Electro-physiology and electro-therapeutics : showing the best methods for the medical uses of electricity / By Alfred C. Garratt.

I have never seen or known any bad effects produced on the tooth. This result must be connected with the uniform care with which this nice operation has been done. " In whatever condition the tooth-pulp may be, the operation is attended with but very little pain. As the time of its applica- tion is but just a second or so, in the large majority of instances in which I have employed it, there has been no pain whatever felt. There may be a sort of twinge, which is but instantaneous. But whatever pain may arise is not to be compared to that from the process of extracting a tooth. Some of my patients have felt it so little while being applied, that they have asked me to apply it the second time, so as to make all certain that the nerve was killed. " If the cavity of the tooth so treated be minutely examined, a small black speck or spot can be seen after this cautery has been correctly and successfully used ; this is the result of the carbonization of the pulp, and is a guide, to some extent, in the after process of removal of the carious portion of the tooth, which should always be done after the sensibility has been destroyed by the electric cautery. It is to be accomplished in the usual manner, with care, taking the precaution to leave none of the tooth that is decayed, as every particle of it should be removed, just as in any case of filling. For a few days after- wards, — sometimes only one, but generally two, — the cavity is allowed to remain only filled with a preparation of morphine and mastic, and after that the tooth is filled. In other cases I use camphor with mastic. But by this means I do accom- plish what I believe no other dentist has done, and that is, to plug or fill the tooth cavity in the same sitting during which the pulp has been destroyed. This, however, depends upon the complete absence of pain after the use of the electro-cautery. I have already stated that there is always a little pain at the instant of cauterizing ; but sometimes this at once disappears, and in such a case I do not hesitate to fill the teeth perma- nently. I also do this if there has been a little bleeding from the cavity of the tooth subsequent to cauterization. It might be supposed that this procedure of stopping the teeth so immc- 57*