Obturation Techniques

Obturation of the root canal system is an integral component in promoting periapical healing and preventing disease progression. The root canal filling material accomplishes this by reducing microleakage and entombing any inflammatory irritants. The effectiveness of a material to adequately seal the root canal space is established by its physical properties and handling characteristics. The gamut of materials run from tin, gold foil, cotton pellets, with various medicaments of wood, plaster, oxyphosphate of zinc, zinc oxide, paraffin, copper points, various metals, amalgam, silver cones, to the most popular, gutta-percha. Over the past century, numerous obturation materials and delivery techniques have been introduced in an attempt to obtain a microbiologic barrier within the confines of the root canal system. Different materials have their limitations and advantages. Thus numerous techniques have been proposed, experimented with and implemented to achieve the most dense obturations.