Chances are you use a file in your daily work that you like or at least tolerate. Why not love the instruments you use? When you give the K3™XF, the new NiTi file from Axis |SybronEndo, a try, you will never look back. Here’s why:
- The K3XF is the most robust file available. The new NiTi file can handle the most pressure without separating or breaking. Period. To learn more, read When Strength and Flexibility are Key by Dr. Philippe Sleiman.
- The new K3XF is one of the most flexible files offered. The elasticity of the file allows clinicians to go around several or severe curvatures within the same canal.
- You may not need to upgrade your endodontic motor. As a long as you already have a motor that you use for endodontics, and you can set the speed at a minimum of 500 rpm, you can use your current endodontic motor.
- Convenience is offered with new taper and tip sizes. Do you use the GT File System? Good news: the new K3XF offers all of the corresponding taper and tip sizes to make your procedure prep and execution even more efficient.
- The K3XF offers a complete shaping and filling technique. While the original K3 provided you with appealing safety and self-centering features, the K3XF offers these plus a new level of flexibility and resistance to cyclic fatigue. The robust yet flexible file is developed by proprietary R-phase Technology.
K3XF is the ultimate in safety, flexibility and control.
While many endodontic motors on the market today have incorporated a torque control feature, the TF Adaptive System takes it one step further: The Elements Motor with Adaptive Motion Technology offers reflexive torque control.
You are in Control
Unlike typical torque control, reflexive torque control actually adapts to the user’s technique—resulting in extreme control. The system first rotates the file clockwise and, depending on the load on the file (how hard one pushes), the system reacts and adapts to a counter-clockwise, reciprocating motion. The harder one pushes, the more the system reacts. This keeps excessive stresses off the file and avoids the “screw-in” effect of pure rotary systems.
“The system takes the Twisted Files in a new motion that puts the operator in total control of the file rather than the file being in control of you,” says Dr. Gary Glassman who has used TF Adaptive System in more than 2,000 cases. With other systems, he has found that, when you place the file into the canal, it actually can suck you in. “You don’t get that here,” he says. “You are able to work your way down the root canal to the apical terminus in a very safe manner.”
Debris Moves Coronally
In “Comparison of the Extrusion of Dentin Debris Using a New Instrumentation,” a study conducted at Loma Linda University by researchers David E. Jaramillo, DDS, and Raydolfo Aprecio, MO, the amount of dentinal debris extruded through the apical foramen by means of three instrumentation techniques was measured. The three techniques included were: step back hand filing, Wave One, and the new TF Adaptive. The manual step-back hand filing technique extruded the largest amount of debris, followed by Wave One. TF Adaptive, however, extruded the least, half that of Wave One and only one-third compared to hand filing.
Because apical extrusion of infected debris to the periradicular tissues is considered one of the possible factors related to the occurrence of postoperative pain and inflammation[1], TF Adaptive would be expected to result in a lesser amount of post-operative pain due to apical extrusion when compared to the other techniques tested.
After much research and experimentation, it is understood that adaptive motion does indeed improve root canal preparations by reducing the risk of file breakage, putting the clinician in control of the file, and extruding less debris apically. The new motion should give you confidence to tackle root canal cases in a safe and efficient manner, with few post-up issues and nicely shaped canals.
[1] Gambarini, et all, European Journal of Inflammation, Vol 10, no. 1, 99-103, 2012
If you have previously used the K3 file but found it too rigid, give the K3™XF a try. The new NiTi file has all the same great elements of the K3, including safety and self-centering features, but has undergone a proprietary heat treatment that allows it to be not only the most robust file, but one of the most flexible on the market.
Half the Stiffness, Twice the Resistance
The K3XF is actually the same instrument as the K3 throughout the manufacturing process. However, after the instrument is manufactured, the new file undergoes the Axis | SybronEndo R-Phase™ Technology, which enables it to become more flexible.
This R-Phase Technology is the process of heating, cooling and twisting to produce a cutting instrument that resists fracture and possesses ultimate tactile control. This slight modification in the file’s crystalline structure gives these instruments the desired flexibility while making them strong enough to uphold patient safety. Following this treatment, the K3XF offers half the stiffness but twice the resistance to fracture.
New Tip and Taper Sizes Correspond to the GT File System
To ensure the K3XF delivers the most convenient experience possible, we have also added tip and taper sizes that correspond to the GT File System. Convenience, strength and flexibility can now be found in one file: the K3XF.
