Dr. Ralph and Mrs. Olga Crawford Canadian Dental Collection
Category
Dental
Classification
Dental
Accession Number
010020689
Description
Rectangular metal container with grey paper label on all sides with white text has an oval lid on one end and an opening covered by tan adhesive paper on the other; new, not opened.
Rectangular metal container with grey paper label on all sides with white text has an oval lid on one end and an opening covered by tan adhesive paper on the other; new, not opened.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Transfer from the Dental Canada Fund; previously housed in the Dentistry Canada Museum (Ottawa).
Printed on label: "CAVIDENT // Special Compound // For use with the // CAVITRON // ULTRASONIC DENTAL UNIT // CAVITRON EQUIPMENT CORPORATION // LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y."; printed on side of container: "DIRECTIONS // Initial charge - add one // pound of CAVIDENT (1/4 can) // to container three-quarters // filled with water. Check // concentration with plastic // Cavident Concentration // Checker. Add CAVIDENT // as needed. // Refill charge - fill container // with water to 3/4 level. Then // add small quantities of // CAVIDENT to bring concen- // tration up to required level // on Cavident Concentration // Checker. // NET WEIGHT 4 LBS."
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-A1-1
Width
9.2 cm
Height
18.0 cm
Depth
6.7 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Condition Remarks
Paper labels shows wear, abraded with minor surface fading; metal on one end shows aging; one corner on bottom is smushed a bit; minor leak of powder through paper, store container right side up
Copy Type
original
Reference Types
Person
Reference Comments
Dr. George H. Stewart
Research Facts
Originally purchased by Dr. George H. Stewart from Thornbury, Ontario, who used it in the late 1950s onwards; it was purchased in 1957 for $1,800 and was well-received by his patients, as there was much less vibration than with the slower drills of the time; it cut only solid tooth, so decay was removed with excavators or burs. Dr. Stewart states that he was one of the few dentists who used this unit in a variety of ways, including in periodontal scaling, root canal filing, cavity preparation and amalgam condensation; the Cavitron system worked, in effect, as a rapid erosion process on teeth; Cavident, a cutting medium made up of specially graded aluminum oxide particles, was mixed with water and air in the unit, then applied between the tool and the surface of the tooth to create a precise, clean cut; the unit also had a water supply to cool the handpiece and to provide rinsing water.
Dr Ralph and Mrs Olga Crawford donated their extensive Canadian dental collection to the DCF to create the museum in 1997; further donations were received while Dr Crawford was Curator Emeritus at the Dental Canada Museum until its closure in 2008.