T H E 
HERBST METHOO 
—OF- 
Filling Teeth 
C. F. W. BODECKER, D. D. S., M. D. S. 
NEWYORK. 
An address delivered before the Dental Society of the 
State of New York, May 13, 1885. 
RtmtUtO VROV* THt VHOE'PLUQW? PRKOtVUCmtR o? NVIG.UST, \a?)b. 
No. 3s West 46th St., New York, and No. n West Chippewa St., Buffalo, N. Y; 
NEWYORK DENTAL JOURNAL ASSOCIATION, THE HERB ST METHOD 
OF 
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C. F. W. BODECKER, D. D. S., M. D. S., HEW YORK. 
AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE THE DENTAL SOCIETY OF THE STATE 
OP NEW YORK, MAY 18tH, 1885. 
Reprinted from the INDEPENDENT PRACTITIONER of August, 1885. 
Mr. President and Gentlemen : 
I have no doubt that you have heard or read of the new process 
of introducing filling materials, such as gold, tin and amalgam, into 
cavities in human teeth by means of engine-burnishers. It is some 
years since Dr. Shumway, of Plymouth, Mass., advocated rubbing 
gold into cavities by the use of ivory points, but he did not employ 
the dental engine. I have been informed that Dr. Bronson, of New 
York, had more recently used ordinary engine-burnishers for the 
introduction of amalgam only. 
About six years ago Wilhelm Herbst, of Bremen, Germany, who 
is not conversant with our professional literature, conceived 
the idea of introducing gold into cavities by means of smooth-faced 
burnishers. Herbst’s discoveries were, therefore, made independent 
of Shumway and Bronson. The method now practiced is as fol- 
lows: The gold is introduced into the cavity in the form of pellets, 2 
or cylinders, which are burnished down against the walls of the 
cavity, beginning with a hand instrument and continuing with a 
roof-shaped point in the engine, with which the gold is condensed 
thoroughly into every depression and corner of the cavity. 
The advantages claimed for this method are : 
Ist. Better adaptation to the walls of the cavity than it is pos- 
sible to obtain by any other system. 
2d. The saving of about one-half the time required for other 
methods. 
3d. Some of the most difficult operations (as proximate surfaces 
of the molars and bicuspids) by this method are very easily per- 
formed. 
4th. Gold can be perfectly adapted to the thin walls of enamel 
without danger of fracture. 
sth. The introduction of gold, when done by this method, is 
much less annoying to the patient, and less laborious to the oper- 
ator. 
The instruments used for this method are mostly ordinary smooth 
burnishers, ol which there are three sets; one set of engine points, one 
set of hand instruments, and one set of bent hand instruments. 
The two former sets were designed by Herbst, the latter by Dr. 
Prank Abbott. The engine set is composed of fifteen instruments, 
but only a few of these are very much used, although we may meet 
with cases in which all can be employed. The most important of 
(Fig. 1.) 3 
them is the roof-shaped instrument No. 5, of which there should be 
several sizes. These can easily be made out of a broken bur, as 
follows : The broken instrument is put in the band piece of the 
engine, which, while rotating rapidly, is ground upon an Arkansas 
stone. The instrument should lay obliquely upon the stone, like a 
pen in writing, and be quickly moved, drawing it from one side of 
the stone to the other. 
The instruments Nos. 2, 3 and 4, since they have been replaced 
by hand instruments, are but seldom used for gold fillings. The 
larger instruments, Nos. 1, 2 and 6, are mostly intended for the use 
of amalgam and tin. The pointed instruments, Nos. 7 to 15, are 
used for finishing and condensing the edges of proximate fillings. 
To this set I have added three very small, round points, in shape 
resembling a round cavity bur. They are designed for the use of 
small proximate cavities in incisors, and to me have proved of great 
advantage. (See Fig. 10.) 
Mr. R. S. Williams, of this city, has devised a roof-shaped condens- 
ing instrument with corrugations, which possesses some advantages. 
All these instruments should be highly tempered. When, therefore, 
by continual use they become soft, they should be re-tempered. 
