Orthodontia, or malposition of the human teeth : its prevention and remedy.

  • Guilford, Simeon Hayden, 1841-1919.
Date:
[1893]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Orthodontia, or malposition of the human teeth : its prevention and remedy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

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    by means of platinum binding wire woven about all of the incisors at or near their necks, or they may be securely lield by means of a ribbon of thin gold fitting the lingual sur- faces of the incisors, to which is soldered a platinum band to encircle each tooth that has been corrected. The piece is set with phosphate of zinc as a lining to the bands. For drawing or forcing into line any of the superior incisors standing outside of the arch, a variety of methods is at our disposal. In the upper jaw the extraction of one or more incisors to provide room for other outstanding ones is, except in rare cases, not to be thought of, although, as just stated, in the lower jaw extraction may often be advantage- ously resorted to. The greater conspicuousness of the su- perior incisors, and the difference in size between the centrals and laterals would cause the absence of any one of them to be most noticeable. Rare cases occur, however, in which such extraction is justifiable, as already described, but a wise discrimination must be exercised in regard to the mat- ter, as otherwise a greater deformity is likely to be created than the one already existing. Where space is needed in the arch for the outstanding tooth or teeth and expansion of the arch is not indicated, we may obtain it bj extraction back of the cuspids, or where the lack of space is slight in amount it may be secured by simply exerting pressure upon the adjoining anterior teeth. A simple way of produc- ing this pressure is by the use of compressed wood, as described on page 78. Another plan is by means of a vulcanite plate to which are attached gold or steel wires so arranged that their free ends* when drawn together and inserted in the space intended to be widened, will press the adjoining teeth farther apart. Still another, without the use of a plate, which the author has found very effective, consisting of platinum bands at- tached to the teeth to be moved, witli a piano-wire spring acting between them, is described and illustrated in part III, chapter VII.