When a dentist does a root canal, he opens up the tooth to expose its inner contents and cleans out all remnants of the nerve and any necrotic tissue. Removing all organic deposits is tantamount in allowing for a good final seal. Any left over pieces of debris will contaminate the filling material and cause it to leak and fail prematurely. An irrigating solution is important to not only help flush debris from the canal during the cleaning process, but to also provide final disinfection of the canal before it is filled. Sodium hypochlorite, the main ingredient in common household bleach, makes an ideal irrigating solution. It will emulsify living tissue so that it can easily be flushed from the canals. This is especially important when working in canals that have lots of nooks and crannies for vital and non-vital tissues to hide. When an oxygenating agent is added it will bubble out hiding debris that cannot be mechanically removed with the thin files that the dentist uses to clean and shape the canals. It is important that the irrigant stay within the confines of the root canal space so as to not cause peripheral tissue damage. Once the irrigant has done its job, it is dried up with points of absorbent paper, but it still has the residual effect of disinfection before the root canals are filled.
Monthly Archives: June 2013
Sore Spots on Dentures
You’re all excited about your new dentures, and then, boom – the dreaded denture sore appears. Even the best fitting denture available can fall victim to a sore spot. It’s a nature of the beast. Dentures are constructed to sit on movable tissue. When an impression of the gums is taken, every effort is made to move the tissue wherever possible to compensate for the problem. But there is no way to predict exactly how the tissue will move during function. Once the denture has been placed and the wearer chews food, the gum tissue will move against the hard plastic. If there is an area of the plastic that impinges on the tissue, then an area of chronic irritation will occur.
Sore Spots
This area eventually ulcerates leaving behind a very painful area. If you have a denture sore, it is a very easy thing to correct. Make an appointment with your dentist and make sure that you wear the denture for 24 hours before your appointment. This way, the dentist can see the exact area of irritation and relieve a very small portion of the denture to alleviate the problem. If the area is too tender to wear for that 24 hour period, then go to the pharmacy and get an oral anesthetic such as Orabase with benzocaine and place it on the sore spot. Removing the dentures before the appointment allows the body to have time to heal the wound then the dentist would be only guessing as to where the problem is. One final word on denture sores – any denture sore that does not disappear after adjustments or non-wear of the denture should be biopsied to rule out malignancy.