Improvements in Instruments for Stopping Teeth.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1895-Accepted, 27th July, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Instruments for Stopping Teeth.
I EMILE DE TREY of 1 Allschwyler Strasse, Bâle, Switzerland, Dentist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The ramming instruments employed heretofore for stopping teeth with gold have
been specially constructed for stopping teeth with beaten leaf gold, and are not
applicable for stopping with matt gold, as they have sharp edges which cut and
crumble the matt gold during the operation, causing a loss of stopping material.
Moreover the present ramming instruments being made with plane grooved or
working surfaces, they can only condense the gold in the direction of the
longitudinal axis of the ramming instrument or in a direction slightly inclined to
that axis, so that it often happens in stopping operations effected with these
instruments that the gold does not adhere sufficiently to all the sides of the cavity
of the tooth.
Lastly, these ramming instruments have the inconvenience of requiring the use
of very small pieces of leaf gold, which renders the work of stopping of very long
duration.
One part of my invention has for its object to obviate these inconveniences, and,
in addition, to produce certain advantages, and it consists in constructing for the
stopping of teeth with matt gold, ramming instruments with rounded grooved or
working surfaces that are formed round an enlargement constituting the terminal
of the instrument, so that the pressure exercised by the said enlargement on the
piece of matt gold is always exerted upon a comparatively small contact surface,
and can, without raising the instrument, be transferred to a contiguous surface in
imparting to the instrument a movement such that its grooved enlargement rolls on
the plate of matt gold to be compressed.
It will be readily seen that in enabling the instrument to work successively on a
sufficiently large surface without raising it, the work will be done much more
rapidly than with the old ramming instruments, and that moreover the action of
the instrument in only taking place at one time on a restricted surface, will be
much more energetic than is the case with the old instruments, and that
consequently a more perfect compression of the gold will be effected.
Moreover, the working surfaces of the new instruments, being rounded, do not
cut or crumble the gold acted upon, and they allow the gold moreover to be con-
densed in different directions so that one can easily make it adhere to all the
surfaces of the cavities of the teeth.
Lastly, the working surfaces of the instrument being rounded they will readily
slide over the enamel of the teeth, and consequently do not occasion fractures
thereof, such as occur with the old instruments.
I will describe by way of example the construction of several forms of my
improved ramming instruinent with reference to the accompanying drawing, in
which
Figures and 2 shew an elevation and plan of a ramming instrument
terminating in a rounded enlargement a provided on its entire surface with grooves
or serrations. Figures 3, 4 and 5 shew a front view, side view and plan of a
similar ramming instrument, but in which the grooved or serrated enlarged head a¹
is made of a different form.

page_text: Figures 6, 7 and 8 shew a front view, side view and back view of a ramming
instrument with enlarged head a², the rounded working surfaces of which are not
symmetrical on both sides.
Figure 9 shews the enlarged head a³ of an instrument, which is formed of a
spherical sector joined to a frustrum of a cone, both parts being formed with
grooves or serrations.
According to another improvement, instead of making the entire ramming
instrument rigid, as is the case with instruments of present construction, I construct
them of two separate parts, between which is introduced a plug or washer of
elastic material which serves to transmit the blow exerted by the mallet on the
upper part of the instrument in an elastic manner to the working part, and thus
to avoid the considerable fatigue and discomfort to which the patient is subjected,
and the occasional fracturing of the teeth, when the blow is transmitted through a
rigid instrument.
Figure 10 of the drawings shews by way of example a ramming instrument
provided with one form of my improvement. Figure 11 shews a section of the
upper end thereof to an enlarged scale. The instrument is formed of two parts A
and B between which is interposed the plug or washer C of elastic material such
as caoutchouc, leather &c.
This washer C is placed in a cavity or socket aº at the end of the part A, and
the head B serving to receive the blow of the mallet rests upon the washer C, being
guided centrally by a stem ↳ passing through the washer C and penetrating into a
recess c in the part A.
It will be evident that the stem band recess c can be dispensed with, as shewn
at Figure 12, and that for holding the head B in position on the part A, the former
may be provided with a circular groove into which the edge of the socket a° is
riveted over.
A ramming instrument constructed as above described may be made either with
a working head of ordinary construction as shewn, or with a working head of the
improved construction described with reference to Figures 1 to 9.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An improved construction of ramming instrument for stopping teeth with gold,
having an enlarged head with rounded grooved or serrated working surfaces
substantially as described.
2. An improved construction of ramming instrument for stopping teeth wherein
the instrument is made of two separate parts between which is interposed a plug or
washer of elastic material substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of June 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.