Among the many disagreeable and annoying, not to say painful, things that patients have to suffer at the hands of dentists, nothing, perhaps, is received with greater dread and disgust than the announcement that the teeth must be "wedged" before filling. Some, a small minority among us, I think, always fill without previous separation. In regard to the necessity for it, I will enter no argument here, but only say that personally I am a firm believer in wide spaces between the teeth at their necks, and labor to the best of my ability to obtain this result. It is most likely that many of you are using the same means that I am to get the desired room for filling, but by presenting and discussing the subject, it is possible we may obtain some help in doing what I fear the most of us find, at times, difficult and perplexing. For a long time rubber was about the only thing used for separating. It has some good qualities and many bad ones. It probably causes more pain and annoyance to the patient than any other wedge. Its liability to slide into contact with the gum, causing great pain and soreness, and even suppuration, has caused me to entirely abandon its use, I am willing to admit that it may be used successfully sometimes. The best rubber to use, if it must be used at all, is that of which the most inelastic tubing is made, or the erasers sold by stationers, cut into suitable shape. Wedges of wood are well adapted to cases where the sides of teeth to be wedged are nearly parallel, or where there is less space at the gum than at the points of the teeth. The wedge should be about as wide as the length of the crown, that is, it should extend from the cutting edge to the gum, nearly. It should be so shaped and trimmed as to not irritate the tongue or cheek. One advantage of the wooden wedge is that it is more cleanly than tape, cotton, or silk. This same class of teeth, those with nearly parallel sides, can be separated as successfully, and I think with less pain, with tape. Linen tape of various widths and well waxed is the best. It should be folded so as to be of proper width and thickness, and then drawn into place. A sharp knife is preferable to scissors for cutting off the ends. The tape should be thoroughly waxed, which assists materially in getting it between the teeth, and renders it more cleanly when left in the mouth for several days. In teeth with cavities so situated that cotton can be crowded in with sufficient force, this is one of the best wedges that can be used, as regards both effectiveness and comfort. It is necessary to so place the cotton that the force of expansion will be exerted against adjoining teeth and not expanded within the cavity. By once changing the cotton, space enough can generally be obtained. It is difficult to adjust and keep wedges in place between teeth having more or less space at the gum, and touching only at a small point near the cutting ends. It is in these cases