CHAPTER III.
"Besides gold, the only material which can be used with any hope of permanent success is tin foil. Some dentists call it silver, and a tooth which cannot be filled with it cannot be filled with anything else so as to stop decay and make it last very long. It can be used only in the back teeth, as its dark color renders it unsuitable for those in front. When the general health is good, and the teeth little predisposed to decay, this metal will preserve them as effectually perhaps as gold; but where the fluids of the mouth are much disordered it oxidizes rapidly, and instead of preserving the teeth rather increases their tendency to decay." (Dr. Robert Arthur, Baltimore, 1845, "A Popular Treatise on the Diseases of the Teeth.")
The false idea that a patient must have good health, normal oral fluids, and teeth little predisposed to decay, or else if filled with tin the decay would be hastened, originated with a German or English author, and has been handed down in works published since early in 1800. It even crept into American text-books as late as 1860, the authors of which now disbelieve it.
"Tin undergoes but little change in the mouth, and may be used with comparative safety." ("Surgical, Mechanical, and Medical Treatment of the Teeth," James Robinson, London, 1846.)
"Tin is soft, and can be easily and compactly introduced, but it is more easily acted on by the secretions of the mouth than gold and is less durable, but in the mouth of a healthy person it will last for years. Still, inasmuch as it cannot be depended on in all cases, we are of the opinion that it should never be employed." ("The Human Teeth," James Fox, London, 1846.)
The italics are ours. Every metal has a limited sphere of usefulness, and it should not be expected that tin will contend single-handed against all the complicated conditions which caries presents.
"Of all the cheaper materials, I consider tin the best by far, and regard its use fully justifiable in deciduous teeth and in large cavities, as it is not every man who can afford the expense of nine leaves of gold and four hours of labor by a dentist on a single tooth." (Dr. Edward Taylor, Dental Register of the West, 1847.)
"I consider tin good for any cavity in a chalky tooth: it will save them better than anything else." (Dr. Holmes, 1848.)
"Tin can be used as a temporary filling, or as a matter of economy. It may be rendered impervious to air and dampness, but it corrodes in most mouths, unless it comes in contact with food in chewing, and then it rapidly wears away; it does not become hard by packing or under pressure, and that it forms a kind of a union with the tooth is ridiculous." (Dr. J. D. White, 1849, Dental News Letter.)
"A tin plug will answer a very good purpose in medium and large cavities for six years. Much imposition has been practiced with it, and it is not made as malleable as it should and can be. An inferior article is manufactured which possesses brilliancy and resembles silver. This is often passed off for silver foil. No harm comes from this deception except the loss of the amount paid above the price for tin; but even this inferior tin foil is better than silver." ("The Practical Family Dentist," Dewitt C. Warner, New York, 1853.)