What root canal filling material is used?
The most common root canal filling material being used by dentists now days is a rubbery compound called gutta percha. Gutta percha comes in preformed cones which are similar in size and shape to the files which have been used to clean out the inside of a tooth. Cones of gutta percha are coated with a root canal sealer (a paste) and then positioned into the tooth’s root canals. Usually it takes the placement of several cones until the interior of the tooth has been adequately filled. Sometimes a dentist will warm the gutta percha cones (either before or after they are placed into the tooth) so they become softened. This allows the gutta percha to more closely adapt to the precise shape of the interior of the tooth. As an alternative to the use of preformed cones, sometimes a dentist will place the gutta percha via the use of gutta percha “gun”. This apparatus is somewhat similar to a hot glue gun. It prewarms a tube of gutta percha so the material is very soft. The gutta percha is then
