Elevators (Abulcasis.)
For the extraction of a splinter or necrosed fragment of the maxillary bone, the same instruments must be used which serve for the extraction of dental roots; but also a pair of forceps may be used (Figs. 50 and 51).
It will be necessary to grip with them the osseous fragment firmly, so that it cannot escape whilst it is being extracted. The part shall then be medicated with fitting remedies.
Whenever it is thought proper, the bone must be scraped and all the diseased part of it removed.
When a tooth is irregularly placed, or projects above the level of the others,[220] a deformity ensues which is particularly displeasing in women. The way of correcting this varies according to the nature of the case. It consists sometimes in the simple extraction of the misplaced tooth. But when there exists an intimate (osseous) union of the irregular tooth with another one, it is necessary to operate for the resection of the former with an instrument of the following shape, that is, like a small axe:
An instrument like a small axe, for resecting irregularly situated teeth (Abulcasis).
The operation must be performed in many days, not only on account of the hardness of the tooth, but also in order not to shake any of the neighboring teeth.
In other cases, the deformity, consisting in one tooth projecting above the level of the others, may be corrected with a saw.