Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery - Dental Columbian Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 15 text:

MAURICE BUCHBINDER, B.S.. D.D.S. Associate Professor of Dentistry WILLIAM MILLER. B.S.. D.D.S. Assistant in Der 1RVIN L. HUNT, Jr., D.D.S. Instructor in Dentistry MILTON R. MILLER. B.S., D.D.S. Instructor in Dentistry £fe CARL R. OMAN, D.D.S. Associate Professor of Dentistry GEORGE F. LINDIG. D.D.S. Associate Professor of Dentistry HERBERT P. FRITZ. B.S.. D.D.S. Assistant in Dentistry EDWARD H. KOCH. A. 8.. D.D.S. Assistant in Der ' ' • 11

Page 14 text:

OPERATIVE DENTISTRY LEROY L. HARTMAN. D.D.S., Sc.D. Professor of Dentisfry It has been said the loss of a single tooth from one dental arch affects, almost immediately, all the teeth and contiguous tissues of both dental arches. Opera- tive dentistry aims to prevent the loss of teeth through proper treatment of carious areas. The infected mate- rial is removed, a cavity prepared, and the tooth restored to proper anatomy and function. At Columbia, the Operative Division makes every attempt to help the student construct for himself a technique built upon scientific knowledge and upon the experience of successful operators. It is only natural, therefore, that the cavity preparations used are based upon the fundamental research of S. V. Black. Because caries, like neoplasms, may assume no given form but tends to run wild, modifications in the Black technique are made whenever indicated. Application of the rubber dam is routine in the clinical procedure; it is to be used wherever possible. With better vision and a clean field in which to work — to mention but two of the many advantages — the operator is amply rewarded for the few minutes spent in placing the dam. Another feature is emphasis upon the use of hand instruments. To prevent recurrent decay margins should be sharp and definite; sharp hand instruments are often indispensable for this reason. In addition they are valuable in planing the dentin and in joining sharp line and point angles. While operative dentistry does not have the general disagreement upon fundamentals that obtains in cer- tain other branches of dentistry, it is by no means perfect. Nor can it afford to be static. Our operative dentistry faculty has been working hand in hand with other departments, exploring with its finest instruments for catches in each component of this division of den- tal science and art. The closest collaboration with the Prosthetic Division is always maintained; as a conse- quence we have today better materials, used to better advantage. Included on the faculty are persons of wide experi- ence in the entire operative field. But it is significant that several of these men have given special consid- eration to the properties and uses of particular filling materials. This is of great benefit to the student body.

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PROSTHETICS EARLE BANKS HOYT, D.D.S. Professor of Dentistry As in the other divisions of the School, the Pros- thetic Division attempts to teach and practice ideal dentistry. No other lost organ of the body can be replaced with a substitute having the efficiency of a replaced tooth or set of teeth. It is up to us as dentists to give to our patients the most efficient restorations possible. Only through consideration of all the problems of function, retention, comfort and esthetics can this be accomplished. In constructing full dentures, the first step is the talcing of the patient ' s history, special attention being paid to conditions of the oral cavity. A special out- line of procedure for this purpose has been very ade- quately prepared by the Division. The aid obtained therefrom in bringing the restoration to its ideal com- pletion is invaluable. Many technics have been developed for the con- struction of a full denture case. These vary in their mode of attack mainly on the problems of function and retention, the two greatest problems. After years of study and experience with many of these technics, the members of the Division have found one which in their opinion, best solves these problems — the House Technic. Here, by means of a special articu- lator, all the movements of the patient ' s jaw can be quite accurately duplicated. No longer is there the fear of the finished denture not fitting or of it kicking loose when the patient goes through the normal move- ments of the jaw. The excellent results obtained with a House case are well worth the additional time and energy. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the technic has not received enough space in the dental journals, it has not yet reached the profession at large. In the field of Crown and Bridge, the Division is undoubtedly considered by many, extreme in its pro- cedure; and at first glance this might appear so. But after careful consideration, its procedure can truly be called conservative. For it is the inlay abutment, fallaciously called conservative, which in the long run breaks down more often than the full or J4 crown. The crown, on the other hand, while involving more tooth structure proves its conservatism by outlasting the latter. This is explained on the basis that the greater the marginal area the greater the chance of recurrent decay. Can this be called radical if it insures health? The careful pre-operative consideration of all fac- tors involved in the construction of a bridge is another reason why so few patients are ever troubled with one made in our infirmary. It is this type of true conservatism which underlies the teaching of Crown and Bridge at Columbia. 12