iVac™ System: Ideal for Root Canal Irrigation, Activation, and Disinfection
Carlos Spironelli Ramos, DDS, MS, PhD, says he started developing new dental products and techniques soon after finishing his doctorate program 25 years ago, but he acknowledges that getting an idea to market is no quick feat.
"Necessity is the mother of creativity, and dentistry is a fruitful field to apply this principle," says Ramos, lecturer, author, product developer, and director of endodontics at the Las Vegas Institute. "But anyone who thinks a brilliant idea equals a blockbuster product is wrong. Although the concept is an important starting point, other challenges exist. For a project to become a great product, the path is long-from production design and feasibility, to the business profile of the product, to marketing, and, primarily, regulation. These all weigh heavily on whether an idea goes to market or stays on the drawing board."
Ramos' latest product, the iVac™ System by Pac-Dent, appears to have met the numerous challenges, and after many years of development offers dental professionals an upgrade for ultrasonic activation in endodontic procedures.
"My starting point [for developing iVac] was knowing that although the fundamental principles of canal irrigation were well-known, no technique could apply them simultaneously," says the endodontist and professor, referring to the three concepts of ultrasonic vibration, apical negative pressure, and concomitant irrigation. "The dentist applies each principle at a different procedural step, decreasing process efficiency and increasing operating time. Moreover, accidental fluid extrusion to the periapical tissue often occurs, with consequent postoperative pain."
The iVac apical negative-pressure irrigation and activation system concurrently applies these three steps in a single device, which Ramos says translates to safety, efficiency, and savings in operating time. The system is designed to protect against the risk of liquid extrusion into periapical tissue while activating the renewed fluid inside the canal. It comprises an aspiration/activation cannula with two options of outside diameters: .35 mm and .50 mm.
"The true innovation of the iVac is combining the ultrasonic activation of the irrigating liquid with the safety and efficiency of negative apical pressure, which allows the action of the fluid in the apical third without the risk of accidental extrusion," Ramos explains. "Furthermore, it enables concomitant irrigation, ensuring a more efficient chemical reaction related to tissue dissolution and removal of endotoxins from the root canal."
Ramos says that while independent studies are being finalized and published soon, iVac has shown efficiency in the canal and intratubular dentin cleaning "at the same levels as the gold-standard ultrasonic activation but with significantly less fluid extrusion."
The launch of iVac was at the end of last year, and Ramos says he will be working hard with Pac-Dent in 2023 "to get the product into the hands of dentists with all the information and knowledge needed for its applications."
Carlos Spironelli Ramos, DDS, MS, PhD
Director of Endodontics,
Las Vegas Institute (LVI) Global,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Pac-Dent
909-839-0888
pac-dent.com