About a year ago, when I gave 
a clinic before the First District 
Dental Society, Dr. Wheeler, of 
Albany, handed me a burnisher 
made of blood-stone, with which I 
finished the filling. The gold will 
not cohere to agate or blood-stone 
as it will to steel, thus obviating 
the necessity for the frequent 
cleaning of them upon emery, cro- 
cus or rouge cloth. These agate 
and blood-stone points have lately 
been imported by Dr. Timme, of 
Hoboken, New Jersey. They may be run at a high rate of speed, 
without perceptibly heating the gold. Gold introduced with agate 
or blood-stone becomes perfectly polished, and if another layer of 
gold is to be added the filling must previously be roughened by 
a roof-shaped or Williams instrument, else the several layers of gold 
may become separated again. 
(Fig. 2.) (Fig. 3.) 
(Fig. 4.) 
The hand instruments designed by Herb’st 
(Fig. 4) are five in number. Four are pear- 
shaped and one is a very fine roof-shaped in- 
strument. Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 are intended to 
condense and bring the gold to its proper 
place before the roof-shaped engine instru- 
ments are employed. No. sis an explor- 
ing instrument, which is to be pressed over 
the surface of the gold, especially the first 
layer, to discover the imperfectly condensed 
places. 
Dr. Abbott’s set (Fig. 3) is composed of 
bent burnishers, for those places which a 
straight instrument cannot perfectly reach. 
These instruments will condense the gold 
almost as perfectly as the engine burnishers, 
and offer special advantages for this method. 
When I first read an account of this 
method I placed very little confidence in it, 
and did not give it much attention until 
about two years ago, when Dr. Herbst sent me 
a patient, that I might examine some of his 
operations in the mouth. These fillings 
were beautifully done ; the edges were 
absolutely perfect, clean cut, and as well 
finished as they could be when done 
by the best of our mallet operators. Last year, 
when in Europe, I stayed with Dr. Herbst a week, 5 
experimenting with him all the time. I took from America 
a Bonwill mechanical mallet, that I might be sure that I had an 
instrument with which I was acquainted. Herbst first filled a steel 
matrix, somewhat resembling a bicuspid tooth, in which a moder- 
ately large hole had been drilled. In this cavity were a number of 
small pits, drilled at right angles to it. When filling this cavity 
with the mechanical mallet I was obliged to confess my inability to 
reach the pits with that instrument. Of course, no one would think 
of preparing a cavity in the manner in which the matrix was pre- 
pared, but for the sake of arriving at some definite conclusions we 
proceeded. I consumed about twice the time that Herbst did, and 
when we took out the plugs mine were imperfect, while his were 
perfectly polished upon the surfaces next the steel. This, of course, 
induced me to pursue experiments further. The plugs made by 
Herbst himself, by rotation, when weighed were found to be a little 
lighter than those I made with the mallet, but the adaptability was 
very much superior. 
At the May clinic of the First District Dental Society, we per- 
formed some experiments, first in glass tubes which I have here for 
inspection. One was filled by Dr. E. P. Brown, with the Bonwill 
mallet, in twenty-nine minutes ( marked Brown) ; one was filled by 
Dr. Abbott, with hand burnishers, employing the same process as the 
Herbst method, save that he did not use an engine (marked A), the 
filling being completed in six and a half minutes, and my tube 
(marked B) was filled in six minutes, the gold being introduced by 
the Herbst method. By comparing these three tubes, you will 
observe that with the Herbst method can be obtained the most 
perfect adaptation possible, a result which cannot be reached by 
the mallet system. We experimented further at the clinic, with a 
matrix made of steel, which was furnished by Dr. Abbott. Dr. Brown, 
with the electro-magnetic mallet, filled that matrix in forty minutes, 
and his plug weighed eighteen grains. Dr. Abbott employed the rub- 
bing method, using his hand instruments, without the engine, and it 
took him eight minutes, he employing some one to anneal and feed 
the gold. This plug weighed seventeen and a half grains. I used 
eleven minutes, and my plug weighed fourteen and a half grains, 
rubbing with the engine. But here I must state that this experi- 
ment was not quite conclusive. In the first place, my matrix was 
not completely filled, and the engine I had at my disposal was alto- 6 
gether worn out. I have since made some experiments with steel 
points (in the former experiment I was using agate points from the 
beginning to the end), and in these later experiments I have 
brought up the weight of the plugs, made in the same matrix in 
about the same time, to seventeen and three-quarter grains. On 
removing these fillings, Dr. Abbott’s as well as mine separated into 
two parts, but Dr. Brown’s stayed intact. The adaptation against 
the steel wall was absolutely perfect in my plug ; in Dr. Abbott’s it 
was nearly perfect, but in Dr. Brown’s there were several places 
where could be seen the layers of the foil. Prom these and other 
experiments I draw the conclusion that, against the walls of a cav- 
ity, nothing can produce so perfect an adaptation as the Herbst 
process. When such a filling is taken out, it presents a perfectly 
polished surface. Experiments that I have made since that clinic 
have demonstrated that steel points will condense the gold better 
than agate. There is more penetration to the former, and blood- 
stone ranks between the two. But if the steel points be continually 
used in the engine they become coated with a film of gold, and they 
must be frequently rubbed upon tin, crocus cloth, or something 
that will remove it. 
