A system of dental surgery / by the late Sir John Tomes.

  • John Tomes
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A system of dental surgery / by the late Sir John Tomes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    87/764 page 75
    Modern views as to the budding oft' of teeth from the common dental lamina, however, render the occurrence of super- numeraries easier to account for than the older view, in which it was thought that each permanent tooth germ was strictly derived from the neck of the enamel organ of its predecessor. Mr. Woodhouse has also recorded some cases of super- numerary wisdom-teeth (Trans. Odont. Soc., 1876). When supernumerary teeth make their appearance they should be extracted as soon as their character is clearly established. Instances may, however, occasionally present themselves to the practitioner in which a supernumerary tooth may be retained with advantage; but these will, for the most part, be confined to those cases in which, from neglect, the whole of the teeth have been allowed to remain until all chance of the normal tooth coming into its proper position on the removal of the intruder is lost. Under the head of irregularity in the number of the per- manent teeth, those cases in which the dental series is more or less defective yet remain to be considered. Instances have been cited of a total absence of the permanent teeth ('). In two casts taken by the late Mr. Harrison from a patient under his treatment, one molar occupied each side of the upper and lower jaws, and these four molar teeth, with four incisors (two in each jaw), were all the permanent teeth. According to the statements of the patient and of her friends, the temporary teeth presented no peculiarities either as regards their number or the manner or the time of their shedding. A temporary canine tooth was retained in the upper and lower jaw ; the other members of the deciduous set dropped out at the usual time, but, with the exception of the four central incisors, their successors were wanting. A case has also been described in which there was an almost total absence of the temporary series, yet permanent teeth not only made their appearance at the usual time, but took their place with great regularity as respects arrangement. Now, although these two instances may be looked upon as very rare and exceptional ones, (l) In the Museum of the Odontological Society are several models of cases in which the teeth were deficient, and allusion has already been made to the subject in discussing the origin of various abnormalities (page 65).
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