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Endodontics Supporting Your Practice

What kind of materials can be used to obturate root canals?

While other materials are available for obturating root canals, gutta percha is still the most widely used and accepted material. Gutta perch is biocompatible, inert material which does not irritate tissues. Composed of zinc oxide, barium sulfate and transpolyisoprene, gutta percha has the ability to adapt to root canal walls.

Resilon, a thermoplastic polymer which contains bioactive glass, has become increasingly popular as a filling material recently. This technique involves the creation of a chemical bond between the sealer and filling material.

Other paraformaldehyde-containing pastes have been proposed but, due to antigenic and cytotoxic effects on tissue, these have not been approved for use. They are also known to cause chronic inflammation, necrosis and sequestration of bone.

Source: Dental Secrets, Elsevier, 2015

5 Comments

  1. VR November 11, 2015

    Thanks for the answer. What difference, if any, is there is longevity studies or other studies on both types of materials? I’ve actually heard of some endodontists going back to gutta percha from resilon.

    Reply
    1. Anonymous November 12, 2015

      Very few if any Endodontists are using resilon
      It doesn’t work
      There is no chemical bond
      There was no research done prior to its introduction
      It was already an accepted material and therefore did not have to be tested
      All the research after the fact showed it did not work….no mono block

      Reply
      1. VR November 13, 2015

        Thanks for the info!

        Reply
  2. Tracey November 14, 2015

    I assume GP contains latex. What would be recommended for latex allergic patients. I myself have a latex allergy and if I ever needed an endo I would be reluctant to get a GP endo.

    Reply
    1. VR November 24, 2015

      From what I’ve read, the Gutta Percha used in dental therapy is a different molecular configuration than that of the elastomer used in gloves. See Wikipedia. I’m not sure that it would react to the body in the same fashion as the glove material. Also, we use sealers that would further limit exposure anyway.

      Reply

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