EARLY DESTRUCTION OF THE TEETH 103 



and from which many other mistakes have originated, 

 is their having overlooked the peculiarity of the 

 structure and organization of these organs. They 

 have assumed them to be similarly constituted to 

 the other parts of the body, and have therefore 

 naturally enough concluded that the exciting cause 

 of disease in the one case must be the same as in 

 the other. Hence the public have been led to believe 

 that decay of the teeth is the result of inflammatory 

 action, originating in the internal structure of the 

 tooth, either in its membrane or in its bony sub- 

 stance, and consequently that the commencement of 

 decay must necessarily be attended with pain : and 

 according to this doctrine so it would, inflammation 

 being the exciting cause, and decay the result. The 

 patient is therefore induced to believe, that in the 

 absence of pain his teeth must be in a sound and 

 healthy condition ; they thus become neglected, and 

 the dentist is scarcely ever consulted before pain 

 has been experienced, and when consulted it is 

 for the same object for which the physician or 

 surgeon is consulted, namely, that the patient may 

 be relieved from pain. It is true, that the physician's 

 and surgeon's object is to cure disease ; that of the 

 dentist is, or rather ought to be, to prevent it ; but 

 so long as the true nature of the cause of the teeth's 

 destruction is misunderstood, an application to the 

 dentist will not, in the majority of instances, be 

 made until pain compels the patient's attention to 

 the subject, and then it will be found that so far as 