Adaptive: able to adapt. Adapt: to make suitable to requirements or conditions; adjust or modify fittingly. In other words, able to accommodate, alter or change based on surrounding circumstances. Having the ability to change direction, to adapt, can be beneficial in most aspects of our lives, as well as in regards to root canal preparation.
TF Adaptive System from Axis|SybronEndo uses an existing file set called Twisted Files and is the only system that uses adaptive motion.
What is Adaptive Motion Technology?
As discussed in our previous blog, adaptive motion relies on a patented feedback algorithm that changes the motion of the file based on the applied load (stress). When the file is doing minimal work (when there is little or no stress on the file) the motion is purely rotary (clockwise rotation only). When the file begins to cut more dentin, the motion begins to “adapt” from pure rotary to reciprocation (clockwise and counterclockwise rotation). This action keeps it from engaging too much of the canal wall.
The more stress felt on the file, the motor further adapts to offset the stress. By doing so, adaptive motion avoids a stress level that would normally unwind or fracture the file.
Adaptive Motion Helps Resist Breakage
TF Adaptive helps clinicians avoid the risk of file fracture in two important ways: Adaptive motion results in increased cyclic fatigue resistance (extending the lifespan of files) and adaptive motion lessens torsion (twisting stress) on the file, as well.
Adaptive motion helps reduce cyclic fatigue when it switches from a rotary to reciprocation motion. In a 2012 study, researchers found “all reciprocating systems groups showed significant increase in time to failure when compared with group 5 (continuous rotation).[1]”
Patented TF files have superior strength (two-to-three times more resistant to cyclic fatigue than other NiTi files) and flexibility (70 percent more flexible than other NiTi files) while maintaining high durability, making for an easy, confident experience. Incredible as it may sound, TF Adaptive makes an already excellent TF file (Twisted File) even better.
Adaptive motion can also help you overcome other root canal preparation challenges such as a loss of control and apically extruded debris—to learn more, check back next time.
[1] Gambarini, Gianluca DDS, MSc, PhD and Giansiracusa Rubini, Alessio DDS, MSc. Influence of different angles of reciprocation on the cyclic fatigue on nickel titanium endodontic instruments. J Endod 2012;38:1408–1411
At Axis | Sybron Endo, clinicians often ask us what makes the K3™XF Nickel Titanium File different from other NiTi files on the market. Our answer? Unparalleled robustness and flexibility. In fact, the K3XF possesses only half the stiffness of other files but provides two times more resistance to fracture.
What Makes the K3XF Different?
The K3XF is indeed the most robust file on the market—it can handle the most pressure without separating or breaking. The new file is also one of the most flexible NiTi files (outmaneuvered only by our own Twisted File). The elasticity of the file allows clinicians to go around several or severe curvatures within the same canal.
Why is it so Robust and Flexible?
With advancements in manufacturing and technology, dental files have reached a new level of strength and flexibility. Heat treatments have allowed manufacturers to modify the crystalline structure of NiTi metal, helping to create several different alloy files, including the K3™XF.
However, working with the natural grain structure of nickel titanium creates micro fractures along the length of the instrument often, which often undermine the strength of files.
Our proprietary R-Phase™ Technology is the process of heating, cooling and twisting to produce a cutting instrument that resists fracture and possesses ultimate tactile control. This slight modification in the file’s crystalline structure gives these instruments the desired flexibility while making them strong enough to uphold patient safety. Reducing fracture risk helps the clinician achieve better clinical results, increased confidence and predictable profitability.
If you have ever performed a root canal, chances are you have come across a challenge or two, especially during preparation. However, as technology advances, several of these difficulties can be overcome. Specifically, using adaptive motion technology can help you avoid challenges such as file separation, loss of control and debris extruded apically. Let’s take a detailed look at these three difficulties:
File Separation: Studies have found cyclic fatigue to be the primary cause of file separation[1]. It accounted for 50 to 90 percent of mechanical failures in one study[2]. When a rotating file goes around a curve, it is essentially flexing back and forth quite rapidly. This motion weakens the metal (cyclic fatigue) and, if continued long enough, can cause the instrument to separate.
Torque (twisting) is the other major cause of file separation. Conventional, ground-fluted Ni-Ti files are limited in elasticity and flexibility, and the process of grinding flutes across the grain structure produces micro-fractures that make the file less durable. This can cause unexpected separation.
