The principles and practice of dental surgery / by Chapin A. Harris.

  • Harris, Chapin A. (Chapin Aaron), 1806-1860.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The principles and practice of dental surgery / by Chapin A. Harris. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    The subject of the other case, was a lady, residing near Fred- ericksburg, Virginia, who cut four right central incisors of the upper jaw successively. One of her temporary teeth, in the first instance, had been permitted to remain too long in the mouth, and a permanent central incisor, in consequence, came out before the dental arch. To remedy this deformity, the de- ciduous incisor was, after some delay, removed ; and, about two years after, the permanent tooth, not having fallen back into its proper place, was also extracted. Another two years having elapsed, another tooth came out in the same place, and in the same manner; and, for similar reasons, was also removed. To the astonishment of the lady and her friends, a fourth inci- sor made its appearance in the same place, two years and a half after the extraction of the first permanent tooth. When it had been out about eighteen months, the author was called in by the lady, who wished him, if possible, to adjust it. Find- ing that it could not be brought within the dental circle, he ad- vised her to have it extracted, and an artificial tooth inserted in its place. The author only saw one of the teeth that had been previous- ly extracted; it was well developed, and he was informed that the others were equally perfect. All the circumstances, con- nected with these successive dentitions, were distinctly recol- lected both by the lady herself and by her friends. In the second number of the eighth volume of the American Journal of Dental Science, Dr. W. H. Dwindle gives the his- tory of a case of four successive dentitions of the upper central incisors. It would seem, that the efforts made by nature for the produc- tion of a third complete set of teeth, are usually so great, that they exhaust the remaining energies of the system ; for occur- rences of this kind are generally soon followed by death. The author is not aware that any attempt has ever been made to explain the manner of the origin and formation of teeth of third dentition. The rudiments of the teeth of first and second dentition originate from mucous membrane, while those of third dentition would seem to be the product of the periosteal tissue or bone.