The art of preventing the loss of the teeth : familiarly explained, also, an improved system of supplying their deficiencies, and a description of the siliceous pearl teeth and teeth renovator / by Joseph Scott.

  • Scott, Joseph.
Date:
1834
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The art of preventing the loss of the teeth : familiarly explained, also, an improved system of supplying their deficiencies, and a description of the siliceous pearl teeth and teeth renovator / by Joseph Scott. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    remaining teeth, and the artificial teeth being thus kept apart are as useless in the mouth as if they had never been placed there. Thus, by leaving a space between the grinding surfaces they are supposed to fit with great precision and ease, because not acting upon each other they cannot cause uneasiness, and, being thus apart, cannot divide the food in the act of mastication. Such a mode of fitting artificial teeth, however, is, I am sorry to say, a trick of nearly all the profession, who not only thereby evade much of the expenditure of labour and time that is absolutely necessary for making them useful, but actually, by the celerity with which they perform this fraud, persuade their patients that they are well versed in the knowledge of the science they profess. It is impossible to lay down rules for detecting every species of imposition that may be practised by the un- taught professors of dentistry; but if the foregoing remarks be attended to by persons requiring artificial teeth, those pretenders must try to acquire a knowledge of fitting them upon more scientific principles. In say- ing thus much, however, I wish it to be understood that it is not my intention to endeavour to prevent any inge- nious artist from following a profession for which he is competent; my object being merely to advocate the perfect principle upon which artificial teeth can be made to answer all the purposes of natural ones, and if I have succeeded in my endeavours I shall feel heartily gra- tified in having rendered myself in some measure useful to society.