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Case Reports
. 2023 Nov 20;15(11):e49132.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.49132. eCollection 2023 Nov.

The Management of Fractured Dental Instruments: A Case Series

Affiliations
Case Reports

The Management of Fractured Dental Instruments: A Case Series

Deepika Lakshmaiah et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The most common problem faced by dentists during root canal therapy is instrument separation. Instrument separation leads to the inefficient biomechanical preparation of the canals, which can affect the outcome of the root canal-treated tooth. Hence, bypassing the fractured instrument or removal can be accounted as a viable choice to maintain the structural integrity of the tooth. This article illustrates a case series wherein the fractured instrument was managed successfully with the use of conservative techniques.

Keywords: bypass; conservative; fractured instruments; retrieval; ultrasonics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Pre-operative radiograph of 36
Figure 2
Figure 2. Intraoral periapical radiographs of 36
(A) A 15 K file separated in the apical third of the mesiobuccal canal, (B) separated file bypassed using a 15 K file, and (C) working length determination
Figure 3
Figure 3. Intraoral periapical radiographs of 36
(A) Master cone verification and (B) postoperative radiograph
Figure 4
Figure 4. Pre-operative radiograph of 47
Figure 5
Figure 5. Intraoral periapical radiographs of 47
(A) A 15 K file separated in the apical third of the mesiolingual canal, (B) separated file bypassed using a 15 K file, and (C) working length determination
Figure 6
Figure 6. Intraoral periapical radiographs of 47
(A) Master cone verification and (B) postoperative radiograph
Figure 7
Figure 7. Pre-operative radiograph of 26
Figure 8
Figure 8. (A) Working length determination, (B) file separated in the distobuccal canal of 26, and (C) Satelec ET25 ultrasonic tip
Figure 9
Figure 9. (A) A 10 mm-length file retrieved and (B) a file retrieved from the distobuccal canal
Figure 10
Figure 10. Intraoral periapical radiographs of 26
(A) Master cone verification and (B) postoperative radiograph

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