Loss of Control: Imagine using a wood screw with a power screwdriver: When the screw engages, it pulls itself into the wood. This same occurrence happens with most rotary endodontic files, giving the clinician a feeling of being “sucked in” and losing control.
Debris Extruded Apically: In a 2012 study, researchers found “reciprocating files produced significantly more debris compared with... rotary systems.[3]” The reciprocating motion of systems similar to Wave One can push significant amounts of debris through the apical foramen, which may result in postoperative inflammation and pain.
Adaptive motion helps avoid all of these three challenges, but what does adaptive motion actually mean? Well you know rotary motion is constant clockwise rotation and reciprocation refers to clockwise and counterclockwise rotation. So what is meant by adaptive motion?
Adaptive motion relies on a patented feedback algorithm that changes the motion of the file based on the applied load (stress). When the file is doing minimal work (when there is little or no stress on the file) the motion is purely rotary (clockwise rotation only). When the file begins to cut more dentin, the motion begins to “adapt” from pure rotary to reciprocation (clockwise and counterclockwise rotation). This action disengages the file, keeping it from engaging too much of the canal wall and pulling itself down the canal.
The more stress felt on the file, the more the motor adapts to offset the stress. By doing so, adaptive motion avoids a stress level that would normally unwind or fracture the file. TF Adaptive System from Axis|SybronEndo uses an existing file called Twisted Files and is the only system that takes advantage of Adaptive Motion Technology.
[1] Li UM, Lee BS, Shin CT, Lan WH, Lin CP. Cyclic fatigue of endodontic nickel titanium rotary instruments: static and dynamic tests J Endod 2002;28:448–51
[2] Parashos P, Gordon I, Messer HH. Factors influencing defects of rotary nickeltitanium files after clinical use. J Endod 2004;30:722–5
[3] Burklein, Sebastian Dr med dent and Schafer, Edgar Prof Dr med dent. Apically extruded debris with reciprocating single file and full sequence rotary instrumentation systems. J Endod 2012;38:850–852
At the Dubai Sky Clinic, Dr. Philippe Sleiman often performs challenging root canal retreatments following referrals from other doctors in the area. In our last blog we learned how he successfully treated a patient who had two files trapped and separated in the mesial canals and whose distal canal had not been originally treated to full working length. Here, we find out how Dr. Sleiman performed a retreatment with several challenges, including a crown placed on the tooth and a fiber post inside the distal canal.
When the patient arrived at Dr. Sleiman’s office, she was experiencing pain in her lower molar. “The preoperative X-ray showed an apical lesion with an incomplete root-canal treatment,” he says. “Because diagnostics found no sign of a root-canal crack, retreatment was my choice. However, we had to overcome two obstacles: the crown placed on the tooth and the fiber post inside the distal canal.”
When he discovered the roots were fused, Dr. Sleiman’s plan of action included going through the crown without removing it as to not place any unnecessary tension on the distal canal. He managed to remove the filling surrounding the post, and with the use of the ultrasonic WHAT, removed the fiber post itself together with the previous filling from the access cavity. “Using the K3XF after removal of the fiber post was a great help in reshaping the root-canal system, which appeared very convergent,” he says. “The files displayed no sign of metal fatigue and the 25.06 was taken deeper into the canal compared with the standard K3 files. The extra flexibility and strength of the K3XF allowed me to perform crown down and final apical shaping.”
Dr. Sleiman continued the treatment using Elements Obturation Unit and RealSeal material. Post-operative x-rays showed the merging canals and the fiber-post space had successfully been cleaned, shaped and filled.
When each challenge is approached using the most precise, appropriate instruments, success is much more likely.
In our last blog, we talked about two important benefits of the TF Adaptive System: control and durability. Today, we continue the conversation with five more valuable advantages of the new system from Axis|SybronEndo.
- Minimum Amount of Files: The TF Adaptive System allows dentists and endodontists to use a minimum amount of files to complete the shape of the root canal. “In many cases we only have to use two NiTi files to treat the tooth.” Dr. Glassman says. “The first is to create the taper and the second—or third if needed—is to enlarge the apex.”
- Ease of Use: The system is set up and color coded similar to a traffic signal. “Green, yellow, red—it is a really easy system to learn,” Dr. Glassman says. This also makes it easy for assistants to set up without extensive training.
