Preventing outgrowth of surviving microbes

* Canals may have been infected at the onset of treatment, or gained a foothold during and between appointments. If some organisms remain at the time of root filling, the properties of the filling material should prevent multiplication of the bacteria and the reestablishment of a root canal infection.
* Most endodontic materials have antimicrobial components: eugenol, calcium hydroxide, zinc oxide, unreacted epoxy, thymol iodide are but a few of the more common ingredients which inhibit bacterial growth.