Dr. Brockway asks if this is not because one can bear on harder 
with a steel point. I think not,because by using straight pressure upon 
a large sized agate almost as much force can be used as with a steel 
instrument. The small agate points are, of course, very frail. I 
have found that a plug made entirely with agate points does not 
weigh as much as when condensed by steel. But when the new 
hand instruments are first used to put the plug in place, and fol- 
lowed by the cone-shaped steel instruments, the condensation of the 
gold is perfect. The use of the hand instruments will, to a certain 
extent, save the cleaning of the engine points, thus making the 
agate or blood-stone unnecessary. 
In experimenting with this method, Herbst, as well as myself, has 
tried the gold of most manufacturers, and found that almost every 
kind can be used, but that manufactured by Carl Wolrab, of 
Bremen, Germany, is particularly well adapted. There is no prep- 
aration of gold with which I have had such good success as with 
this, and I think that those gentlemen who have used it will corrob- 
orate me. 
The forms of gold best adapted for the Herbst method are very 7 
soft cylinders, of which the larger sizes are the most useful. If 
foil is used, Nos. 3, 4 and 5 are the best 
for the purpose. The leaves are cut in- 
to halves, and rolled into a rope between 
the fingers or with a napkin, and cut 
into pellets of required length ; or the 
sheet may be divided into squares measuring from one-half to one 
inch, which, by means of a pair of foil tweezers or the fingers, are 
formed into pellets. The foil, as well as the cylinders, should never 
be annealed when used in the first layers of the cavity, except it be 
a contour operation. 
(Fig. 5.) 
One of the essential rules for filling by the Herbst method is the 
conversion of all complicated cavities (such as proximate ones), 
which possess but one, two or three lateral walls, into simple ones 
(such as cavities involving the grinding surfaces of molars, and hav- 
ing four lateral walls), which is accomplished by the application of 
a proper matrix. The matrices used for this purpose are either 
made of steel, Brown’s polishing metal, wood or shellac, or the 
Jack matrices may be employed. Those used for the proxima'e 
surfaces of molars and bicuspids are the forms devised by Dr. 
Louis Jack, or they may be made out of a piece of thin watch- 
spring, wood, or the loop matrix may be employed. The watch- 
spring matrices are made out of a piece of watch-spring saw, such 
as may be obtained from any of the dental depots, in the following 
manner: A piece of saw, about half an inch long and as broad as 
the cavity is deep, is cut off and heated over a spirit flame until it is 
dark blue. The points of the matrix which are designed to rest on 
the cervical edge of the cavity ought to be well rounded off, that in 
cavities extending under the gum it may be pushed down without 
injuring either the lingual or buccal portion of the gum. The 
lateral ends of the matrix must be bent around the lingual and buc- 
cal portion of the tooth to be filled, like a clasp, so that the matrix 
when in position and viewed from the grinding surface shall present 
a semi-lunar form. When thus prepared it may be secured by one 
or two wedges or pins of wood, inserted, one from the buccal, the 
other from the lingual side. These wedges should be placed near 
the gum, between the matrix and the adjoining tooth, firmly press- 
ing the former against the edges of the cavity. In adjusting one 
of these matrices care should be observed that in mesial cavities 8 
it does not quite reach the grinding surface of the tooth, or it will 
obstruct the entrance to the cavity. All these steel matrices may 
be saved and used many successive times. When two cavities in 
bicuspids or molars face each other, if the former plan does not 
answer, the matrix, after it has been placed in position, may be 
secured by filling one of the cavities with cotton or shellac. In 
some cases, where there is sufficient separation between the two 
teeth, Dr. Jack’s matrices should be used, as they will restore the 
contour of the tooth better than any other. In a former publica- 
tion, I mentioned that in proximate cavities of molars and bicus- 
pids Herbst did not level the edges of a cavity very much, because 
he adjusted the matrix so closely that none of the gold had to be 
trimmed off. But I have since found that the loose adjustment is 
not only no objection, but an advantage. The matrix, if adjusted 
loosely, will permit the gold to project from the cavity somewhat, 
and by means of the pointed burnishers, Nos. 8 to 15 (Fig. 1), it 
can be rubbed over the edges, but the filling of a cavity, when the 
matrix is not entirely firm, requires a little more care and practice 
than the filling of a cavity against the walls of which the matrix is 
carefully secured. 
