A reference hand-book for nursesBeck, Amanda K. (Amanda Kathryn)
Science
A reference hand-book for nurses
Beck, Amanda K. (Amanda Kathryn)
Nursing
The =sharp, paroxysmal, shooting= pain which is caused by the
application of cold, heat, sweets or sours, or by biting some
substances into a cavity, is due to a live pulp, and the treatment is
quite simple. Clean out the cavity as well as possible, then saturate
a small pellet of cotton with oil of cloves, or one drop of carbolic
acid, or a solution of cocaine hydrochlorate and clove oil. Place this
in the cavity and add another pellet of cotton to prevent the solution
from being washed out by saliva. Relief should be immediate, but if
not, reapply within a few minutes.
The =dull, throbbing= pain, with swelling of the face and a sensation
of elongation of the tooth, is caused by either a putrescent pulp or an
imperfect root canal filling. There is infection; therefore, the first
thing to do is to remove the pus.
_Dental Treatment._—If there is a large cavity in the tooth, try to
enter the root canals and remove the putrescent matter. If the face is
badly swollen, make a digital examination, and over the root of the
affected tooth you will find a spot about the center of the swelling
where it seems to be spongy, appearing to hold the impress of the
finger. Take a clean, sharp, cycle-shaped lancet, place on the spot,
holding the patient’s head firm with your other arm for fear of his
moving. Press the lancet firmly and directly through to the bone, then
draw it out with a pulling motion so as to make a cut about an eighth
of an inch or more. If this has been done properly, a creamy flow of
pus should follow the lancet. Place the fingers on either side of the
incision and massage toward incision. To relieve the pain, give _hot_
foot-baths, _cold_ applications to face (never _hot_), and some other
sedative internally, such as remedies given for a headache. When a
tooth is sore to percussion, so that the food cannot be masticated,
but is without pain when left at rest, if there is no pain over the
root of the tooth, it is best to give the tooth a rest, and apply
counterirritants over the roots of the adjacent teeth.
This condition is called =apical pericementitis=, an inflammation
of the layer of bone about the fangs of teeth. For relief, give hot
foot-baths and pain remedies, as in abscessed tooth. A dead pulp in a
tooth will form gas and cause the sensation of elongation and soreness.
If the putrefaction is not removed, an abscess will result. At first
there will be no soreness to pressure over the root, but on application
of heat, such as drinking hot coffee, there will be pain, while cold
water will temporarily remove it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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