Dr. Gary Glassman returns to Weekly Wisdom to discuss one of the most important parts of root canal treatment. Subscribe to Oral Health’s weekly e-newsletter to have the latest episode delivered straight to your inbox every week!
J. MORITA USA, world leader in Endodontics, announces Tri Auto ZX2+, an upgraded endodontic handpiece with a built-in apex locator. This cordless unit now supports reciprocation files, and its new generation Optimum Glide Path 2 (OGP2) mode further increases safety and ease of use. OGP2 offers an innovative reciprocating feature. Its intelligent motion reduces file … Read more
The primary goal in endodontics is to save teeth and preserve long-term function. If a patient presents with a diseased or inflamed pulp, it must be removed from the root canal system in a manner that preserves tooth structure and restores occlusal function.1 Over the last ten years minimally invasive endodontics (MIE) is a concept … Read more
Abstract Endodontic surgical treatment of a root end pathology can be very successful when properly diagnosed. PRF, a type of blood derived concentrate, has shown promising results to improve healing of the surgical site as well as improve patient post operative pain and quality of life. The present article describes in detail the clinical application … Read more
Historically the glide path within the root canal system was enlarged with a series of hand files, but as hand files increase in size the stiffness also increases, thereby making procedural mishaps and ledge formation more likely. Hand files are also relatively inefficient requiring more chair-time to complete the procedure and may result in more … Read more
The purpose of endodontics is to prevent or heal lesions of endodontic origin (LEO).1 If preventing and healing is the purpose of endodontics, how do we increase endodontic predictability in order to accomplish the preferred result? The first step to successful endodontics is to decide if what I am doing is predictable. As a clinician … Read more
It is globally accepted that 3D cleaning and disinfection are central to endodontic success and that bacteria are ubiquitous in endodontically failing teeth. Yet, there is ongoing controversy regarding the very clinical methods used that directly influence eliminating these microbial invaders. The role of bacteria in the pathogenesis of endodontic disease is well established, and … Read more
It has long been established in endodontics that mechanical instrumentation of the canal system is insufficient for proper disinfection. Instead, a combined chemo-mechanical approach is needed whereby mechanical and chemical interactions occur with the pulp and dentin of a tooth.1-3 Infected dentin is removed and shaped with files while irrigating solutions chemically interact with the … Read more
University at Buffalo researcher Hacer Aksel has received a grant from the American Association of Endodontists’ Foundation for Endodontics to investigate a potential biomarker to support the success of vital pulp therapy, an alternative to root canal treatment that aims to preserve and maintain the healthy pulp tissue in damaged teeth. The minimally invasive treatment … Read more
Dens invaginatus, also known as dens in dente, is an embryological anomaly that occurs during tooth formation. The condition results in invagination of the amelodental structure within the pulp that can look like a ‘tooth within a tooth’ on radiographic evaluation, hence the nomenclature.1 The reported prevalence of adult teeth affected with dens invaginatus is … Read more
Several years ago, I read an article published in a popular magazine by a patient who was denouncing the endodontist who had just treated them. After a quick computer search of my patients’ files, I was relieved when it was apparent that this was not my patient. However, I reread the article several times hoping … Read more
Thorough disinfection has always been problematic in all areas of healthcare, especially in the oral environment. In endodontics, laser energy has been used in the past in an attempt to aid in the disinfection and/or irrigation of root canal systems with less than desirable results. Some of the various techniques used in the past included … Read more
With its irregularities and anatomical complexities, the root canal system is one of the most clinically challenging spaces in the oral cavity. As a result, biofilm not fully cleared from the nooks and crannies of the canals remains a leading cause of treatment failure and persistent endodontic infections, and there are limited means to diagnose … Read more
Definitions Confidence and competence are two words that are neither synonymous nor interchangeable. Confidence must be earned, as when it is simply imagined it can lead to a false sense of security in one’s abilities, which results in, you guessed it, incompetence. Why do we as dentists struggle so much with our confidence and question … Read more
New and potentially disruptive technologies come to market each year, proclaiming to improve on what came before. Many of these newcomers have virtually no evidence-based research to support claims of better, easier, or faster. Oftentimes, these new brands are merely copies of existing products, launched by dental companies in search of market share. That said, … Read more
INTRODUCTION “Change is the only constant.” The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is credited for speaking one of nature’s absolute rules about time and change. However, perhaps because events and things like inventions were slow to change 2,500 years ago, Heraclitus did not mention the rate of change. In April 2021, the rate of change is becoming … Read more
The unceasing innovations and iterations in dental technologies and materials has taken the sophistication of treatment modalities to an historic level. However, when we are focused on the newness, the thrill of the outcome, we fail to pay attention to the purpose of the activity. Case in point; dental implants were initially considered the gold … Read more
keywords: surgical root canal procedures, histopathology, biopsy, non-endodontic lesions, guidelines Abstract The aim of this study was to identify clinical parameters used by endodontists to determine the need for histopathological assessment of periapical tissues collected during surgical root canal procedures, the proportion of these tissues being biopsied, and if there is a need for established … Read more
Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is a clinical symptom experienced due to exposed dentin from either enamel loss (erosion, abrasion, abfraction) or removal of cementum exposed through gingival recession. DH is seen commonly in patients with gingival recession, dental erosion, toothbrush abrasion, or following dental bleaching. Aside from the discomfort experienced from eating, drinking, or exposure to … Read more
Endodontics has changed considerably over the past 60 years, yet the core principles remain unchanged: Instruments are still sequentially used to shape canals, irrigation is still passively delivered into the canals, and canals are still obturated with gutta-percha (GP). As endodontics grew in popularity, manufacturers continued to refine the armamentaria. The trend was a big … Read more