Again, the nervous system may be the seat of the engendered disease. The whole of the nerves of the face singly or together may be the seat of reflected pain from the inflamed pulp of a single tooth. These pains, often taken for idiopathic neuralgia, cannot be effectually relieved till the cause of their excitement is removed. The reflected irritation of the nerves may not only affect nerves, but even the brain itself and the organs of the senses. All obscure pains of the bead and affections of the senses should be examined in relation to the condition of the teeth, as a source of irritation not indicated necessarily by pain in the tooth may be frequently found in its disorganised and decayed condition.
The other forms of disease of the teeth are less common and special than those we have spoken of above. Sometimes excessive pain is suffered from inflammation of the dental periosteum. When there is no decay of the tooth, and the pain is clearly referable to this cause, much good may be done by the application of one or two leeches to the gum opposite the end of the root of the affected tooth. Antiphlo. gistic remedies should also be generally applied. Where morbid growths arc the result of such inflammation, the extraction of the tooth will be of service ; but even then the inflammation may continue in the socket. Sometimes the inflammation is of a rheumatic charac ter, and demands a treatment adapted to this state of the system.
Diseases of the Alveoli and the periosteum we pass on to the alveoli and gums. The diseases of the alveoli which are most frequent are absorption and haemorrhage.
Absorption of the alveoli frequently takes place as the result of con stitutional tendency, and a disposition to this malady is handed down from father to son. Under these circumstances it is not an unusual thing to observe a man under fifty with scarcely any teeth in his head. This process takes place slowly, and almost imperceptibly, till the teeth drop out one after another. Absorption of the alveoli may also be induced by inflammation of the gums, which may be kept up by decayed teeth. The salivation attendant upon the administration of mercury is also accompanied with an absorption of the alveolar pro cesses and a falling out of the teeth.
In the treatment of these cases the great thing is to remove the cause. Where decayed teeth, inflammation of the gums from tartar, or irregular teeth, are present, these must be removed. Nothing seems to arrest the hereditary absorption of the alveoli. It the loss of hair, or other defect, an accompaniment of old age, and in certain cases these symptoms come on prematurely. The great resource and corn iest of the sufferer in these cases is the introduction of artificial teeth. The manufacture of these organs has been carried to such perfection that little or no inconvenience is felt from their presence in the mouth, whilst they perform the functions of mastication and give the necessary modulation to the voice as though they were the original teeth. They have oven this advantage over natural teeth, that they never ache.
/hemorrhage from the NI-it:este= of the alveoli is not unfrequently a source of alarm, and cases are recorded in which death has occurred from this cause. It usually comes on after the extraction of a tooth.
Under ordinary eirumstancea the socket becomes filled with a coagulum of blood, which arrests all further bleeding ; but In these cases the blood contiuues to be poured out from the wounded vessels, and resists all attempts at arrest. The beat method of treating these cases is to plug the socket with a piece of lint dipped in some strong styptic. One of the most efficient styptics for these cases is the inatieo, which should be powdered and applied on the outside of a plug of moistened lint.
/afiammation of the Grum—This may be either acute or chronic, and may come on independent of caries of the tooth or other disease. Acute inflammation is most frequently seen as the result of taking mercury. [Museum', Nedicat Properties of.] Chronic inflammation attended with ulceration of the gums is very frequent. It may arise from diseased conditions of the teeth, or from a disordered state of the system. In inflammation without ulceration stimulant applications are very beneficial, whilst the ulcers may be touched with nitric acid, or painted with a strong solution of chlorate of potash.
Bine CUM.—When lead is introduced into the system in small quan tities for a length of time, its presence in the system is indicated by a blue or purplish lino running along the edges of the gums just where they meet the teeth. This curious fact, which was first pointed out by Dr. Burton, has since been confirmed in a large number of cases. The blue line is, however, only seen in cases where tartar has accumu lated on the teeth. It is not seen in cases either where there are no teeth in the gums. Wherever present it indicates the action of lead on the system, and should lead to the investigation of the circum stances under which the patient has received this substance into the system. 3lr. Tomes has mentioned two cases in which the snme kind of discoloration has taken place from the action of mercury on the system. it is not, however, impossible that the preparations of mer cury taken in these cases contained lead.
Tartar.—Tbe saliva which is poured into the mouth contains cer tain earthy matters In solution, which are precipitated on the roots of the teeth at the point where they are covered by the gums. This pre cipitate, which is a true salivary calculus, is called " tartar." When chemically examined it has been found to contain in 100 parts— It assumes a variety of odours on the teeth, according to the nature of the food habitually taken. The accumulation of this substance on the teeth tends to produce inflammation of the gums and to cause their absorption as well as that of the alveolar processes.
When tartar has accumulated to a considerable extent it should be sealed off the teeth by means of instruments fitted for the purpose. One of the great objects of the daily brushing of the teeth is the pre vention of the accumulation of this tartar. One of the best dentifrices for habitual uss is the camphorated tooth-powder, which consists of camphor carefully powdered and mixed with chalk. All agents that would dissolve the tartar would dissolve the teeth, and must therefore be carefully avoided.
(Tomes, Lectures on Eksital Physiohyy ; Tomes, Manual of Den!al .?•••asron-s.)