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nevertheless, a considerable number of irregular dentitions
that can only be treated by appliance. Parents in these cases
are advised to attend their private practitioner or, failing
that, to- attend one of the Dental Hospitals. A number of
these are unable to follow this advice because of the expense
incurred by the frequent visits which the effective operation
of an orthodontic appliance involves. Regrettable as this is,
it would be unwise to attempt regulation by appliance at the
clinic, for the time being, because the surgery time spent in
so doing would be at the expense of the more essential and
universally needed conservative work.
Root canals are only treated at the clinic in Cases of
incisor teeth—usually those devitalised by an accidental blow
which fractures the tooth. These are preserved that the space
and root may be retained in a healthy condition for subsequent
crowning.
The application of silver nitrate is not generally resorted
to, but in selected shallow cavities, where the arrest of
caries may reasonably be expected to occur, silver nitrate is
used.
General anajsthetics are administered by a School
Medical Officer who attends for that purpose at special sessions.
No extractions of any kind are performed without the
use of either a general or local anaesthetic.
Children whose parents have refused treatment in the
past are allowed re-entry to the scheme at the next routine
inspection providing they consent to all necessary treatment,
and any teeth requiring fillings are filled before extractions
are made, as in routine cases.
Ideally no permanent teeth should be lost except those
removed to relieve overcrowding, and temporary teeth should
be retained until they are due to be replaced by their permanent
successors.
It is not reasonable to suppose that any school dental
service will reach that ideal, because it depends on a long
chain of eventualities the links of which are forged or flawed
by divers persons at different times. Without straining the
metaphorical chain too much, perhaps a little hammering on
the weaker links might make the whole more efficient.
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