When several walls of a back tooth are to be restored, or the ad- 
joining tooth is missing, the loop matrix (Fig. 6) may be employed 
with advantage. The loops, as supplied by the dental depots, are 
much too thick for the majority of cases. 
Extra loops are very easily made from a thin watch-spring saw, 
to fit every case where a loop matrix is 
applicable. If the circumference of the 
tooth to be filled is very much greater at 
its grinding surface than at the neck, the 
loop may be annealed and hammered as 
required, or the loop may be given such a form that when bent to- 
gether it will be larger on one border than on the other. 
(Fig. 6.) 
In some instances, where the lingual walls of the upper front 
teeth are not broken too much, I have made use of a thin piece of 
Brown’s polishing metal, or steel. At first I used steel, as men- 
tioned before, in the form of a thin watch-spring saw. But I found 
that this material in some instances was difficult to adjust perfectly 
against the lingual walls of the teeth. Then I used Dr. Brown’s 
polishing metal, which I found of great service. It is a metal very 9 
easily bent in shape, easily adjusted, and easily removed again, and 
it can be readily held in position with the fingers. In some in- 
stances, where the perforation in 
the lingual wall is extensive, I 
have held a small piece of thick 
blotting paper under the Brown 
metal, which will then stand all 
the pressure required for the in- 
troduction of the gold. To form 
the matrix I take a piece of the 
thin metal, about one inch in length and wide enough to completely 
cover the cavity in the lingual surface of the tooth to be filled, in- 
sert it between the proximate surfaces of the incisors containing 
the cavity, and bend one end of it so as to cover the cavity in the 
lingual surface; the other end is bent out of the way, over the 
labial surface of the adjoining tooth. (See Figures 11 and 13.) 
(Fig. 7.) 
For the proximate surfaces of the incisors, when their lingual 
walls are broken, as well as in contour operations, a matrix of shel- 
lac is employed, which may be made in the following manner: A 
piece of shellac, the size of a large walnut, is warmed over an alcohol 
lamp to the consistency of putty, and after the rubber dam has been 
adjusted this is pressed against the lingual wall, extending a little 
over the cutting edges of four or six of the teeth. After it has be- 
come hard it may be removed from the mouth, and if any of the 
shellac is pressed into the cavity it must be carefully removed by 
cold excavators. It is trimmed as desired, and then put back again 
in its place. (See Fig. 8.) 
When the labial wall of such a 
cavity is broken to such an extent 
that the gold can be easily packed 
from the labial surface, an addi- 
tional steel matrix must be ap- 
plied against the proximate sur- 
face of the cavity. This matrix 
may be secured either by pins, 
wood, or cotton, or it may be 
warmed and pressed into the lingual surface of the shellac matrix, 
as in Fig. 7. 
(Fig. 8.) 
This steel matrix, made of a thin piece of clock or watch spring, 10 
must not quite reach to the labial surface of the tooth, as it may 
offer an obstruction to the introduction of the gold. Herbst says 
that the same matrix represented in Fig. 8, has been used in the 
mouth from which this cast and drawing were made. 
The matrix used for contour operations of incisors is made in a 
similar manner, but besides the steel matrix of the proximate sur- 
faces, an additional one should be put in for the restoration of the 
cutting edge of the tooth. (See Fig. 9.) 
The preparation of cavities to be filled by 
the Herbst method is, with a few exceptions, 
the same as for any other method. In no 
instances are deep undercuts or starting pits 
necessary, but the cavity should be so shaped 
that it will securely hold the filling. The 
edges are prepared in the usual manner. In 
a former article (See Independent Practi- 
tioner for November, 1884) I stated that all 
proximate cavities of the molars and bicus- 
pids must be made accessible from their grinding surfaces, but at 
present I do not prepare any cavities for this method in a diff< rent 
manner from that for any other system of filling. 
