Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-09-26
A PORCELAIN FILLING

I'll ] UllULL-Hlls ll-l-laIu
One of the Dainty Operations In
Modern Dentistry.
THE WAY THE INLAY is MADE.
Fashioned 10 Fragile Gold Leaf, the
u Matrix Is Sunk by Vibration In Semi
fluid Ashestus and the Mold When
Set Filled With Porcelain.
This was an upper front tooth that
had once been nicely filed with gold,
but fresh decay having set in around
that filing it had become necessary to
fill the tooth again. This time, the
dentist said, he thought he would fill
it with porcelain.
q All the processes of making por-
celain inlay are interesting. Having
drilled the cavity In the tooth to its
required depth and shape, the dentist
next proceeds to make matrix or
mold Of 1t in gold foil, which he is
enabled to do without breaking this
delicate material by the use Of a bit
of sponge between it and the crowd
ing tool, So he crowds the gold foil
down around within it everywhere to
fit into the cavity perfectly and gets
the depth all around the edge Of
the mold SO exactly that the inlay to
be made in it when set into place win
not only fit perfectly in the cavity, but
fit 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 hniest of
tiny gold cups or it may have some
irregular shape, according to the shape
of the cavity; but, whatever it's shape,
this mold of gold foil is SO slight and
thin that touch would crush it, and
it seems indeed as. if breath would
blow it away, as probably it would,
and you may wonder how solid
piece Of porcelain can ever be formed
in a mold SO frall and delicate, but it
| is all really very simple as you win
see. h. @
| Now the dentist takes a small me-
tallic holder about the size and shape
of 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 mOistened powdered asbestus.
This holder has lip on one side Of
its edge, by which 1T can be lifted with
q pair Of pliers made for the purpose
and serving thus as a handle for it. -
Lifting the little saucer NOW by this
handle, the operator rubs on the han
die very gently, as one might draw q
fiddle bow very gently back and forth
on the strings Of fiddle. a lead pen
Gil might do for this, but he is likely
to use some professional tool with a
chased or engraved handle, whose ir.
4 Irregularities will heighten the effect
land, rubbing gently with this on the
handle Of the holder, he communicates
to it and to its contents and to 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 semifiuid 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 evaporated from the
asbestus, and there you have the little
| gold mold firmly imbedded in practi-
cally solid material and ready for use.
| The inlay will be made in the mold
from a porcelain powder. Porcelain
powders for dental use are made by
/ the manufacturers of dental supplies
in endless variety of shades, SO that
it is easily possible to get a powder
whose finished product will match any
| tooth. The dentist has great as
powders, these all named or numbered,
and he matches up your tooth with
1 one of these and uses for the inlay the
powder Of the corresponding mum Der.
! With the little gold mold all ready,
/ the operator now mixes sufficient
! quantity Of the porcelain powder with
alcohol to give him the material in a
4 plastic form, while at the same time
i the alcohol will eyaporate quickly. He
4 vets also the asbestus in the mold
4 holder to keep that from absorbing the
I alcohol in the porcelain powder.
And now. with his porcelain in work
able form he fills the mold with it, to
4 make there the shape that is to be set
! into the tooth. and then he proceeds to
/ fashion in the plastic material its out
ward part. This may be simply a
/ slightly rounded surface. for an inlay
! that Is to go into the fatter part Of a
/ tooth, or the inlay may include an
edge or corner of a tooth, or both; but,
whatever the outward part may be,
i the operator SO molds and fashions it
| that it will continue and complete nat
1 urally the contour Of the tooth in
which the inlay is to be set.
Ii s Il " -