Christopher Maguire-Adams, DMD

With the assistance of the GentleWave^® Procedure, I was able to complete a very challenging root canal on tooth #13 in a single visit. The patient presented with pain (4 on a 10-point scale) to cold and biting for the past month. The canal anatomy corkscrewed, with the final 2 mm turning beyond a 90-degree bend. Ni-Ti hand files and rotary instruments couldn't access beyond the bend without significant unwinding and risk of separation. Working length was achieved with sizes 6, 8 and 10 K files. Final instrumentation to 25.06 was completed to the point where the file could reach, which was essentially before the apical curve. Following the GentleWave Procedure, the canal was dried and filled with BC Sealer^™ and warm gutta-percha. The post-procedure radiograph revealed apical deltas. Post-operatively, the patient reported no pain or swelling and a complete relief of symptoms.

Before adopting the GentleWave^® Procedure, adequate debridement of the canal—especially apical to the curvature—would have been significantly more difficult, and the risk of instrument separation would have been greater.