EXTRACTION OF TEETH. 7 



the whole the fulcrum is not so important as some have 

 considered it, since, after a tooth is loose enough to be 

 drawn with its aid, a very trifling additional loosening will 

 permit it to be easily lifted from its alveolus without it. 



The tooth fang is extracted by forcing the handles of the 

 forceps toward the jaw in which it is located, so that as it 

 is gradually drawn out the forceps tend to pivot on the 

 fulcrum in a way to permit it to emerge from the alveolus 

 in the direction of its long axis. By referring to Plate II 

 it will be seen that the axes of the different teeth vary, 

 that of the molars being obliquely forwards towards the 

 incisors while the crowns of the premolars are directed 

 obliquely backwards toward the molars. The slant of the 

 teeth is most marked at the ends of each arcade while at 

 the middle they acquire a practically perpendicular position. 

 In drawing the last molar the forceps will generally strike 

 against the opposite dental arcade before the tooth has 

 completely emerged from its alveolus and in order to com- 

 plete its removal it may be necessary to take a deeper hold 

 with the extracting forceps or withdrawing these complete 

 the operation with the aid of exporteur forceps, or still 

 better frequently with the hand. In young horses where 

 the teeth are very long we have found it impossible to 

 complete the extraction until the tooth had been divided 

 transversely by means of the tooth cutting forceps. 

 The dangers in the extraction of teeth are chiefly : 

 I. The fracture of the tooth, leaving the fang still 

 fixed in the alveolus, a danger not infrequently unavoidable 

 when the crown has become greatly weakened by disease so 

 that it lacks the power of resistance necessary to its extrac- 

 tion ; under most other conditions it may be largely guarded 

 against by the careful securing of the; patient in a manner 

 to effectively prevent sudden throwing of the head while the 

 forceps are applied, and by using good judgment in the 

 amount of force exerted while loosening the tooth in its 



