The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-09-17
PORCELAIN
FILLING
One Of the Dainty Operations
In Modern Dentistry
THE WAY INLAY IS MADE
Fashioned in Fragile Gold Leaf, the Mat
rix Is Sunk by Vibration in Semi
Fluid Asbestos, and the Mold
Filled With Porcelain.

This was an upper front tooth that
had once been nicely filled with gold,
but fresh decay having set in around
that filling 1t had become necessary toI
fill the tooth again This time, the
dentist said. he thought he would I'LL
It with porcelain,
All the processes Of making a por
celain inlay are interesting. Having
drilled the cavity In the tooth TO ita
required depth and shape, the dentist
next proceeds to make a matrix Of
mold Of 1t in gold foil, which be is
enabled to do without breaking this
delicate material hy the use Of a bit
Of sponge between 1t and the crowd
ing tool. So he crowds the gold foil
down around within 1t everywhere to
at into the cavity perfectly and gets
the depth all around the edge OF
the mold so exactly that the inlay to
be made IN 1t when set into place win
not only Git perfectly I'm the cavity, but
lit into it with its edges flush all
around with the surrounding surface
Of the tooth
The mold thus made Of the cavity IN
the tooth may look like the tiniest Of
tiny gold cups or it may have some
irregular shape, according to the shape
OF the cavity; but, whatever its shape,
this mold OF gold foil is SO slight and
thin that d touch would crush 1t, and
1t seems indeed as II a breath would
blow It away, as probably 1t would,
and you may wonder how solid
piece Of porcelain can ever be formed
In mold SO frail and delicate, but IL
Is all really very simple, as you viii
see.
Now the dentist takes a small me.
talIic holder about the size and shape
Of q very small clam shell, which he
fills with powdered asbestus mixed
with water and on top Of this yield
ing material, handling it gently with
a pair Of pliers, he sets the delicate
little gold mold. with its closed end
down, resting so on the surface Of
the moistoned powdered ashestns.
This holder has lip on one side OF
its edge. by which It can be lifted with
a pair of pliers made for the purpose
and serving thus as handle for it.
Lifting the little saucer now by this
handle. the operator RIBS on the han
die very gently, as one might draw a
fiddle bow very gently back and forth
on the strings OF a fiddle A lead pen
I'll might do for this, but be is likely
to use some professional tool with a
chased Or engraved handle, whose r.
regalarlyies Will helghten tie effect
and rubbing gently with this on the
handle Of the holder. be communicates
to II and TO It's contents and 70 the lit.
tie gold mold on top continuous, gentle
vibrations. which slight as they are,
still cause the mold gradually to settle
and imbed itself in the semi1uld mass
In the holder and this without in the
slightest changing its shape These
vibrations are continued till the mold
has settled to the required depth, and
then the water IS evaporatcd from tie
asbesms. and there you have the little
gold mold firmly Embedded IN practl-
cang solid material and ready for use.
The inlay viii be made I'm the mold
from porcelain powder. Porcelain
powders for dental use are made by
the manufacturers Of dental supplies
IN endless variety Of shades, so that
Il is easily possible to get a powder
whose finished product will match any
tooth The dentist has great as
sortment OF teeth made from porcelain
powders. these nh named or numbered,
and he matches up your tooth with
one Of these and uses for the inlay the
powder Of the corresponding number.
With tie little gold mold all ready.
the operator now mixes a sufficient
quantity of the porcelain powder with
alcohol to give him the material in a
plastic form, while at the same time
the alcohol viii eyaporate quickly. lie
vets also the asbestus ia the mold
holder to keep that from absorbing the
alcohol IN the porcelain powder.
And now with his porcelain in work
able form he nlls the mold with f. to
make there the shape that IS to be set
into the tooth. ana then he proceeds to
fashion I'm the plastic material its cut
ward part This may be simply a
slightly rounded surface, for an Inlay
that Is TO 90 into the natter part Of a
tooth. or the inlay may include an
edge or corner OF TOOTH or both; but
whatever the outward part may be,
the operator 50 molds and fashions II
that It VIII continue and complete nat
urally the contour Of the tooth IN
which the inlay ~ 10 be set,
With the modelling thus finished, the
inlay is ready for the final process, and
now, with the holder mold and all,
Il IS put into q tiny electric oven, out
Of which after suitable time it -
taken, baked into a solid bit OF porce-
Ian, the inlay completed
II Is set IN place with cement, and
so perfectly is porcelain inlaying now
done that except upon the closest In
spection 1t may be impossible to tell in
an inlaid tooth where the natural tooth
ends and where the inlay begins. a
nice operation IN modern dentistry
Washington Post