A system of dental surgery / by John Tomes and Charles S. Tomes.

  • Tomes, John, 1815-1895.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A system of dental surgery / by John Tomes and Charles S. Tomes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    with our present knowledge, to predict or determine on merely theoretical grounds the electric conditions of any part of the body, must, of necessity, prove futile. Enough has, perhaps, been said to show that we must seek for the agencies which cause dental caries among the chemical transforma- tions which go on in the mouth. The decomposition of food has been proved to furnish acids perfectly capable of decalcifying enamel and dentine, and the buccal mucus not rarely has an acid reaction. Professor Wedl thinks that the influence of the viscid buccal mucus has been underrated ; and it was mentioned in the former edition of this book that where there are many carious teeth, the gums are usually swollen, vascular, and coated with thick, string}', tenacious mucus. And, it may be added, that wherever mucus, &c., is readily and speedily removed by the tongue, or other agency, caries is very rare. It seems also that a decomposed pulp may give origin to acids capable of softening the dentine ; thus MM. Leber and Rottenstein {op. cit., p. 11) mention a case in which three incisors became deeply discoloured without any breach of surface; this condition had supervened after a blow. On drilling into the teeth, the' entire dentine of the crown was found to be utterly decomposed and softened. M. Scheller also reports two similar cases. It is, perhaps, from observations on such teeth as these, that the idea of “ central ” or “ internal ” caries has sprung ; but the con- dition has little or nothing in common with true caries. Some writers have held the opinion that Nasmyth’s membrane is a frequent site of incipient caries, and have gone so far as to say that the greenish discoloration often visible around the necks of the teeth in young people was due to the carious disintegration of the cuticula dentis (Ficinus), in which, ultimately, leptothrix may be found. That the cuticula dentis is permeable to fluids is clearly proved by its separation from the enamel when the crown of the tooth is immersed in acid; but its resistant nature renders it very unlikely to be itself the seat of caries. Moreover, this greenish discoloration near the necks of the teeth in young persons often spontaneously disappears, leaving no ill results behind it; and, again, similar dis- coloration may be found on the teeth of certain wild animals. The dlflerent teeth are not equally subject to the attacks of