An important part of the root canal process is the initial preparation. Mechanical debridement eliminates tissues from the canal. Canal therapy creates the space in which to disinfect the root area using medicaments and irrigants. This mechanical preparation and chemical disinfection are known as “chemo-mechanical preparation”.
A substantial innovation in endodontics has been the development of rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments. These instruments are adept at negotiating curved canals and creating tapered preparations. In the past few years, many new instrument systems have become available, some of which work better than others.
The advances in metallurgy allowed for the creation of very flexible rotary instruments that adapt to the canal anatomy and can accomplish 3-dimensional cleaning and shaping of canals. XP-3D shaper and finisher from Brasseler USA are a great example of that technology.
