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THE FIRST SPECIALIZED BOOK ON DENTAL PROSTHETICS. First edition, rare on the market, of "the first specialized book on dental prosthetics" (G & M), and perhaps the first contribution to what would later be called "cosmetic dentistry." "Mouton, in 1746, … gave to the light a monograph, the first extant, on mechanical dentistry. The methods of this author for the most part do not differ from those of Fauchard, nevertheless one finds several important innovations in his work. To prevent the further deterioration of teeth already much destroyed, and to preserve them some time longer, Mouton had recourse to the application of "calottes d or," that is, gold crowns. He used this for the front teeth as well as for the molars, but in the former case he had them enamelled to give them the same appearance as natural teeth. Mouton also invented a new method of applying artificial teeth. Up to then the ordinary method had been that of fixing them to the natural teeth by means of threads passed through holes made in the artificial teeth expressly for that purpose. Mouton is the first to speak of artificial teeth fixed to the natural teeth adjoining them by means of springs or clasps. This author relates having carried out several transplantations with perfect success, a thing that contributed greatly to his renown not only in France, but also in England. He distinguished himself, besides, by the correction of dental irregularities. Lastly, it is to be noted that this author frequently had recourse, as a remedy against toothache, to the stretching of the dental nerve by means of moving and partially raising the tooth (subluxation)" (Guerini, pp. 303-4). Mouton cites only Galen, Géraudly and Fauchard, and those only rarely. ABPC/RBH lists only two complete copies (perhaps the same copy) in the last 40 years (Ketterer Kunst Doerling, May 27, 2013, lot 490, 2,160; ibid., November 16, 2009, lot 267, 2,196). Little is known about the life of Claude Mouton. "It is beyond any doubt that he was a contemporary of Pierre Fauchard and studied closely his book [Le chirurgien dentiste, ou traité des dents, Paris, 1728]. Hoffmann-Axthelm reproduces a Parisian list in which Mouton is named as Dentiste du Roi , domiciled in Rue d Orléans S. Honoré, in which Fauchard himself and some other renowned dentists such as Bourdet, Jourdain, Laudumiay or the Calais and Hervieux ladies appear, all of them in the Experts category while only three people are recorded as Maistres en Chirurgie . "In 1746 the Essay d Odontotechnie, ou Dissertation sur les dents artificielles was published by Antoine Boudet s press (Rue S. Jacques) … it is divided into five chapters … This dissertation, Mouton confesses, was the fruit of several years experience, but the flame that lit the fuse was actually the help requested by a twenty-two-year-old girl who had lost two upper incisors that had been irretrievably undermined by cavities, as a result of childbirth. Though reluctant, she was persuaded by one of her friends to accept the presence of strange teeth in her mouth. Mouton made her see the disadvantages of the lack of these teeth and the advantages of replacing them by a skillful hand. The success and uniqueness of the case encouraged Mouton to publish an account of the treatment, addressed to the public, with a double message: to promote the care of natural teeth and to banish prejudices about the use of false teeth. "The first chapter, comprised of 30 pages, is entitled: Of the inconveniences caused by the lack of teeth … Mouton points out the inconveniences that arise from the loss of teeth, such as alterations in pronunciation, especially for public speakers; the contraction of the lips in trying to hide the loss of teeth, which can end up becoming a repertoire of grimaces; the escape of saliva through the gap created by the missing teeth; the sinking of the lip at the level of the missing teeth, especially the upper ones, or of the cheek in the case of lateral loss.
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