Quicker, easier endodontic temporisation

Temporising a tooth during endodontic treatment is never going to be your biggest time sink, but you may still be wasting time! In uni, and in my first few months of practice I temporised the traditional way. Cotton pellet over the orifice, followed by cavit and Fuji II LC. I often found that on re-accessing the canals, I'd have fragments of the cotton wool stuck in all manner of places! I've since changed my practice, and its made placement and re-access in endodontics quicker and easier for me.

1st layer - Teflon tape

• Roll up a small amount of teflon tape (plumbers tape), about 1-2cm, into a ball and place it over the orifice

2nd layer - Cavit

• Place  some cavit over the top of the teflon, then dab it down into a firm position with a wet microbrush. I had lots of trouble in the past working with cavit, it just sticks to everything!!! Get it roughly where you want it, but then do the majority of the moving and shaping with a wet microbrush which will also set it once you're done.

3rd layer - Fuji II LC

• Close the cavity with Fuji and then smooth it over with a damp cotton pellet. If you wet the pellet with your triplex, then dry it out by blotting it on the patient's bib a few times, it'll be perfect for swiping over the occlusal giving you smooth margins and usually requiring little to no occlusal adjustment.