This is a lecture with Dr. Gilberto Debelian - 2 hours and 1 minutes
Endodontic instruments have for obvious reasons been designed by the dentists who needed them to obtain cleaning and shaping of root canals. The K-files, Reamers, and Hedström files were, for a long time, the dominating instruments, but with advances in metallurgy and tool design engineers have been able to give us root canal instruments that work faster to obtain the same goal. Now there is a movement to adapt the tool design to the inner anatomy of teeth and therefore new endodontic instruments have been modeled to integrate all variables essential for predictable canal cleaning. The super-elasticity and shape-memory of the alloy used in new endodontic instruments facilitates adaptation into canal morphology where traditional round instruments are unable to reach. This enables debridement and disinfection without major changes to the original canal shape and ensures minimal removal of intra-canal dentin. This conservatively treated root canal can then be filled using bioceramics that are more dimensionally stable than traditional endodontic sealers.
Objectives
- Understand the shortcomings of traditional files that produce round shapes
- Comprehend the addition of 3D files to clean to maximal diameters with conservative dentin removal