Produced by Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) TIN FOIL AND ITS COMBINATIONS FOR FILLING TEETH. BY HENRY L. AMBLER, M.S., D.D.S., M.D., Professor of Operative Dentistry and Dental Hygiene, in the Dental Department of Western Reserve University. Member of the American Dental Association; of the Ohio State Dental Society; of the Northern Ohio Dental Association; of the Cleveland City Dental Society. PHILADELPHIA: THE S. S. WHITE DENTAL MFG. CO., LONDON: CLAUDIUS ASH & SONS, Limited. 1897 Copyright, HENRY L. AMBLER, 1896. All rights reserved. Entered at Stationers Hall, London. Transcriber's Note: Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. Variant and obsolete spellings, particularly chemical terms, have been retained. The oe ligature is represented by [oe]. Subscript characters are shown _{thus}, for example H_{2}O. PREFACE. Believing that sufficient and well-deserved prominence was not being given to the use of tin foil and its combinations, the author decided to present a brief historical resume of the subject, together with such practical information as he possesses, before the profession in order that it may have the satisfaction of saving more teeth, since that is the pre-eminent function of the modern dentist. One object is to meet the demand for information in regard to the properties and uses of tin foil; this information has been sought to be given in the simplest form consistent with scientific accuracy. The present use of tin is a case of the "survival of the fittest," because tin was used for filling teeth more than one hundred years ago. There is not a large amount of literature upon the subject, and no single text-book has treated the matter fully enough to answer the needs of both teacher and pupil. It is difficult for the student to collect and harmonize from the many different sources just the kind and amount of information required for his special use. Perhaps this work will be of assistance to scientific students and practical operators in the art of using tin foil, including all who wish in compact form an explanation of the facts and principles upon which the art is based. A good method to arouse in students an interest in the use of tin foil is to have them use it in operative technics, which is becoming an effective adjunct in every dental college. By this means a great factor will be brought to bear, and the result will be that hundreds of graduates every year will begin