Gutta Percha Is Used to Prevent Tooth Reinfection

Tooth reinfection is something anyone wants to avoid. However, going through root canal treatment a second or third time seems tedious, especially for one tooth. Understanding gutta-percha’s role in keeping bacteria at bay can help you go through the root canal procedure. Here are the details if you want to know how gutta-percha prevents tooth reinfection. tooth reinfection.

What gutta-percha is

Gutta-percha is material used for filling a treated tooth after root canal treatment. It is a plastic-like organic substance from the Malaysian percha tree. Gutta-percha is a permanent filling for cleaned-out root canals that go into the canals after disinfection.

Gutta-percha is a thermoplastic material. The dentist heats it first and then presses it into the canals. The adhesive cement or core material then compresses the filling further into the canals. It also seals the filling into the canals. Gutta-percha is the preferred sealant for root canals because it is hypoallergenic and prevents tooth reinfection. The following are the purposes of this root canal sealant:

• Fills the gaps between the core material and the root canal walls
• It binds the core material to the canal
• Acts as an antimicrobial substance to prevent tooth reinfection
• Acts as a form of marker for root fractures, accessory canals, and resorptive defects
• It acts as a lubricant
• Marks other spaces impenetrable to the core material

Endodontists have been using gutta-percha as a filling material for at least a hundred years already. This material has metal salts, trans-polyisoprene, resins, and zinc oxide. The formulation varies from one manufacturer to another. The endodontist must heat gutta-percha first at a specific temperature before using it. Then, the dentist must exert pressure on the gutta-percha while it is still molten to seal every area of the root canals. The pressure is necessary because the material shrinks as it cools.

The advantages and disadvantages

Many believe that it can trigger allergies because the material is like latex. But this is a misguided perception. Gutta-percha is ideal in root canal therapy because it can help prevent tooth reinfection without causing an allergic reaction. It is not toxic at all. The material is also inexpensive, ideal for handling, and lasts a long time. Gutta-percha does not stain or bond to dentin as well.

There are also some disadvantages to using gutta-percha. This material does not provide a hold as strong as other dental restorations. It becomes more difficult to see vertical dental root structures if they have been filled with gutta-percha before. The endodontist needs to use a quartz fiber post to attach the dental crown to the tooth using gutta-percha. The sealant cannot stick to the walls of the pulp canal well. That is why another material needs to fill the rest of the tooth.

Gutta-percha does not start or even support the regeneration of the damaged dental tissues. As a result, the dentist often has difficulty diagnosing fracture on the gutta-percha, even with many radiographs. It may have its disadvantages, but it remains the material of choice in root canal therapy. Its ability to prevent tooth reinfection is enough to use gutta-percha in every root canal treatment.