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# Root canal filling materials and sealers

- Dental material

Canals are filled with gutta-percha, a rubbery core, plus a sealer that fills the gaps. Materials pushed into the jaw near the nerve can cause numbness.

Updated Nov 12, 2026

**See it in 3D:** [Inferior alveolar nerve](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/inferior-alveolar-nerve/)

## Key points

- Gutta-percha core plus sealer.
- Calcium silicates for perforations, open apices and root-end fillings.
- Numbness after a lower root filling is urgent.

## What it is

After cleaning, the canal space is filled to stop bacteria from regrowing and fluids from entering. Gutta-percha, a natural rubber-like polymer with zinc oxide, forms the core because it is inert, can be compacted and can be removed for retreatment. A sealer fills the irregularities between the gutta-percha and the canal wall. Calcium silicate (bioceramic) sealers and cements are also used for root-end fillings, perforation repair and open apices.

## Composition and properties

- Gutta-percha: inert, compactable, removable; placed by cold lateral or warm vertical compaction, or on a carrier.
- Sealers: zinc oxide–eugenol, epoxy resin, calcium hydroxide, glass ionomer and calcium silicate types.
- Calcium silicate materials set in moisture, are alkaline and biocompatible, and seal well.
- Silver points are obsolete: they corrode and leak.
- Paraformaldehyde-containing pastes are not acceptable: they can cause lasting nerve and bone damage if extruded.

## Uses, limits and safety

- Material pushed into the inferior alveolar canal can cause numbness or pain of the lip and chin and needs urgent assessment.
- A root filling that is short, has voids or is not sealed at the crown leaks and can fail.
- Overfilled sealer in the maxillary sinus is a rare cause of sinus symptoms.

## Next step / Initial management

- Check every root filling on a radiograph for length, density and voids.
- New numbness of the lip or chin after a lower molar or premolar root canal: refer urgently to the endodontist or oral surgeon the same day.
- Older teeth with silver points or paste fillings and symptoms: refer for retreatment assessment.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Why is gutta-percha the standard root filling core?

It is inert, can be compacted into the canal and can be removed if retreatment is needed.

## What should be done for new lip numbness after a lower molar root canal?

Urgent same-day referral, since material may have reached the inferior alveolar canal.

## Which root canal materials are no longer acceptable?

Silver points and paraformaldehyde-containing pastes.

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## Connections

## See it in 3D 1

The structures of Durgical's 3D anatomy where it is found.

- [Inferior alveolar nerve](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/inferior-alveolar-nerve/)

## Related 5

- [Root canal treatment: access, cleaning, shaping and filling](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/root-canal-treatment-access-cleaning-shaping-and-filling/)
- [Irrigants and dressings inside the canal](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/irrigants-and-dressings-inside-the-canal/)
- [Liners, bases and protecting the pulp](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/liners-bases-and-protecting-the-pulp/)
- [When a root canal fails: retreatment](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/when-a-root-canal-fails-retreatment/)
- [Endodontic surgery: apicoectomy](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/endodontic-surgery-apicoectomy/)

[← All of dentistry](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/)

Educational content; it does not replace assessment by a dentist or doctor and is not a clinical instruction. For facial or neck swelling with difficulty swallowing or breathing, a knocked-out tooth or bleeding that will not stop, go to an emergency department at once.

Sources: [Endodontic Materials Used To Fill Root Canals](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK587367/) (StatPearls Publishing (NCBI Bookshelf), 2023); [Dental Materials: Biodentine, a Calcium Silicate Bioactive](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK599506/) (StatPearls Publishing (NCBI Bookshelf), 2024).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/root-canal-filling-materials-and-sealers/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/root-canal-filling-materials-and-sealers/