Page 552 - My FlipBook

550 DENTAL MEDICINE.

Dose.—Of borate of sodium, gr. ij to 3j.
Glycerite of Borate of Sodium— Glycentum Sodii Boratis—Gly-
cerinum Boracis— is composed of borax, 5ij ; glycerine, Oss, and
is a useful application to the mouth and throat.
Honey of Borate of Sodium— Mel Sodii Boratis— Mel
Boracis— is composed of borax, 5j ; clarified honey, and is
.5J,
also useful as a detergent application to the mouth and throat.
Boricine.— Boricine is a combination of equal parts of borax
and boracic acid, forming a tetraborate of sodium, which is
neither toxic, caustic nor irritant. It has no odor, and gives a
saturated solution at i6 per cent. Mr. Emile Denis recommends
boricine as a disinfectant of root canals, abscess of antrum, and
diseased mucous membrane.
Dental Uses.— Borax, mixed with sugar or honey, is a very
useful application for aphthae and other ulcerations of the mouth,
for which it may be mixed with sugar in the proportion of one
part to seven, or in the form of mel boracis. In mercurial stoma-
titis, an aqueous solution of borax, or the mel boracis., forms an
efficient gargle. Borax is also a useful application in fissured or
cracked tongue. Borax is also added to sage and balm teas, to
form gargles.
In the dental laboratory, borax is employed as a flux in melt-
ing metals, such as gold and silver, and in the process of solder-
ing metals. It is also employed to harden plaster casts or
models, the model being well dried and then immersed for a few
minutes in a solution of borax in boiling water, which renders it,
when cool, hard and durable. (Solutions of carbonate of soda
and alum are used for the same purpose.) Dr. L. Williams
J.
considers borax a valuable application to the teeth of pregnant
women to counteract acidity of the fluids of the mouth. He
recommends the use of the powder applied to the teeth and
allowed to remain half a minute or so, and then brushed off by a
whirling motion of the brush, not with a horizontal movement.
Also useful to sterilize instruments.
Impression trays may be perfectly cleaned, after using model-
ing composition, by boiling in sal-soda water.