Technique Using The Touch & Heat
| 1. Fit a non-standardized (Fine, Fine-Medium, Medium, or Medium-Large) gutta percha cone into a tapered root canal preparation. You can also use greater taper gutta percha .04, .06, .08, .10, and .12. |
| 2. Choose a Buchanan Plugger that matches the taper of the gutta percha point and place a rubber stop onto the plugger 5mm short of the working length. Fine plugger = .04 + .06 taper Fine-Medium plugger = .06 + .08 taper Medium plugger = .08 + .10 taper Medium-Large plugger = .10 + .12 taper |
| 3. Prefit the Buchanan Plugger to its binding point in the canal (usually 5-7mm short of length). Adjust the stop and remove the plugger. |
| 4. Dry the canal and cement the cone. |
| 5. Turn the Touch & Heat to "Use" position. Then, holding the button on momentarily, drive the preheated plugger smoothly through the gutta percha until it stops. Repeat this procedure until the plugger is within 0.5 - 1mm of the binding point. |
| 6. Maintain apical pressure without heat for a 10 second "sustained push" to take up any shrinkage that might occur upon cooling. |
| 7. Still maintaining apical pressure, push the button again for 1.5 seconds. Withdraw the plugger after cooling for 1 second. Because the Buchanan Pluggers heat from their tips back, the heat burst in this portion of the procedure causes rapid severance of the instrument and the coronal surplus of gutta percha from the already condensed and set apical mass. |
| 8. The canal is now ready for the Obtura Backfill |
