Palatine fissure : its remedy by artificial means considered / by Chas. W. Stearns.

  • Stearns, Charles Woodward, 1818-1887.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Palatine fissure : its remedy by artificial means considered / by Chas. W. Stearns. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    9/24 (page 9)
    jecting ledge or shelf on each side, continuous with the fleshy edges below. And it is these firm projecting ledges, on one or both sides, that I make available for supporting the instrument, and keeping it firmly fixed in its place. The opening of the fissure through the alveolar sockets may be so wide as to equal the space occupied by two, four, or even six of the front teeth, but commonly the edges of the bony fissure at the region of the teeth are closely in contact, so as to seem, in fact, united, but any thin substance, like a quill tooth-pick, may be passed freely between them, showing that there is no con- tinuity, but only close contact. The cases belonging to this second class, as just described, will be found to require, from any one undertaking to relieve them by arti- ficial appliances, all the skill in manipulation that he is master of, both in copying the malformation by impressions taken with plastic sub- stances, and, after that, making an instrument from his models thus obtained that will correspond to the shape of the parts to be fitted at points not visible, as well as those in plain sight. Hoc opus hie labor. The conditions required to be fulfilled in any successful attempt to construct an artificial palate, or obturator, as it has been more briefly named, are a nearly perfect adaptation to the irregular shape of the opening, and a combination of the properties of elasticity and durability in the material of which the instrument is constructed. The vulcanized 1 soft rubber'' possesses these in a remarkable degree, and which, added to its highly plastic quality, leaves hardly any bet- ter material for the purpose to be desired. In fact, the vulcanized soft rubber may, with some propriety, be termed, in this con- nection, artificial flesh, and the vulcanized hard rubber, now much used by dentists, may, with even greater reason, be called artificial bone. The properties of the vulcanized soft rubber, in respect to du- rability, are quite remarkable when we reflect that, placed in the mouth, it is there subjected to the combined action of five destruc- tive agents, viz: animal heat, moisture, motion, the salivary acids, and the oils of the food,—all acting together and incessantly upon it. len this is molded to the shape required, and, with a high degree of elasticity, it is yet flexible and soft as the finest kid, we may say that we are supplied with just the right material; and it only remains for us to make a good use of it. The degree of elasticity is a point that must be carefully attended to in manipulating the rubber, for, if the velum is made too hard and stiff, it will cause pain, and otherwise embarrass the action of the soft muscular parts with which it is in contact. If, on the other hand, it is too soft and yielding, it will not react or expand quickly enough, but will be liable to be clogged by food and the viscid fluids of the mouth; nor will it long sustain, as it