Memoir~clinical cases

  Man dibular first molars are the first posterior teeth to erupt in permanent dentition and are those that most often suffer from caries. They are also the teeth that exhibit considerable anatomical variation and abnormalities regarding the number of roots and root canals. Therefore the clinician should know the various morphologic aberrations occurring in this tooth before starting the treatment. This case presents with mandibular first molars with 3 distal root canals and one root. The tooth was treated endodontically with the help of dental operating microscope. CASE 1: Local anaesthesia was induced using 1.8 ml of 2% Lignocaine and Adrenaline (Xylocaine; AstraZeneca Pharma Ind Ltd, Bangalore, India). The tooth was isolated using rubber dam and an endodontic access opening was established. The orifices of mesiobuccal, mesiolingual, distobuccal and distolingual were apparent and were initially located. The floor of the pulp chamber was viewed under dental operating microscope (...

       When a tooth smiles at you that signals danger!! A C-shaped root canal often formed because of f ailure of the Hertwig’s epithelial root sheath to fuse on the lingual or buccal root surface or it  may also be formed by coalescence because of deposition of the cementum with time. ( Melton DC, 1991, JOE). There are multiple fins and connections in a C shaped root canal making it difficult to completely disinfect. I will describe my experience dealing with such canals. IDENTIFICATION??? We can identify a C shaped canal with a pre-operative radiograph by careful observation. some features observed are:  The pulp chamber is large in the occluso-apical dimension and with a low bifurcation. The semicolon-type C-shaped root canals often present with  (i) fusion or close proximity of two roots,  (ii) a large distal root canal,  (iii) a narrow mesial root canal and  (iv) a blurred image of a third canal in-between. ACCESS OPENING:...

  In our clinical practise, we often assume a canine to have one root and one root canal. So was my assumption but my habit of critically evaluating the preoperative radiograph has helped to predict the presence of 2 root canals in the present case. On a literature search, I have realised that the occurrence of 2 canals is as high as 12% in some populations and it was about 3.2% in the Indian population. This made me realise how often we might be missing out on these extra canals which might later cause treatment failure.  On examining the preoperative radiograph 2 root canals were seen joining at the apex. It shows a typical Vertucci type II canal system. we went ahead with access opening which was made in a buccolingual direction similar to maxillary premolar. the simple logic here is that the canine roots are broader on the buccolingual direction and that facilitates extra canals. The canals were slowly negotiated with a 10 size K file and working length was determined and ...