No Shaping Endodontic Treatment of a Mandibular Canine Utilizing the Gentle Wave Procedure: A Case Report

Due to limitations in standard endodontic therapy there have been great endeavors to effectively clean, shape and disinfect the root canal system while preserving the natural anatomy of the tooth [1]. Maintaining the natural canal anatomy and preservation of tooth structure has been correlated to higher clinical success rates [2-5]. A major issue in tooth preservation is the need to maximize cleaning and disinfection. One of the main goals of root canal therapy is to remove pulp tissue, layers of infected dentin and biofilms attached to the root canal surface. Yet this requires enlargement of root canals for mechanical instrumentation and access of irrigants [6,7]. Instrumentation to a minimum of size #35 with larger apical preparations and tapers has been reported as having greater irrigation effectiveness, cleaning and disinfection [3-5,8]. While this level of instrumentation may improve cleaning, it is reported to increase the chance of complications including apical transportation, ledge formation, instrument separation and root fractures [9]. Even still, after mechanical instrumentation, 50% to 65% of the root canal system may remain untouched, regardless of the system used for cleaning and shaping [5,7,10].