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CHAP. XXVII. Of drawing of teeth.
TEeth are drawne, either for that they cause intolerable paines, which will not yeeld to medicines, or else for that they are rotten and hollowed, so that they cause the breath to smell; or else for that they infect the sound and whole teeth, and draw them into the like corruption, or be∣cause they stand out of order. Besides, when they are too deep and strongly rooted, so that they cannot be plucked out, they must oft times be broken of necessity, that so you may drop some caustick thing into their roots, which may take away the sense, and consequently the paine. The hand must be used with much mo∣deration in the drawing out of a tooth; for the Jaw is sometimes dislocated by the * 1.1 too violent drawing out of the lower teeth. But the temples, eyes and braine are shaken with greater danger by the too rude drawing of the upper teeth. Wherefore they must first be cut about, that the gums may be loosed from them, then shake them with your fingers, and doe this untill they begin to be loose; for a tooth which is fast in, and is plucked out with one pull, oft-times breaks the jaw, and brings forth the piece together therewith, whence follow a feaver and a great fluxe of bloud not easily to be stayed (for bloud or pus flowing out in great plenty is, in Celsus opinion, * 1.2 the sign of a broken bone) & many other maligne and deadly symptoms: some have had their mouthes drawne so awry, during the rest of their lives, so that they could scarce gape. Besides, if the tooth be much eaten, the hole thereof must be filled ei∣ther with Lint, or a corke, or a piece of lead well fitted thereto, lest it be broken un∣der your forceps, when it is twitched more straightly to be plucked out, and the root remain, ready in a short time to cause more grievous paine. But judgement must be used, and you must take speciall care lest you take a sound tooth for a pained one; for oft-times the patient cannot tell, for that the bitternesse of paine by neighbour-hood is equally diffused over all the jaw. Therefore for the better plucking out a * 1.3 tooth, observing these things which I have mentioned, the patient shall be placed in a low seat, bending back his head between the Tooth-drawers legs; then the Tooth-drawer shall deeply scarifie about the tooth, separating the gums therfrom with the instruments marked with this letter A. and then if spoyled as it were of the wall of the gums, it grow loose, it must be shaken and thrust out by forcing it with the three-pointed levatory noted with this letter B. but if it sticke in too fast, and will not stirre at all, then must the tooth be taken hold of with some of these toothed forcipes mar∣ked with these letters C. D. E. now one, then another, as the greatnesse, figure, and site shall seeme to require. I would have a tooth-drawer expert and diligent in the use of such toothed mullets; for unlesse one know readily and cunningly how to use them, he can scarce so carry himself, but that he will force out three teeth at once, oft-times leaving that untoucht which caused the paine.