The introduction of the gold is the principal new feature of the 
Herbst method, and if certain general rules are observed this be- 
comes quite simple. It is probable that some dentists who have made 
a failure in their experiments with the Herbst system have done so 
because of their ignorance of the basal principles of the method. 
During the introduction of the filling material, the gold, which 
(when unannealed) apparently shows no signs of cohesion, working 
as soft as tin foil when burnished, becomes cohesive. The reason 
for this I am unable to give; there is certainly not enough heat devel- 
oped to cause it to become cohesive, nor should electrical action 
during rotation exert any material influence upon it. It is certain 
that Wolrab’s German gold possesses this property in a very marked 
degree, and it is largely owing to this that the Herbst method is 
crowned with success. 
(Fig. 9.) 
The main rule to be observed in the starting of a filling is, that 
the first layer must be sufficiently large, so that when condensed it 
will lie securely in the cavity without being supported by an instru- 
ment. When too little gold has been put into the first layer, or 11 
when a number of too small cylinders are used, and an attempt is 
made to condense them, the gold will roll about under the instru- 
ment, and become too hard to be again adapted to the walls and 
edges of the cavity. The same condition will be observed when the 
first hand instrument used in condensing the gold has been too small. 
The Herbst hand instruments, while pressing hard upon the gold, 
are rotated in the hand about one-half or three-quarters of a turn, 
but the Abbott instruments are merely moved from side to side. 
By a rotary motion the gold is much better condensed than by sim- 
ple pressure. Before the hand instruments are used upon a newly 
added layer of gold, they should be rubbed upon a piece of No. 1 
sandpaper. After the gold has been thus condensed, the perfect adap- 
tation is obtained by the roof-shaped or conical point in the engine. 
This instrument is to be ground upon an Arkansas stone or a piece 
of sandpaper while revolving, holding it in about the position a 
pen is held upon the paper while writing. After it is passed over 
the sandpaper or Arkansas stone, and is perfectly clean, it is, while 
rotating, pressed upon the gold, condensing it thoroughly into 
every depression of the cavity. In condensing, this instrument 
should not be held upon one spot, but be moved around, and espe- 
cially along the edges of the cavity. In using these points care 
should be taken that the engine is not run too fast, and that the 
burnisher, while in motion, is not allowed to be in contact with the 
gold longer than from one to three seconds, lest the gold be heated to 
such an extent as to cause discomfort, or even great pain to the 
patient. When the first layer of gold has been thoroughly con- 
densed with the roof-shaped instruments, the hand instrument No. 
5 (Fig. 1), while rotating, is pressed firmly around the edges and 
depressions of the cavity. If this makes any deep pits in the gold, 
it proves that in these places it was not perfectly condensed, and a 
smaller roof-shaped instrument than that used in the first instance 
should be employed in the engine to condense these places. All 
deep pits present in the first layer of gold should now be filled up 
with very small gold cylinders, and thoroughly condensed until the 
surface of the gold is even. All succeeding layers of gold are ma- 
nipulated in the same manner. In some situations, as in the buccal 
walls of molars and bicuspids, when the gold cannot be con- 
densed by direct action of the instrument, the right angle attach- 
ment, or an Abbott hand instrument should be employed. 12 
When a number of layers have been secured, and all the walls 
and edges of the cavity are covered, it will sometimes be found 
necessary, if the operation is to be concluded by the Herbst system, 
to slightly warm or anneal the gold. In view of the results of the 
experiments made, I deem it safer, especially for a beginner in this 
system, to finish an operation in the old accustomed manner. The 
experiments have demonstrated that the walls of a cavity, when 
filled by the Herbst system, are more perfect, although the plug 
does not weigh quite as much as one made by the mallet. Although 
we know that the specific weight of a gold plug is not of great im- 
portance, yet the more solid a filling is upon the grinding surface 
the better it will wear. 
Tin is introduced in the same manner as gold, either in the form 
of foil, or as Robinson’s metal. Nos. 4 to 6 foil is cut in half, 
and is made into a rope with the fingers or a napkin, and cut into 
pieces of the desired length, which ought to be used when prepared, 
as tin oxidizes when in contact with the air for any length of 
time. 
About six months ago Herbst sent me the preparations which I now 
exhibit. They are tin fillings, coated with a layer of gold. He then 
supposed that he had discovered something new, but you are aware 
that this combination of tin and gold has been in use for many years. 
