Using 3-dimensional printing to create presurgical models for endodontic surgery.

Advances in endodontic surgery--from both a technological and procedural perspective-have been significant over the last 18 years. Although these technologies and procedural enhancements have significantly improved endodontic surgical treatment outcomes, there is still an ongoing challenge of overcoming the limitations of interpreting preoperative 2-dimensional (2-D) radiographic representation of a 3-dimensional (3-D) in vivo surgical field. Cone-beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) has helped to address this issue by providing a 3-D enhancement of the 2-D radiograph.

Remedying and preventing endodontic rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) file breakage.

Of all the procedural problems that can occur when practicing dentistry, endodontic file breakage is one dilemma that not only can lead to extreme stress for the clinician, but can cause great anxiety for the patient as well. Separated rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) files can also pose an increased risk of post-endodontic complications. Understanding why and how endodontic file breakage occurs, including the two main factors that contribute to this type of incident, can help clinicians employ prevention strategies and overcome this predicament if it does occur.

An in vitro comparison of bond strength of various obturation materials to root canal dentin using a push-out test design.

The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the bond strength of various obturation materials to root canal dentin by using a push-out test design. Twenty-five single-rooted extracted human teeth were used in this study. The crowns were removed, and root canal instrumentation was completed by using Endogel-coated 0.

Integrating ultrasonic tips into the endodontic treatment armamentarium.

The integration of ultrasonic tips in conventional and surgical endodontic treatment can be useful for the clinician. An ultrasonic tip is used in conventional endodontic treatment to remove or bypass a separated instrument or a post within a canal, and can replace a slow-speed handpiece and round bur to detect or provide better access to a canal. In endodontic surgery, the replacement of the slow-speed or miniature handpiece with an ultrasonic tip will allow for better instrument ergonomics and depth of a root-end preparation.

An in vitro comparison of the antimicrobial effects of various endodontic medicaments on Enterococcus faecalis.

The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the antimicrobial action of Dermacyn (Oculus Innovative Sciences, Petaluma, CA), BioPure MTAD (Dentsply Tulsa Dental, Johnson City, TN), 2% chlorhexidine (CHX; Ultradent, West Jordan, UT), and 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) against Enterococcus faecalis (American Type Culture Collection 4082). Eighteen Petri dishes of BHI agar were inoculated with E faecalis.

Clinically enhancing the connection between endodontic and restorative treatment for better case prognosis.

This article focuses on the endodontic-restorative interface. The reduction of bacterial contamination via chemical-mechanical debridement during conventional endodontic treatment, in conjunction with canal obturation and timely restorative treatment using a rubber dam to prevent the microbial recontamination of the canal system, will significantly improve the clinical outcome.

An in vitro comparison of the intraradicular dentin bond strength of Resilon and gutta-percha.

The purpose of this study was to compare the micropush-out bond strength of Resilon to that of gutta-percha. Extracted human anterior teeth were used for evaluation. The crowns were removed and the root canals were instrumented with Gates Glidden drills and 0.

A comparison of thermal properties between gutta-percha and a synthetic polymer based root canal filling material (Resilon).

A new polymer-based obturating material, Resilon, has been developed but there have been no studies identifying its thermal properties. The purpose of this study was to compare the melting point, specific heat, enthalpy change with melting and heat transfer between gutta-percha (GP) and Resilon (R). The first three tests were determined using a differential scanning calorimeter and the heat transfer test was determined using a split-tooth model.

In vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial effects of a root canal sealer-antibiotic combination against Enterococcus faecalis.

The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of five antibiotics when added to Kerr Pulp Canal Sealer EWT against Enterococcus faecalis. Five antibiotics: amoxicillin, penicillin, clindamycin, metronidazole, and doxycycline, were added separately to Kerr sealer. Thirty brain heart infusion agar plates were inoculated with E.

The causes, prevention, and clinical management of broken endodontic rotary files.

Complications can occur during many dental procedures. The prepared clinician responds by either correcting the problem during treatment, or, ideally, preventing the problem from occurring in the first place. In endodontic treatment separated rotary Ni-Ti files are a common procedural problem.

Low carb endodontics.

The field of endodontics has seen great technological advances and changes in thought processes over the last decade. Unfortunately, with these advances and changes has come an overload of information (too many carbs!). This article will help to reduce your intake of carbohydrate information and provide you with what you need to know about conventional endodontic treatment.

An in vitro comparison of the rake angles between K3 and ProFile endodontic file systems.

The purpose of this study was to compare rake angles of the ProFile and K3 file systems. Twenty-five 40/0.06 taper files were obtained for each system.