The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-12-30

. Your Health
Preliminary Study
Valuable Should
Plates be Needed
EVERYBODY is heTebl
warned that when they come to tn
period Of life when they begin Z
lose teeth, they should fighi
against IT as hard as possible
Only those who have lost theiI
Or. Clendening will answer
questions Of general interest
only and then only through
his column.
teeth know how valuable and COM
Portable they were compared to
any substitutes for them. Some
patients and some dentists are
willing to sacrifice teeth very
lightly, but most dentists are very
conservative and do everything
they can to save as many teeth as
possible
Preliminary Study
After the event has occurred,
however, and you have what is
known as an edentulous mouth,
there are many methods to be used
10 help bring back a reasonable
amount of comfort. In the first
place. the dentist SHOULD study the
mentality and the needs Of the pa
tent.
There should be long talk and
a thorough understanding Of just
how much the patient expects and
just what he wants. Then the pa
tent should understand that a
complete diagnostic study, in Or
der to make him as comfortable as
possible, is somewhat elaborate
procedure. If the patient does not
consent to a mplete diagnostic
study, the ultimate result is likely
TO be very unsatisfactory.
Those who have mad experience
say that a preliminary study be-
fore denture construction is begun
reduces dissension and dissatis-
faction to a minimum II also pre-
vents make-overs and the neceS-
sity TO recast denturcs second.
third or even a fourth time.
The diagnosis and study con-
sists in the first place Of x-rays Of
the jaws; second. impressions Of
the jaws on plastic materials and
making permanent plaster or
stone cast; third. transillumina-
ton Of ridges and sinuses; fourth,
inspection Of throat. tongue, lips
and cheeks; fifth, construction Of
diagnostic bite plates and the tax
ing Of the diagnostic bite. There
are a few other procedures which
the dentist will want to do which
are somewhat too technical to dis
cuss here.
The temporary diagnostic bite
plates are constructed Of plastic
base plate wax and wakes that diff
fer in color. Light pink wax forms
that portion of the bite above the
ridge plane while a tooth-tinted
wax forms the bite line.
Mental Makeup of Patient
Much Of the success Of a perma
nent denture depends upon the
mental makeup Of the patient. One
dentist Classics his patients on
the basis Of whether they are
philosophical, exacting, hysterical
or Indifferent. A patient either
above or below the average emo
tional level makes a poor denture
patient.
Often the general health Of the
patient, his circulatory system,
whether or not he is anemic and
the condition of the nervous sys-
TEN will ruin the success Of the
best-planned work Of this kind.
Cooperation of Patient
After the diagnosis is made, the
dentist should talk over all the
why's and wherefores with the pa
tent, who is entitled TO know the
results Of the study and the exact
conditions in order that he may
cooperate and understand just
what he is supposed 70 do.
Very important is a periodic
check-up as to whether or not the
denture is comfortable. These
check-ups give the dentist an OPP
portunity Of observing his sue
cesses and are educational to him.
In these days Of change new ma
terials are being used by dentists
and a periodic check-up enables
the patient to have the advantage
Of any improvements that have
been made in this field. No dentist
can really be held responsible for
the success or failure Of dentistry
unless he Is given the opportunity
TO make frequent check-ups with
the patient to see how he is react
ing to the new conditions.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
d. Eff a person is afflicted
with tuberculosis and has never
had a cough VI temperature, what
causes a hemOrrhage?
Answer: Hemorrhage is often
the first sign Of tuberculosis the