By Rafael Michiels, Belgium – from Dental Tribune
With the recent development of new file systems–WaveOne from DENTSPLY Maillefer and RECIPROC from VDW–endodontists have been having controversial discussions about their usefulness. This is partly due to the aggressive marketing of these products. Great emphasis is laid on simplifying the endodontic procedure.
The thought behind this is that creating a simpler shaping protocol will allow the dentist to produce standardised shapes more easily and thus enhance the cleaning of these canals. However, endodontics is not,nor will it be,a simple procedure. There is no such thing as a perfectly round canal. In 1925, Hess already demonstrated that we should not speak of root canals, but rather of root-canal systems.1
Many other studies have confirmed Hess’s findings. Only a few months ago, a micro-CT study guide titled The Root Canal Anatomy Project became available online, offering high-resolution images of root-canal systems, which clearly demonstrate the complexity of those systems.
