The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-24

the profession recruited up to the needs of the race in the United states ana Canada requires some sixty institu- tions where dental science is taught. There are sbout eight thousand stu dents In these schools. little over one-third of them graduating every year. There are some ss.ooo dental practitioners in English speaking North America.
 It is said that America dentistry leads the world. Though Fauchard. 2 Frenchman. is' commonly accredited with being the father of the profes- sion. the leading inventions and dis coveriss during the past half century are the result of American genius. It is only seventy years ago that den dentistry as profession, was porn ,,,s, 1n cation relating to dentistry made its appearance. The next yearl the Am erfcan Society Of Dental Surgeons was organized. and the first college m the world established. This college was To- cated in BaItimore. and 10 this day Is turning out It's full quota of graduate dentists.
 The present tendency of dental prac- tice Is rather to prevent the necessity for 1t than to restore to 1t. There is a movement on foot 10 have all schools teach children the proper care of the teeth. In New York two young den lists arranged to give free treatment to needy school children at certain hours in the day, and their work IS spreading rapidly. Their main enort is to teach the little patients the im- portanee of proper care of the teeth. There Is an effort on foot to have re- xuiar dental surgeons in the army on the same footing with the medicsi doctors. This efFort has borne some fruit in the appointment of contract surgeons.
 Perhaps the most reeent stride in dental practice is the sold inlay work The gold nilins sSo wss at nTs @ sessrenes sors Ss to preserving the contour of the tooth. and adjusted by main strenEth and awkwardness rather than with any scientific skill. In 1855 Baltimore dentist--Baitimore has always led m all dental rnatterS--discovered the cohesive qualities of gold leaf Fms discovery led to the reign of the maj let and punch. But more recently 1t has been found that the Eoid filling can be prepared by taking 6 wax ini- pression of the cavity te bs filled and making filling to ht that A very durable cement has been found which. binds it firmly in place, so that the era of "painless'' dentistry has prac- ticaliy arrived. This new mode of filling has several advantages. It Is more readily put in. gives less pain to the patient and 1t can be placed in teeth that would be too fragile to stand the mallet method.
 Another very important step in den- tai practice is the use of the x-Ray in photographing the mouth. Of course the apparatus is expensive ana few dentists yet have It, but the person l.f farnuarahIG troubles in the jaw bone can nave them made plain by the use of the K Ray photographs. Some of these re- veal that teeth that have never come through are down in their sockets making all sorts of unbearable pres sure on the other teeth, and in many other ways interfering with the health and comfort of the patients mSn.n' aSsnn Herodotus gives the first glimpse Of the dental profession about Nhvs hun )dred years before the Christian era. But the beginning dates even beyond that. {, By examining Egyptian mum mics the dentist. of today can LOOK upon work of his prototype or Iorty centuries before. Although the formu- la that preserved their bodies has been a lost art for many generations. the science that preserved their teeth nes hean retained. Lead wAs the filling agent in those times. Greece and Home ,tsed rold filings in teeths as is shown by provision of the great TWelve Laws, which sets forth that If any ones teeth have been banded together with gold 1t shall not De unlawful 70 bury him with t. It would seem Iron. the expression banded together" that even bridge work was used in those days.
 After the discovery of the cohesive property, of gold leaf in 1855 1t became necessary to find some method or pre- venting any moisture from reaching the tooth. as the slightest moisture de- stroys the cohesive power of gold ieat All sorts of things were tried-Dipu- ious paper. absorbent cotton.s and dozen other things. all with indi0ar- ent success After ten years of enorf flo find something dentist discover ed what has long been the greatest nightmare of the dental chairs the Eup- Der dam. Now the throuEhly modern dentist has found ways to use absor- bent cotton and other things whicb serve the same purpose.
 One of the most remarkable dental operations 9f the ,u,a gay ,bs m ,ns Hnns a Wnars others have been extracted. The toeH is not entirely new. but 1t Is only Tn recent years that 1t has proven sue cessfui. The tooth acquires all the firmffess and rigldity of the oriEinai. and 1t is proof against aches. The use of porcelain filings has also met with favor wherever trieds and It js thought they will become the filling of the fu- ture. Germany produces q sort or ce- ment that becomes as hard as adarm- ant when propry .Prepareo. is possible to so color this aS 10 make IL exactly match the tooth to be filled. IL can be prepared like the gold inlay fil- ling, and then put inso the tooth. With this the filings of teeth will be more or less invisible.
 But even with this the dentist is not entirely satisfied. What he is looking for is a non- metal, palstic mineral sub stance which can be used like the or- dinary amaIgam, but which will not give the unsightly apearanee of anal gam filling. Many dentist has sought early and late and long for this ideal filling, but as yet the effort has been like the quest of St. Brandon's Isle or fine chasing of the Will O the Wisp.
 Artificial teeth came to us from France. But 1t is declared that the American dentists can make more slightly, comfortable, and durable teeth than the Frenchmen. With all their progress the best of the dentists some and learn things. Some years ago an eminent dentist prepared a plate for A patient. This patient had very sensitive roof in his mouth. and the suction of the plate gave him violent retchinKs. He put salt on the plate for the purpose of rendering its pre- sence more tolerable. and his dentist, who was also a professor of dentistry gn the dental department of a State