1. The canal should be irrigated, cleaned and dried.
2. A master point is selected and fitted to the canal as described above. It should be marked at working length, or grasped securely in endodontic locking tweezers.
3. The master point is coated with sealer and used to paste the canal walls with the sealer, using an in-out movement, before seating the point home into the canal at full working length.
4. A fine finger spreader is selected and the rubber stop set to working length. Place the spreader alongside the master point and compact using firm apical finger pressure only. Leave the spreader in situ for 30 seconds. This is important as continuous pressure from the spreader is required to deform the gutta-percha point against the canal walls and to overcome its elasticity.
5. Select an accessory point with locking tweezers and dip its tip into sealer. Do not leave the points in sealer while working (Fig. 6) as a reaction may occur between the zinc oxide in the points (up to 80%) and the eugenol in the sealer, softening the points and making insertion difficult.
2. A master point is selected and fitted to the canal as described above. It should be marked at working length, or grasped securely in endodontic locking tweezers.
3. The master point is coated with sealer and used to paste the canal walls with the sealer, using an in-out movement, before seating the point home into the canal at full working length.
4. A fine finger spreader is selected and the rubber stop set to working length. Place the spreader alongside the master point and compact using firm apical finger pressure only. Leave the spreader in situ for 30 seconds. This is important as continuous pressure from the spreader is required to deform the gutta-percha point against the canal walls and to overcome its elasticity.
5. Select an accessory point with locking tweezers and dip its tip into sealer. Do not leave the points in sealer while working (Fig. 6) as a reaction may occur between the zinc oxide in the points (up to 80%) and the eugenol in the sealer, softening the points and making insertion difficult.
6. This stage is best carried out using two hands. Assuming the operator is right handed, the tweezers holding the accessory point are aligned above the tooth in the right hand, while the left hand rotates the spreader a few times through an arc of 30 40 and withdraws it.
7. Immediately place the accessory point alongside the master point. Any delay willallow the master point to relax and space will be lost. Reinsert the spreader and laterally compact both points.
8. Repeat the sequence using gradually larger spreaders and gutta-percha points until the canal is filled.
9. Remove excess gutta-percha from the canal orifice with a heated plugger, and firmly compact the remaining gutta-percha to seal the coronal access to the canal (Fig. 7).
10. If post-space preparation is required it may be carried out at this stage.
11. If not, a layer of resin-modified glassionomer cement should be applied over the gutta-percha and the floor of the access cavity, completing the coronal seal.
12. A periapical radiograph should be taken on completion, using a long-cone parallel technique. This is primarily for subsequent monitoring of healing by sequential radiographs, taken if possible in the same film-holder system to ensure reproducible and comparable exposures.