Hands-on workshop: rotary endodontics

We held a hands-on workshop for dentists on shaping root canals with rotary files, with live practice on extracted teeth and training blocks.

Key points we covered

• Glide path: opening the canal by hand with a size 10 or 15 K-file before the rotary file goes in greatly lowers the risk of file separation.
• Motor settings: keep to the speed and torque the manufacturer recommends for each system, and never force the file down the canal.
• Constant irrigation: sodium hypochlorite between every file, delivered with a side-vented needle.
• File life: check each file after use, and use it only once in severely curved canals.

To close the day, participants practised with apex locators and learned how to read them accurately.