Tin, as a filling material, has some very desirable properties. I have, 
therefore, of late used a thin layer of it upon the cervical portion of 
every proximate cavity where it is out of sight. For this the 
Herbst method offers special advantages, as a very thin layer of it 
can be burnished around the edges and walls of the cavity very per- 
fectly, and with great ease. 
I. Distal surfaces of bicuspid and molar teeth, involving the 
proximate and grinding surface. After the cavity has been prepared 
in the usual manner, and the rubber dam has been adjusted, the 
matrix is applied in the manner mentioned above. This being in 
place, and the cavity having been thoroughly disinfected and dried, 
everything is ready for the introduction of the gold. Two, three, 
or four large gold cylinders are loosely placed in the cavity with a 
pair of foil tweezers, then a hand instrument, either Herbst’s or 
Abbott’s, as large as the entrance of the cavity will admit, is cleaned 
upon fine sandpaper, and with this, while rotating, the gold is 
I will now describe the method of filling special cavities. firmly compressed, first into the bottom and then against the side 
walls of the cavity. The gold is then thoroughly condensed, espe- 
cially against the matrix and edge of the cavity, with one of the 
roof-shaped instruments No. 5, (Fig. 1), and, as mentioned 
above, examined with the thinnest hand instrument. In this man- 
ner layer after layer is introduced until the cavity is filled. If de- 
sired, the last layer may be packed by the mallet. 
11. The introduction of gold into cavities involving the mesial 
and grinding surfaces of molars and bicuspids is a little more 
troublesome, although when the Abbott instruments are employed 
the filling of these cavities is simplified. The anterior edges and walls 
of the matrix in these localities cannot always be reached Joy 
direct action of the engine. A roof-shaped instrument in the right- 
angle attachment is therefore indispensable, which, while ro- 
tating, is firmly pressed forward against the matrix and edge of the 
cavity. 
lIF. Occasionally we meet with cavities in the mesial or distal 
surfaces of bicuspids, near the gum, which, if the tooth structure 
between the cavity and grinding surface is strong enough, may be 
filled from the buccal surface. In these instances we use as a matrix 
a thin piece of clock spring, about one inch in length, and push it 
between the two teeth. If the cavity is situated in the distal por- 
tion of the first bicuspid, the buccal end of the steel-spring matrix 
is bent backwards as much as possible, around the second bicuspid, 
that it may not obstruct the entrance of the cavity. When the 
cavity is situated in the mesial portion of the second bicuspid, in- 
troduction of the gold is accomplished in the same manner as de- 
scribed above. 
IV. The packing of gold in cavities upon the grinding surfaces 
of molars is somewhat different. The first layer introduced must 
extend over the whole surface, and be sufficiently thick to lie quietly 
when the instrument No. 5, (Fig. 1) is used to condense it into the 
several depressions of the cavity. To facilitate the packing of the 
succeeding layers, the gold cylinders may be warmed, or even slight- 
ly annealed. When the operation is nearly completed, I would ad- 
vise, especially for beginners, that the filling be finished by the 
mallet. 14 
V. Proximate surfaces of the incisors can be very easily and 
quickly tilled by this method. The cavities are prepared in the 
same manner as for filling by any other system, but no deep starting 
points are made, a slight round undercut at the cervical wall and 
one towards the cutting edge of the cavity being amply sufficient. 
The separation required for this method is not more than when the 
cavity has been prepared for other methods. Herbst fills all these 
cavities with a No. 5 instrument, but I use a burnisher made ex- 
actly like a small round bur, which works very satisfactorily. (See 
Fig. 10.) 
When there are two cavities to be filled which face each 
other, a matrix made of a thin piece of clock or watch 
spring may be used to great advantage. This matrix 
may be either inserted into a piece of shellac (See Fig. 
7), or it may be used in the same manner as described 
in paragraph ill. Herbst formerly filled two op- 
posite cavities of incisor or bicuspid teeth in the follow- 
ing manner: When the first layer in both cavities had 
been thoroughly condensed, more gold cylinders were 
added in both cavities, and condensed as though there 
were but one. When sufficient gold has been introduced 
the two fillings are separated by a No. 15 (Fig. 1) in- 
strument (an ordinary fine sewing needle secured in a 
mandrel or chuck), which, while rotating, is 
pressed through the median line of the fillings 
in several places. The two fillings are further 
separated by means of a thin clock-spring saw, 
the edges thoroughly condensed with one of the 
pointed burnishers Nos. 12 to 14, (Fig. 1), and 
finished. 
