Rubber dam and appliances, absorbents and accessories, wedging and separating devices, orthodontic appliances / The S.S. White Dental Mfg. Co.

  • S.S. White Dental Manufacturing Company.
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Rubber dam and appliances, absorbents and accessories, wedging and separating devices, orthodontic appliances / The S.S. White Dental Mfg. Co. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    RUBBER=DAM CLAMPS The history of the Rubber-dam Clamp is most interesting. To Dr. S. C. Barnum belongs the credit of originating or introducing Rubber Dam, or Cofferdam Rubber, as it was originally called. This was in the year 1864, and the use of the Rubber Dam necessarily called for clamps for assisting in holding the dam upon the tooth. Rubber-dam Clamps are of two distinct types: In the first type the dam and clamp are separately applied to or adjusted upon the tooth. In the second type the dam and clamp are applied or adjusted upon the tooth together, the dam first being attached to the clamp and the clamp then adjusted upon the tooth. Clamps of this type are pro- vided with dam-engaging projections. So far as is known, the first manufactured clamps were the original set of six, de- signed by Dr. Chas. F. Allan, manufactured and introduced by S. S. White prior to 1873. These were of the first type and were without dam-engaging projections. Four out of the six are still among the most popular clamps in use. New forms of the first type have been constantly added to the list, perhaps the most important contribution being Dr. Tees's famous festooned clamps. These appeared shortly afteT the Allan set, and Nos. 26 and 27 are today the most popular clamps in use. The first clamp of the second type was Dr. F. Hickman's Patent Double- lipped Rubber-dam Clamp, advertised in S. S. White's 1876 Catalog. The advertisement says: These Clamps are made with a Double Lip, forming a clear space for the Rubber to be lodged in before applying to the tooth. When the Rubber is punched it is to be put on the Clamp by stretching it over the Lip A, and allowing it to fall into the open space between A and the Clamp proper. Then apply the Clamp and Rubber spreading both together; after which, stretch the Rubber out of the recess, or free space, and allow it to close on the neck of the tooth. The next clamp of the second type was that of Dr. W. St. George Elliott, manufac- tured and introduced by S. S. White in 1878. It was not provided with integral dam- engaging projections, but was formed with perforations, through which projected dam- engaging projections formed upon specially designed forceps. The most important improvement to this type of clamp was made by Mr. J. W. Ivory. The particular dam-engaging projections which he added to the clamps admir-