporarily
as an anaesthetic, and the patient telt
no pain whatever at the moment me
dentist discovered his error at once,
said. Excuse me moment, stepped
out of the room, and took down MS
hat from the nail, walked down 10 the
street, and has not been hearo from
since. Another dentist of the same class
nlugged the root canal" of a tooth
with copper wire, which rusted and
caused necrosis down into the jaw
bone.
Recently a dentist, in practice by
himself. had as a patient working
woman, one of whose teeth was topped
with a large gold crown. who put
that on?" he asked, and was told 1T
was done at one of the dental parlors.
'sWhy. it's loose said the doctor,
touching it with his finger "Oh, no,
said the woman, that's new way
they have of doing it. It's much bet
ter not to have a crown cemented on
fight" The tooth under the cap
(Which could be lifted off was In dis
eased condition, and, rather than take
the time and trouble to treat it before
putting on the crown, the "quack mad
left the gold loose, so as to give drain
age and avoid painful pressure on the
tissues beneath.
Ignoring entirely the question of in
competence, which it is perhaps un-
lust to impute to so large body of
men. the business of many of the den
tal parlors' is illegtimate for other
reasons as we'll. Every dentist re-
ceives from time to time curious anu
,nnossihle requests in regard to the
teeth of new patients. 1t is not UNI
common for a person with bad teeth TO
ask that all of them, sound and UNI
sound alike, be capped evenly with
gold. Now a reputable dentist viii
not grant such a request, unless he
considers it for the welfare of the
teeth. But the quack likes nothing
better. AS a fragrant example OF this,
an entirely toothless woman asked TO
have a full set of teeth made on a
bridge. This was physically impossi-
BILE. as even a layman could see, with
ont a tooth or even root to which to
attach the bridge. But firm in this
city promised to execute the order;
she was TO pay $3.50, but, as they asked
an additional deposit at every sitting,
and kept the woman coming back for
cuttings" and impressions" they got
nearly the whole of that amount with
out delivering the bridge. AT last her
son discovered the state of affairs, told
the dentist frankly what he thought
of him, and was forcibly put out OF
the office. The matter ended in law
suit. Under the decision none OF the
money was refunded, but the dentist
made two good plates (worth, perhaps,
$500 for the toothless jaws.
man once ordered a bridge for
which he was to pay $50. He made
deposits from time to time aggregat-
ing $40, and called at the office time
and time again TO bite into Jumps OF
wax and let the operator make casts
of the inside of his mouth. AT last
the bridge was ready. at least so the
company said. It did not mt, and was
such a bad piece of work generally
that he refused TO take 1t, and thus
forfeited his deposit. Seeing the sign
Of another, nicer looking dental par
lor. he went there, told OF how he had
been swindled, and was told sympathet-
ically that he had come to the right
place, where he could get a better
bridge for much less money. After
the same preliminaries. postponements
and deposits, the dentist handed him
the same old bridge. AS his mouth
had not altered in size. II fitted no bet
Ter than before, and he forfeited his
second deposit. The secret was, of
course, that the two establishments
we're owned by the same man.
Most dental pariors" are luxurious
" furnished. The first functionary met
5y the prospective patient Is known
as the contractor" incidentally. he