What are the risks from a broken instrument remaining inside a root canal?
This is a topic where time has shown a gradual shift in attitudes.Big picture, if you have no pain and the tooth holds up and feels good, you have no issues. Compression forces within a small area like this are a theoretical possibility, but most root canal teeth fracture from the top or the crown first, instead of from the apex of the root first. The more important thing is that you are symptom free, and that a crown is (likely) placed on your tooth. Overall, the success rate of all root canals averaged together is in the mid 90% range. In the earlier days of dentistry, every broken file was thought of as a lawsuit waiting to happen, and you would see all root canals being sent to an endodontist (root canal specialist). Even endodontists break files while doing root canals. Over the years, we have learned that the majority of the disinfection that is happening is not from the file, but from the irrigation or liquid that is being put into the root canal to help clean out debris and bacteria. The file itself just makes a small place for the irrigation to go in and disinfect. The better the disinfection, the higher your chance for complete healing and for retaining your tooth. The broken file in itself will not cause any problems. At this point the thought is that it has become a part of the root canal filling inside the tooth. The key is whether enough bacteria were removed throughout the tooth to allow everything to heal. If you had a large chronic abscess with a lot of swelling and pus, then most endodontists would lean towards more heroic measures to remove the broken file or probably recommend extracting this tooth. One downside to removing a broken file is that you may end up compromising the tooth by trying to remove this little broken piece. In most cases, research has demonstrated that broken instruments do not affect the over long term success rate of root canals. The current adage I have heard and believe is that "Everyone breaks a file at some point in their career, and if you don't then you're not doing any root canals." I would surmise that endodontists have seen many broken instruments as well as broken their fair share. If you are truly concerned about this, discuss this topic with your endodontist, and most likely the endodontist will stand behind his/her work and be willing to retreat your tooth if it becomes a problem.
What could be the causes of having red ear wax? How it can be treated?
Generally ear wax which is a collection of dead skin cells and other substances that form in external auditory canal. Ear wax itself has a dark to light brown color naturally but will darken upon oxidation when the wax becomes more harden. If ear wax has a red coloration there is a good likelihood there is blood in the wax. If blood is present in the wax this is likely related to trauma such as being aggressive with a Q Tip by scraping the wall external auditory canal or from a perforated eardrum. treatment consists of being evaluated by an otolaryngologist (ENT) who can use an otoscope or microscope to illuminate your entire external auditory canal and look for any previous trauma or sources of bleeding. In addition a thorough history is important to help rule out any other reasons for this condition.