- Safe for Patient: Because TF unwinds before breaking, use this feature as a warning to avoid separation risk. “If a file comes untwisted, you just throw it out,” Dr. Glassman says.
- Wide-ranging: “You can use this system in more than 90 to 95 percent of the cases you treat (unless you are treating uncommonly large canals) with the files available,” Dr. Glassman says. Two file assortments are available: one for small canals and one for medium to large canals. You can use the actual motor for 100 percent of the cases.
- Collaboration with EndoVac: The TF Adaptive System can be used seamlessly with the EndoVac, the top irrigation delivery system. To learn more about the EndoVac, CLICK HERE.
If you are ready to take control of root canal preparation with a durable, safe and easy-to-use system, don’t hesitate to try the TF Adaptive System.
Choosing the right instruments for root canal retreatment is imperative, as discussed in our previous blog. This has become simpler since the development of heat treatments that allow the crystalline structure of NiTi metal to be modified, resulting in a more accommodating combination of strength and flexibility found in files. The K3 system files, known to be robust yet safe, are a particular favorite of Dr. Philippe Sleiman of the Dubai Sky Clinic. In Roots, Dr. Sleiman discusses the K3™XF files in detail, sharing two clinical studies in which the files helped him successfully perform root canal retreatments.
When the first patient reached Dr. Sleiman’s office after a two-hour drive, two files had been trapped and separated in the mesial canals. “The separated files in the mesial canals were clearly visible,” Dr. Sleiman says. “It was also noticeable that the distal canal had not been treated to full length.” Using ultrasonic tips and an operating microscope, Dr. Sleiman retrieved both of the separated files. He then needed to reshape the canals and retreat the distal canal.
“Owing to the combination of requirements for the treatment of this case—shaping and retreatment in one tooth—my instruments of choice were K3XF files,” Dr. Sleiman says. He started with 25.08, followed by 26.06 and finished crown-down with 25.04. “This gave access to the apical part,” he says, “which was enlarged to 35.04 in the mesial and distal canals in order to prepare the apical portion of the root-canal system.”
During the treatment, the micromotor used for the shaping procedure was operated at 500 rpm, and a sequence of push-and-pull movements (four to five strokes per canal) with each file was completed to reach the canal’s full working length. The obturation of the canals was then performed with RealSeal after both separated files had been removed and the root-canal system reshaped.
Check back next time to find out how Dr. Sleiman performed a retreatment with several challenges, including a crown placed on the tooth and a fiber post inside the distal canal.
Because so many challenges can arise during root canal preparations, it is imperative that technology continues to advance and techniques are revolutionized. To offer better management and strength for clinicians, Axis|SybronEndo is introducing the TF Adaptive System. The new system, which will change the way you shape root canals, uses an existing file set called Twisted Files.
Strength and Flexibility: Twisted Files
Most NiTi files are ground from wire. The grinding process causes micro-fractures on the surface of files. This can lead to file fracture or separation when used in teeth.
However, Twisted Files are manufactured using a heat treatment technology developed by Axis|SybronEndo, which changes the crystalline structure completely, so the file can be twisted, rather than ground during the manufacturing process.
Since Twisted Files are twisted and not ground, there are no micro-fractures that occur on the surface, they are not inherently weaker than other NiTi files; they are strong yet remain flexible.
Top Benefits of the TF Adaptive System
Here, Gary Glassman, DDS, owner of Endodontic Specialists in Toronto, Ontario, shares a bit of his experience using the TF Adaptive System in more than 2,000 endodontic cases, plus some of his favorite features.
Control: The TF Adaptive System Elements motor rotates the file 370 degrees forward, clockwise and, depending on the load on the file, adapts and may reverse up to 50 degrees. If there is no load, the file stops and continues forward again. “The system takes the Twisted Files in a new motion that puts the operator in total control of the file rather than the file being in control of you,” Dr. Glassman says. With other systems, he has found that, when you place the file into the canal, it actually can suck you in. “You don’t get that here,” he says. “You are able to work your way down the root canal to the apical terminus in a very safe manner.”
Durability: “Of all the cases I have done with the TF Adaptive System—about 2,000—I have not separated a single file with this system,” Dr. Glassman says. While a couple files have untwisted, none have broken. “I feel comfortable and confident,” he says, “that I will have a decreased risk of separation using the TF Adaptive System.”
Check back next time for more advantages the TF Adaptive System could provide you and your practice.