We have attempted to present in this article an overview of the medications used as intracanal dressings during root canal treatment and the materials used to seal endodontic access preparations. Because all the medications reviewed have an antimicrobial effect (with the exception of steroids), they seemingly would be useful in root canal treatment. However, the potentially harmful side effects of the chemical agents, which include cytotoxicity and antigenicity, may make the treatment worse than the cure. With an improved understanding of the principles of root canal cleaning, strong medications placed into canals may be unnecessary. At best, intracanal dressings should be used only in situations that might benefit from such therapy. Temporary restoration of endodontically treated teeth is an essential part of root canal therapy. Commonly used materials and techniques for their uses have been presented. With proper temporization and timely final restoration, the potential for coronal microleakage will be minimized.