by Dr Sam Lawrence, Tendler Dental, Hawthorn East, VIC
This system is used for the obturation of root canal treatments and comes with two handpieces. One is a System B plugger which is a heated instrument used for searing off the ends of the gutta percha points. The other handpiece delivers heated gutta percha into the root canal system to backfill and finish off the obturation.
What’s good about it
It cuts down the treatment time of the obturation phase considerably. Rather than having to put lots of accessory points into the canal, I just use one master cone, burn off all but the apical 4 or 5mm, and then backfill with heated gutta percha.
Not only is it quicker, it’s more efficient. For a three rooted molar tooth, I finish my obturation in 10 or 15 minutes rather than the usual 30 or 45 minutes.
I also like that I no longer need to use a Bunsen burner to heat an instrument as this invariably frightened my patients a little bit.
I’ve owned this system for four years and use it on nearly every root canal I perform. The only exception is if the canal is really wide, such as an incisor on a younger patient. In these cases, it can be difficult to get the master cone to fit snugly enough not to come out when you withdraw the heated plugger.
What’s not so good
The unit is freestanding, needs to be plugged into a wall socket and takes up quite a bit of bench space. It would be fantastic if it could be integrated into my chair. It is also expensive to purchase but the saving in time more than compensates for the cost.
Where did you get it
Sybron Endo.
