PART TWO: GETTING WELL AGAIN
(five drops on toothbrush), or with white iodine; that saves
them from infection. If a tooth does become infected, it be-
comes an extraction.
Dr. J: Ultimately, do you fill them?
Dr. C: Yes, with zinc oxide and eugenol, common ZOE
cement.^23
Dr. J: That’s really going back in time. If you don’t mix the
zinc oxide and eugenol in the right proportion it will crumble
right out.
Dr. C: We’re doing it very well in Mexico. No problem at
all. No crumbling. They look bright white, a little too white, but
maybe a safe colorant will soon be found. The good thing is
that these ZOE fillings clean out easily; with air abrasion you
don’t even need anesthetic and you don’t have to drill the hole(^23) ZOE stands for zinc oxide and eugenol. When these two are
mixed, the resulting “cement” gets very hard. Eugenol is also antisep-
tic, so the cavity wall doesn’t let infection get started.
The various ZOE supplies I tested were free of contaminants pro-
vided they were sets of powder and liquid, not premixed varieties.
Fig. 25 Good ZOE varieties