dental practice July 2009
www.dental-practice.org
Although smartseal was not yet on 3 being pre-operative, and Figures 2 qualities of smartseal that have helped materials. I am the only one who has
the market at that point, I made a and 4 showing the finished smartseal me to improve my technique and consistently used smartseal since it has
mental note to look out for it. When root fillings. Note that only the core of patient outcome. been available in the practice.
I learned that a hands-on course was a smartseal obturator is radio-opaque I must have obturated over 80 My colleagues range in age from 28
to be given locally some eight months and the co-polymer coating, which is canals, and I can’t recall a single failure. to 40, and I struggle to understand
later, I booked myself onto it. what expands laterally, is radiolucent In an ideal world, the one aspect of why they don’t use it. I guess it comes
Attending the course, I was once and may appear as a void if assessed as using smartseal that I would like to back to that thing about attitude
more impressed by the science conventional root filling. see changed or improved is its radio- and whether you are someone who
although some of the delegates In the 10 months that I have been opacity. I understand the difficulties in constantly looks for a better way of
struggled to grasp the principle of a using smartseal, my experience has been making smartseal radio-opaque, but it doing what you do. I am that sort
laterally expanding material that is positive. I find it quick and easy to use; would be great if it were more so! of person and in smartseal I have
completely biocompatible. I purchased you don’t have to wait for something I am the oldest of the five dentists in discovered a better way.
a trial pack and used it at the first to heat up. Its lack of toxicity in the practice and seem to be the most For further information, or to
opportunity back at the practice and material, its tissue compatibility and open-minded when it comes to looking book a “lunch and learn”, contact the
have been using smartseal ever since. its ability for lateral expansion are all at new ideas for endo obturating smartseal team on 01780 740574.
It wasn’t that I was dissatisfied with
the approach that I had been using.
I have tried various brands over the
years including Soft-tor, all Dentsply
products and Thermafill, but what I
particularly liked about smartseal was
the simplicity of just mixing the sealant
and placing the point, without the
complication of waiting for things to
“cook” in a heating device.
The fact that it expanded laterally
was highly appealing too. It just made a
lot of good sense.
My approach to endo
All my endo is done using ProTaper
rotary files. An estimated working
length is taken from the digital
radiographs; after accessing the canals,
an actual working length is established
at the time the S1 or S2 file is used, and
this is done usually with a size 10 or 15
stainless file, and an apex locator.
The stainless file is also used to
ensure apical patency after each use of
a rotary file. Rotary files are lubricated
with Canal Plus, and irrigation after
each file is with hypochlorite. Most
canals are finished to F1, F2 or F3.
After final irrigation with
hypochlorite, an EDTA flush is used
before drying and trying in a Smart
Seal point both for apical tug back
and length, and adjustments made if
necessary. The point is then cemented
using smartseal sealant, cutting off any
excess with a high-speed hand piece
with coolant spray-on. The root filling
is covered with a glass ionomer cement
and the tooth restored by whatever
method is suitable.
The radiographs in Figures 1 to 4
show two routine cases, Figures 1 and
FIG 3 FIG 4
Circle 109 on enquiry card
19
DP July 09 8, 10, 12-20, 22.indd19 19 24/6/09 13:43:23
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