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382 THE TECHNICAL PROCEDXIRES IN FILLING TEETH.

medicament should then be absorbed away. This should be
repeated a number of tixties until the canal is judged to be well
cleaned. Then it should be dried with frequent introduction of
very loosely fitting hits of cotton wound upon the smooth broach
and so rotated as to entangle and remove any particles that
may possibly have been left.
In all of this work especial care should be taken that the
cotton on the smooth broach shall not be in such quantity as
to form a piston that will push material from the canal through
the apex of the root into the tissues beyond; also that the ])arbed
broach be not used in such a way as to gather shreds of material
before it and push some of the contents into the tissue beyond
the apes of the tooth. This pushing of material through the
apex of the canal, which is liable to produce inflammation, is
the one great danger in cleaning root canals. It is to be espe-
cially guarded against. With the proper sealing of the cavity,
the pulp chamber and root canals are a sealed box, the disinfec-
tion of which is easily commanded. There is no reason whatever
for the use of irritating germicides in its disinfection.
When the cleaning has been completed, a wisp of cotton,
saturated with the desired medicament and the surplus fluid
pressed out, should be placed loosely in the root canal, or in each
root canal, when there are more than one. This should be cov-
ered with a pellet of cotton similarly treated and the cavity
sealed with gutta-percha as heretofore described. In no case
should wisps of cotton be introduced into such canals carrying
the full amount of liquid they will take up, for some of it is
apt to be forced through the apical foramen and do harm.
Filling Boot Canals.
When it is decided that the conditions are right for filling
the root canal, or canals, of a tooth, the rubber dam must be
placed and the included region disinfected. Then if a treatment
has lieen in the canal, the gutta-percha filling and the dressing
should be removed and a critical examination made as to its
condition. One principal point is that the canal should be rea-
sonably dry.
The size of the apical foramen should be ascertained by
trying several sizes of root canal pluggers in the canal, first
washing tJie point of each in an antisc])tic. Tliose that are
smaller tlian the foramen will pass tlirough and will be felt by
the patient. P>y beginning with a small jioint. and trying larger
points in graded sizes, one will be found that will pass nearly,