In speaking of the correction of dental anomalies, Hirsch relates a case in which the deformity consisted in the union of two central incisors, which formed one single piece, resembling a paddle, and spoiled the appearance of the face. He divided them with a saw, cauterized the surfaces of the section, scarified the gum, and, to gain a little space, introduced a small wedge, until the gum had grown up within the new dental interstice, thus giving an altogether normal appearance to the part.
It is noteworthy that Hirsch made use almost exclusively of the goat’s foot for the extraction of teeth, of whatever kind they might be, the instrument being rather longer, however, than that ordinarily known by this name, and making his left hand serve as a lever rest.
To arrest strong hemorrhage ensuing from the extraction of teeth, Hirsch used scraped parchment, which he introduced into the alveolus and pressed with force into it by means of a sound; then he superposed compresses and kept the jaws tight together with a bandage passed around the head.
This author, too, was very favorable to replantation. As to transplantation, he says that even when the gum and the alveolus are quite healthy, the individual entirely free from scurvy and syphilis, and not above fifty years of age, the transplanted teeth do not take root perfectly except in an average of one case in three. For carrying out this operation he never made use of teeth extracted from the mouth of a living person, but, on the contrary, he used the teeth of young and healthy subjects who had died a violent death; these were, besides, carefully cleaned before transplanting them, and in this way the author believed the transmission of disease to be nearly impossible.[536]
Full lower set in hippopotamus ivory, with human front teeth; seventeenth century. (From Guerini’s collection.)
Upper denture in ivory, at the end of the eighteenth century, for a case in which the last molars and the front teeth were present. (From Guerini’s collection.)