TOOTH A( HI- 



525 



We must now j>rn,-,....l p, th.- . -on- {deration of treating toothache. As toothache 

 may, a.s we have wen, d-prnd upon many dilleivnt causes, it need excite no surprise 

 that very many diU'en-nt remedies .-m- u.>-d ;md have Keen proposed for its cure. A 

 lar'_ r '- number of nostrums are .sold as applications to the teeth and gums for the 

 (.u iv of toothache. It is almost i that tin-re is no such specific remedy, 



and that a mode of treatment which in one case acts like a charm may in another 

 prove a signal failure, and afford not tin- .slightest relief. Much depends on the 

 judicious selection of the remedy ; and that we may prove successful in our treatment 

 it is very necessary that attention should be paid to the character of the pain and 

 other attendant circumstances. \Ve will, in the first place, refer to some of the 

 remedies most frequently employed. 



A few drops of chloroform on cotton wool inserted into the hollow of a decayed 

 aching toqth often gives permanent relief, but sometimes when the anaesthetic effect 

 has passed away the pain is aggravated, the application having irritated the inilamed 

 pulp. A better plan is to fold over the hollow tooth a piece of lint moistened with 

 chloroform, so that the vapour only comes in contact with the interior of the tooth. 

 The preparation sold as camphorated chloroform often proves useful. A mixture of 

 equal parts of chloroform and laudanum, or of chloroform and creasote, constitutes 

 an excellent application. 



Creasote may nearly always be employed with a fair hope of success. It may 

 be mixed with an equal quantity of chloroform, or of laudanum, or with tannin. 

 Laudanum either alone or mixed with tannin or creasote, and inserted into the 

 cavity of the hollow tooth, enjoys a high and well-merited reputation. 



For cases in which the pulp is exposed and inflamed, a jelly is made by meking 

 in a test tube some crystallised carbolic acid, and then adding an equal quantity of 

 collodion. A small quantity is placed on cotton wool and inserted into the hollow, 

 painful tooth. It may at first somewhat aggravate the pain, but in a few seconds 

 it diminishes and soon abolishes it. Care should be taken not to let it come in. 

 contact with the inside of the cheek, for, as we can testify from personal experience, 

 it would give rise to considerable pain and smarting. 



When there is a large hollow, and the pain is severe, a good application is a 

 mixture of camphor and opium, of each one grain, made into a paste, with which 

 the cavity should be filled, it having been previously dried by means of lint or 

 cotton wool. 



When equal parts of chloral and powdered camphor are rubbed up together, 

 they form a syrupy liquid. This will sometimes succeed in relieving toothache even 

 when applied externally ; but it is more likely to afford relief when introduced into 

 the cavity of the decayed tooth on cotton wool. 



A plug of lint dipped in sulphurous acid, and inserted in the hollow tooth, will 

 often give immediate relief. 



It is stated on good authority that toothache may in many cases be relieved solely 

 by the internal administration of medicines. Drugs given for this purpose should be 

 given simply in water, and not in combination with other medicines. Should 

 laudanum or creasote have been previously applied locally, the mouth should be 

 thoroughly rinsed out before resorting to any new mode of treatment. 



