CENTRIX
Tempit® Evaluation
Tempit’s unit-dose delivery system eliminates mixing while facilitating placement and maximizing asepsis.
Centrix’ Tempit is a moisture-activated temporary filling and sealing material developed specifically for sealing the access cavity between root canal treatments. Single-dose syringe tips eliminate the need for mixing while facilitating placement; the material is simply injected directly into the prep. Unit dosing also maximizes asepsis.
Tempit sets in minutes and is removed easily during the patient’s return visit. The non-eugenol formula eliminates the clove smell associated with other provisional materials.
Ease of Use (Dispensing, Delivery, and Removal)
To use Tempit, place the tip into any C-R Syringe; remove the cap; inject the material into the prep using a slow, steady pressure; and tamp it down with a wet instrument. Filling the prep from the bottom up eliminates voids and porosities.
When the 11 dentists who evaluated Tempit were asked to rate ease of use in terms of lack of prep time, ease of clean-up, unit-dosing, and direct delivery, 10 rated as excellent and 1 rated it as very good. One dentist called it “excellent…simple to use” and another said “simple…even a dentist can do it!” A Danville, VA dentist with 6 years of experience called it “very convenient to use carpule with the composite gun and skip all the…mixing or rolling…into the proper size and shape. I could easily inject it like I do composite.”
Both ease of no-mix dispensing and material delivery were rated as excellent by 10 evaluators and as very good by 1. One dentist, in practice for 27 years, called no-mix dispensing “a must” and reported “excellent delivery…easy and quick.” Another evaluator said dispensing “couldn’t be easier...good consistency to fill from the bottom up.” The same dentist said he “liked not having to find a sterile spatula to remove [material] from a jar.”
According to the manufacturer, Tempit can be easily removed with an explorer at the follow-up visit. Ease of removal was rated as excellent by 4 evaluators, as very good to good by 6, and as poor by 1. Comments ranged from “comparable to other materials” and “easy removal” to “hard setting” and “very hard to remove,” reported by the dentist who rated this feature as poor. While calling removal “not nearly as messy as [another material],” this evaluator, in practice for 9 years, said it was “hard as a rock once it’s been in the mouth for even a week.”
Setting Time
Centrix states that Tempit’s unique delivery system eliminates concerns about premature hardening. Tempit sets in 5 minutes or less. Setting time was rated as excellent by 4 evaluators, as very good by 4, and as good by 3. One evaluator “would prefer a little faster set time,” another called it “very reasonable,” and a third called it “quick.” An Orem, UT dentist said, “Management of the material is great. It’s non-sticking.”
Reduced Contamination Risk
Tempit’s prefilled, unit-dose packaging not only enhances convenience but also reduces the risk of contamination. Ten evaluators rated reduced contamination risk as excellent and 1 rated it as very good. One dentist called this a “cost concern” and another called it “a must,” adding, “The manner of storage is great…easy to use with minimal preparation.” Another dentist said it “stored well and worked appropriately.”
Overall Satisfaction
Eight evaluators called Tempit much better than similar provisional materials, 2 called it somewhat better, and 1 called it about the same. When asked if they would recommend it to colleagues, 9 evaluators said definitely and 2 said probably. Overall satisfaction was rated as excellent by 9 evaluators and as very good by 2. A dentist with 27 years of experience called it “by far, the easiest temporary material I’ve used.”
