- Email: [email protected]
Orthodontia and dental health
Editorials
88
istrative by-laws presented and the various resolutions that, came before the House of Delegates, it often became necessary for President Banzhaf to make decisions regarding parliamentary procedure. We wish to commend him on the spirit of fairness he showed because very often the decisions he made were to the disadvantage of some of the resolutions and ideas which he had introduced in his presidential address. His spirit of fairness was beyond question and we believe these Transactions of the House of Delegates in years to come will show fewer errors and violations to the Constitutional and Administrative By-Laws than many transactions have in the past. President Banzhaf’s administration clearly demonstrated the advantage of havi-ng a presiding officer who is familiar with the procedure, and fairminded enough to follow principles in preference to personal desires.
Orthodontia
V
and Dental
Health
ERY few people realize the value of orthodontic treatments as an aid to dental health. The dental profession has long realized that malocclusion of the teeth was one of the greatest causes of dental caries. Overlapping and malposed teeth prohibit the proper cleansing of the teeth and predispose toward the wedging of food in the proximal spaces. Malposed teeth do not present the proper proximal surfaces and consequently do not have the same self-cleansing qualities as are found in normal occlusion. Not only does the wedging of food between the teeth predispose toward caries, but it is also a predisposing factor toward irritation and injury to the proximal tissues. Injury to the peridental membrane is often caused in this manner and deep pockets are often associated with malposed teeth. Malocclusion is a great factor in the production of traumat.ism and the so-called “traumatic occlusion” is often nothing more than traumatism resulting from malocclusion. These above factors have long been recognized by the dental profession. The orthodontist is often called upon to treat young patients and therefore sees the need of greater practice of preventive dentistry than is often followed by the general practitioner. Orthodontists are often confronted with the disagreeable situation of referring patients to dentists for filling of initial cavities and pits and having the dentist inform the patient that the tooth does not need filling at that time. The American Society of Orthodontists has no desire to dictate principles of practice to the dental profession. However, because of the fact that so many small cavities are being neglected, the resolutions on the “Principles Relating to Dental Health” as published in this issue were adopted at the last annual meeting in Chicago. In 1925 similar resolutions were presented before the Executive Council of the Dental Society of the State of New York and the Council refused to endorse them. However, we hope the time will soon arrive when every practitioner of dentistry will realize that the real success of preventive dentistry lies in the proper care of initial defects, including pits, fissures and grooves. The orthodontist realizes that it is extreme folly to spend months correcting malocclusion only t,o have the teet,h later lost t,o caries caused by inattention to pits, fissures and grooves on the part of the family dentist.
88
istrative by-laws presented and the various resolutions that, came before the House of Delegates, it often became necessary for President Banzhaf to make decisions regarding parliamentary procedure. We wish to commend him on the spirit of fairness he showed because very often the decisions he made were to the disadvantage of some of the resolutions and ideas which he had introduced in his presidential address. His spirit of fairness was beyond question and we believe these Transactions of the House of Delegates in years to come will show fewer errors and violations to the Constitutional and Administrative By-Laws than many transactions have in the past. President Banzhaf’s administration clearly demonstrated the advantage of havi-ng a presiding officer who is familiar with the procedure, and fairminded enough to follow principles in preference to personal desires.
Orthodontia
V
and Dental
Health
ERY few people realize the value of orthodontic treatments as an aid to dental health. The dental profession has long realized that malocclusion of the teeth was one of the greatest causes of dental caries. Overlapping and malposed teeth prohibit the proper cleansing of the teeth and predispose toward the wedging of food in the proximal spaces. Malposed teeth do not present the proper proximal surfaces and consequently do not have the same self-cleansing qualities as are found in normal occlusion. Not only does the wedging of food between the teeth predispose toward caries, but it is also a predisposing factor toward irritation and injury to the proximal tissues. Injury to the peridental membrane is often caused in this manner and deep pockets are often associated with malposed teeth. Malocclusion is a great factor in the production of traumat.ism and the so-called “traumatic occlusion” is often nothing more than traumatism resulting from malocclusion. These above factors have long been recognized by the dental profession. The orthodontist is often called upon to treat young patients and therefore sees the need of greater practice of preventive dentistry than is often followed by the general practitioner. Orthodontists are often confronted with the disagreeable situation of referring patients to dentists for filling of initial cavities and pits and having the dentist inform the patient that the tooth does not need filling at that time. The American Society of Orthodontists has no desire to dictate principles of practice to the dental profession. However, because of the fact that so many small cavities are being neglected, the resolutions on the “Principles Relating to Dental Health” as published in this issue were adopted at the last annual meeting in Chicago. In 1925 similar resolutions were presented before the Executive Council of the Dental Society of the State of New York and the Council refused to endorse them. However, we hope the time will soon arrive when every practitioner of dentistry will realize that the real success of preventive dentistry lies in the proper care of initial defects, including pits, fissures and grooves. The orthodontist realizes that it is extreme folly to spend months correcting malocclusion only t,o have the teet,h later lost t,o caries caused by inattention to pits, fissures and grooves on the part of the family dentist.