Page 469 - My FlipBook

THE ROOT-CANAL FILLING. 467
tween the points of a pair of Flagg's dressing pliers (Fig. 455) and car-
ried to the opening of the canal, when, if the points are opened, the
drop of flnid is deposited there ; it is then piunped into the canal by
means of a tine smooth broach. To minimize the leakage due to the
skrinkage of the chloro-})ercha in hardening, it is advised to thrust into
the fluid material in the canal as large a gutta-percha cone as the canal
M'ill admit. Dr. Ottolengui advises that the pieces of silk described in
the beginning of the chapter be used and an end left projecting into
the pnlp chamber, when, should removal of the filling ever become
necessary, this end may be caught and the entire filling withdrawn.
Should it be designed to fill the canal with gold, its exact length is
measured by placing a small disk of rubber dam over a canal plugger,
which may be carried to the apex, and inserting the plugger in the
canal. The floor of the pulp chamber engages the rubber dam, and
when the })lugger point has reached the end of the canal the little gauge
])iece of rubber dam marks its exact length. Minute pieces of soft gold
foil are cut, and one by one are carried to the end of the canal, the rubber
upon the plugger being the guide to completeness of access to the root
apex. This method is to-day rarely followed. Dr. W. S. How advises
the use of shredded tin for sealing the apex of canals. By a series of
fine probes the canal length is measured (as shown in Figs. 456-460),
Fig. 456. Fig. i57. Fig. 458.

and particles of shredded tin foil are carried to the apex and impacted
by means of measured probes.
Salol and paraffin are both manipulattnl after one manner. A very
fine probe is pas.>ied into the canal to its apex ; a portion of the ma-
terial is caught between the beaks of a pair of dressing pliers (Fig. 455)
and held above an alcohol flame until it is melted, when the closed
beaks are placed in the canal beside the probe, and opened, and the fluid