Superior Metal in GT® Series X™ Rotary Files Hit the Mark
GT® Series X™ rotary files are living up to the hype that has accompanied them since DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties (Tulsa, OK) debuted the instruments in the fall of 2007. Their success comes from one significant factor—a superior metal called M-Wire™ Nickel Titanium, which creates a stronger and safer file.
M-Wire NiTi undergoes complex processing and a series of heating and cooling under tension. The files’ geometry delivers more accurate cutting and offers greater flexibility and strength, which leads to increased resistance to cyclic fatigue with less chance of breakage.
The GT Series X files’ integrated chip space allows the clinician to cut longer, thereby eliminating the need to peck. Initial length may be achieved after one to three passes. Enhancements to the files offer a system-based approach to shaping and obturation. This means the files cut a shape that coincides with an obturator, making it easier to deliver a three-dimensional, warm gutta-percha fill into the canal shape, thus eliminating extra steps and unnecessary instruments.
Case Examples
Michael W. Nimmich, DMD, MS, Sumter, SC, performed three separate cases using the GT Series X files to experience the performance of these files and the M-Wire NiTi metal. All three cases were completed using the GT Series X file system, strictly following the manufacturer’s suggested guidelines.
The cases were selected to represent common canal anatomy and challenges that are routinely encountered in endodontic practices. In all three cases, the canals were negotiated to their terminus using stainless steel LEXICON® K-files (DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties) in the presence of ProLube® root canal conditioner (DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties) to a No. 15 K-file. Patency was achieved in all canals by extending a No. 10 K-file 1 mm beyond the terminus. After the initial negotiation, a 20/.06 GT Series X file was used with light apical pressure to shape the canals.
The molar case provided a challenge in the mesiobuccal canal because of an approximate 30° curvature (Figure 1). Following the technique suggested on the GT Series X instrumentation technique card, the canals were shaped to 30/.06 in the mesiobuccal and distobuccal canals and 40/.08 in the palatal canal. Apical gauging was accomplished using .02 tapered NiTi hand files (Figure 2). Visual gauging also was possible by ob- serving debris in the last flute space as explained on the technique card.
The bicuspid case exhibited moderate canal calcification (Figure 3). The two canals joined in the apical third of the canal to create one port of exit. Although the canals were small in diameter, both were fairly straight. Using the 20/.06 file to create the initial shape to length, the canals were gauged and finished with a 30/.04 file (Figure 4). Only two files were used, exemplifying the minimal number of files needed to complete similar canals. The tooth was rotated and the preparation appeared wide coronally because of the rotation.
The anterior case was fairly straightforward, with moderate curvature in the apical third (Figure 5). The initial shape was created using a 20/.06 file. Apical gauging then revealed the need to finish using a 40/.04 file (Figure 6).
Conclusion
The GT Series X file system has proven advantages over the original GT Series—namely the M-Wire NiTi metal’s durability and precision. As highlighted by these clinical examples, the files cut to length in one to three cutting cycles because of their wider, more open blade angles, as well as the variable width radial lands within the files. While centered in cutting, the files stayed centered in the canal path. The maximum cutting diameter limited the unnecessary removal of excess tooth structure in the coronal portion of the canal, thus saving tooth structure. Intuitively, these files shaped the canals and helped to navigate the canal spaces safely and efficiently from instrumentation to obturation.
General practitioners and endodontists will find the user-friendly GT Series X file system to be more cost-effective as well. The GT Series X system uses fewer files to create ideal canal shapes for cleaning and obturation compared with many file systems on the market today.
For more information, contact:
DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialties
Phone: 800-662-1202
Web: www.tulsadentalspecialties.com
Disclaimer
The preceding material was provided by the manufacturer. The statements and opinions contained therein are solely those of the manufacturer and not of the editors, publisher, or the Editorial Board of Inside Dentistry. The preceding is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval for the aforementioned products or services or their effectiveness, quality, or safety on the part of Inside Dentistry or AEGIS Communications. The publisher disclaims responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas or products referred to in the preceding material.
