When I was in dental school, we started our endodontic education in the second year. We had scrounged and saved all the extracted teeth we could in big old gross jars filled with formalin. We would of course practice access and locating canals. We would practice cleaning and shaping. Finally, we would practice obturation. The technique we were taught and executed throughout all of dental school was lateral condensation. Find and fit your main gutta percha cone, then use spreaders, sealer, and accessory cones to fill in that excess space.
Most of the time, this took a ton of time and effort! These teeth needed lots of accessory cones and at least half of them would get bent and be unusable when we tried to get them into the canal. It was a maddening process that ended with trying to sear off all the gutta percha sticking out of the tooth with a white-hot instrument. What an inelegant method to obturate!
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It shouldn’t surprise anyone that no endodontists or GPs who regularly do endo do lateral condensation. Obturation methods have evolved over the years, but now it seems like the preferred obturation method is a single master cone along with a sealer that can do more. A great choice for sealer for that type of method is Re-Gen Bioactive EndoSealer by Vista Apex.
Re-Gen Bioactive EndoSealer uses Bioglass to promote regenerative healing while attracting and exchanging ions that promote remineralization of hydroxyapatite and reduce inflammation. It does this in a much simpler method than old-school obturation techniques, as well. Simply find and fit your master gutta percha cone. Dry any excess irrigant or moisture with a paper point, and then use one of the patented MST Visco-Tips included to load the canal(s). Finally, insert the master cone, clean up excess, and you are done! Re-Gen Bioactive EndoSealer sets in about an hour and works with all brands of gutta percha cones. No more accessory cones. No more spreaders. No more backfill. Re-Gen Bioactive EndoSealer, master cone, and done!
This sealer is bioactive, which can only help with remineralization in these compromised teeth. It has a high alkalinity, which should help with long-term bacteria formation prevention. In addition, it has high washout resistance thanks to its low solubility, and it sets faster than any other ceramic endo sealer. With its cost effectiveness and little waste (thanks to the MST tip!), it is a great choice for your endo cases. Single cone technique has become more popular as these sealers have gotten better. Re-Gen Bioactive EndoSealer takes it to the next level.
Editor's note: This article appeared in the August 2023 print edition of Dental Economics magazine. Dentists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.
