Page 45 - My FlipBook

THE RUBBER DAM. 41
Many incurable cases of phagedenic pericementitis are started
in this way.
After removing the rubber dam the gums should be
treated with a thorough douching with w^arm water
while kneading them thoroughly with the fingers of the
other hand. This is especially important to the comfort of the
The rubber dam has been in place for a considerable
patient.
time, perhaps for one, two or three hours, and during this tune
the free margins of the gums have been tightly compressed by
the rubber and the ligatures or other appliances for securing it
in place. The circulation of the blood through this part has
been stopped. The douching, together with the kneading,
causes the blood to return to these tissues, starts it into active
circulation again, and removes any poisonous material that may
have been forced into the gingival space by the rubber. It
imparts a feeling of comfort to the parts and causes at once the
most complete feeling of rest from the operation that it is possible
for the operator to give.
The washing away of powdered stone and debris
during and after polishing fillings should be thorough and com-
plete, and the patient dismissed with a clean mouth, free from
all grit and dirt of any sort that has been used. Always look
particularly to the comfort of your patients and they will reward
you for your care.
The Rubber Dam.
The objects to be attained by the use of the rubber dam are :
to keep cavities dry and clean while excavating and while mak-
; to better expose and bring the parts into view ; and
ing fillings
to prevent ingress of saliva and micro-organisms during the
treatment and filling of root canals.
In using the rubber dam it should be remembered that it is
disagreeable, sometimes painfully so, to patients, and, therefore,
its use should be restricted to the actual necessities of the case
in hand, and the time it remains in place should be made as short
as practicable.
When the cavity to be prepared is in sufficiently plain view,
and the conditions are such that the saliva will not obscure the
seat of operation, the ru'ober dam should not be placed until the
rougher parts of the excavating is done. In excavating cavities