Page 12 - My FlipBook

CAUSES AND RELIEF OF DENTAL PAIN.
I

In cases in which owing to the loss of the enamel the
dentine has become exposed and highly sensitive to heal
and cold, relief can be obtained almost immediately by the
application of solid nitrate of silver to the sensitive area
;
the most convenient plan is to fuse a little of the

powdered salt on the end of a probe or hair-pin so as to
form a bead, which can be readily applied to any part of
the mouth.

When there is no visible cavity it is well to treat
the pain on general constitutional principles with anti-
neuralgic remedies, such as chloral hydrate, exalgin,
antipyrin, gelsemium, phenacetin, and so forth. The
application of iodine and aconite paint to the gums in the

vicinity of the painful tooth frequently affords great relief
by the counter-irritation and anodyne effect produced.

Iodine and Aconite Paint.
5c Liquor iodi fortis
^
T . ... } equal parts.
u
r
Lin. aconiti
J
To be applied to the gums 011 a small swab of cotton-wool not more
than twice daily.
In severe and urgent cases it may be necessary to
administer morphine hypodermically. In all cases,

however, in which no cavity can be seen, the patient
should be advised to consult a dentist, who may be able
to find a dental cause not discoverable without the use of

special dental appliances.
Acute inflammation of the pulp is usually the result of
its exposure or infection by the advance of caries ; it may,
however, be produced by the fracture of a tooth due to a
blow, the application of arsenious acid for destroying the

pulp, or as an extension of inflammation from the dental
periosteum.
If a section be made through a tooth the pulp of which

is in a state of acute inflammation, the pulp tissue will