(Fig. 10.) 
(Fig. n.) 
VI. Proximate surfaces of incisors with bro- 
ken lingual walls are comparatively easy to 
manipulate when a matrix is applied to the bro- 
ken wall. This may be made either of shellac, 
a piece of thin clock spring, or Brown’s metal, as described in a pre- 
ceding paragraph. When the labial wall of an incisor is not broken 
away, the cavity may be opened and filled from the lingual surface, 
thus avoiding the appearance of gold on the labial surface, and the an- 
noyance and loss of time in wedging. If the teeth stand in such close 
(Fig. 12.) 15 
proximity that they will not admit a fine finishing strip, a small 
wooden wedge must be inserted near the gum, after which the cav- 
ity is prepared and filled in the usual manner. When there are two 
cavities facing each other to be filled, a thin clock-spring matrix 
should be inserted between the two cavities in the same manner as 
when they are to be filled from the labial surface. 
(See Par. Y.) If a cavity is situated in the mesial 
surface of aright upper central incisor, the clock- 
spring matrix (about one inch long and wide 
enough to cover the cavity) is inserted between 
the two centrals, when the labial portion of the 
spring is bent over the labial surface of the right central (the tooth 
to be filled), while the lingual portion is bent against the lingual 
wall of the adjoining (left) central. 
(Fig. 13.) 
YII. When, however, the labial as well as the lingual walls of 
incisor teeth are broken to such an extent that the gold can be 
easily packed from the labial surface, a matrix, represented in 
Fig. 13, or in some instances the above-mentioned clock-spring 
matrix, may be employed. The gold is introduced in the usual 
manner. 
YIII. Contour operations of the cutting edges of the front teeth 
have only been accomplished within a comparatively short space of 
time. When I last saw Herbst, I showed him a patient for whom 
I had inserted in the lower jaw five or six very large fillings. Two 
of the centrals were largely contoured, and this was the first work 
of the kind he had ever seen. Herbst was quite surprised when he 
saw these operations, and remarked : “I will not rest until I can 
produce the same operation with my method.” Two weeks later, 
while in Yienna, I received the lower centrals which I now exhibit. 
You observe that it is a very large contour operation, and it 
is similar to the one I showed him in the mouth of ray patient. 
This proves that gold can be built up by this method, but how it 
will stand in the mouth, time only can tell. One of the preparations 
sent by Herbst, involving the mesial, distal, and about one-sixteenth 
of an inch of the cutting edge of an upper incisor, only required 
forty minutes’ time for the introduction of the gold. This method, 
therefore, may save a very great deal of time and labor. The principal 
difficulty in these operations is the making of a proper matrix. 16 
When this has been accomplished the filling is comparatively a 
simple matter. The matrix is prepared of shellac. (See Figs. 9 and 13.) 
The proximate walls, as well as the cutting edge, are enclosed by 
pieces of watch spring fastened into the shellac matrix of the lingual 
wall. When thus arranged these cavities form a simple cavity with 
four side walls, into which the gold is easily packed. 
Dr. Bodecker—That varies with the size of the cavity. In small 
cavities one cylinder is sufficient, but in large ones we may safely 
employ two or three large cylinders in one layer, and be able to 
condense them perfectly. If I had the proper instruments here I 
would extract a few of the fillings from these preparations of Dr, 
Herbst. 
Dr. Brockway—Do you use single cylinders ? 
For the present, I do not make contour operations altogether by 
this method, because I want to be careful, and not experiment on 
my patients any more than lam justified in doing. The walls and 
edges of a filling, when made by this method, are better than any- 
thing I can do with the mallet. But when the operation is finished 
with the mallet, I am sure I run no risk, and I save at least half the 
time I would have used if I had filled the entire cavity by the 
mallet system. 
I desire to mention that Dr. Herbst made most of the prepara- 
tions exhibited here to-night expressly for this meeting. He sends 
his cordial greetings, and hopes that every one of you may be 
benefited by these specimens. THE INDEPENDENT PRACTITIONER. 
VOLUME VI., 1885. 
A PRACTICAL MEDICO-DENTAL JOURNAL, 
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It is especially devoted to the interests of those 
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That which is new and useful in Medicine, Surgery, 
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