Endodontic treatment system

Abstract

An endodontic system of shaping instruments, irrigation cannulas, filling instruments and materials designed to safely create specific tapers of root canal preparations and to clean, dry, seal, and restore them. The shaping instruments are a series of reamers, files, and handpiece burs, made of stainless steel, nickel-titanium, or other alloys, which impart several different specifically-tapered apertures in root canals. The instruments have one or more safety features to eliminate perforating curved roots, including shorter flute length as the angle of taper increases and variable sharpness along the length of the flute portion, as well as variable flute pitch along the length of the flute portion to maximize cutting efficiency and resistance to breakage, and a rounded tip to eliminate ledging. The hand instruments have a handle designed to optimize use of the instruments in apically directed, notary cutting motions. The irrigation cannulas, the condensation heat carriers, pluggers, injection needles, and backfillers, and the materials, including drying paper points, filling materials, and restorative post systems, have shapes which match the canal tapers created by the shaping instruments.

1. A set of endodontic files for use in preparing root canals in teeth wherein the files vary in taper, one from another, each file comprising:
 a shank;  
 a tip; and  
 a flute portion which extends between the tip and the shank;  
 wherein each of said files having a greater taper than another one of the files in said set has a shorter flute portion than said other file.  
 
     
     
       2. The set of files of  claim 1  wherein the shank of each file has a proximal end, remote from said flute portion, which is embedded in a pear-shaped handle comprising a scored tapered section having an enhanced gripping area to facilitate applying torque to the file in combination with apically directed force. 
     
     
       3. The set of files of  claim 1  wherein the shanks of said files in the set are all of the same diameter. 
     
     
       4. The set of files of  claim 1  wherein in each file the diameter of the largest flute in said flute portion is greater than the shank diameter and wherein the file includes a transition portion extending from the largest diameter flute to the shank, said transition portion including a pair of lands diminishing in diameter from the largest diameter flute to the shank. 
     
     
       5. The set of files of  claim 4  wherein said shank has a diameter equal to approximately 95% of the diameter of the largest flute. 
     
     
       6. The set of files of  claim 4  further including a shank guide which is spaced along the shank from the largest diameter flute by a distance which allows a chip space for tooth dust to collect during filing procedures. 
     
     
       7. The set of files of  claim 1  wherein the tip of each file is smoothly rounded and devoid of cutting edges. 
     
     
       8. The set of files of  claim 7  wherein the tip has a diameter which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the smallest diameter flute. 
     
     
       9. The set of files of  claim 8  further including a second transition section between the tip and the flute portion which includes a pair of lands continuing from the smallest diameter flute to the tip. 
     
     
       10. The set of files of  claim 1  wherein the flute portion of each file includes a plurality of flutes, each provided with cutting edges about the periphery of the file, said cutting edges diminishing in diameter and increasing in pitch and sharpness with distance from the largest diameter flute. 
     
     
       11. The set of files of  claim 1  wherein each file of said set comprises a Hedstrom-type file with the cutting edges dulled along one side of the file and wherein the lengths of the flute portions vary inversely with the degree of file taper. 
     
     
       12. The set of files of  claim 1  wherein each file of said set comprises a K-type file with the cutting edges dulled along one side of the file and wherein the lengths of the flute portions vary inversely with the degree of file taper. 
     
     
       13. The set of files of  claim 1  wherein each file of said set comprises a Hedstrom-type file with the cutting edges dulled along one side of the file and wherein the lengths of the flute portions vary inversely with the diameter of the file tip. 
     
     
       14. The set of files of  claim 1  wherein each file of said set has a preselected curve in a region of the flute portion near the tip which is set in the file during fabrication. 
     
     
       15. The set of files of  claim 14  wherein each file of said set is fabricated of a nickel-titanium alloy. 
     
     
       16. The set of files of  claim 15  wherein said alloy is Nitinol™. 
     
     
       17. A set of endodontic files for use in preparing root canals in teeth wherein the files vary in taper, one from another, each file comprising:
 a shank varying in diameter from every other file in said set;  
 a tip varying in diameter from every other file in said set; and  
 a flute portion which extends between the tip and the shank, the flute portions of all files in said set being the same length;  
 wherein each of said files having a greater taper than another one of the files in said set has a larger diameter tip and a larger diameter shank than said other file.  
 
     
     
       18. The set of files of  claim 17  wherein the taper varies from 0.01 mm/mm for the smallest diameter file to 0.05 mm/mm for the largest diameter file in said set. 
     
     
       19. The set of files of  claim 18  wherein the variation in taper from file to file is 0.01 mm/mm. 
     
     
       20. The set of files of  claim 17  wherein the variation in shack diameter from file to file is 0.185 mm. 
     
     
       21. The set of files of  claim 17  wherein the length of the flute portion of each file of said set is 16 mm. 
     
     
       22. The set of files of files of  claim 17  wherein the variation in tip diameter from file to file is 0.025 mm. 
     
     
       23. The set of files of  claim 17  wherein a first file of said set has a tip diameter of 0.075 mm, a shank diameter of 0.235 mm, and a taper of 0.01 mm/mm. 
     
     
       24. The set of files of  claim 17  wherein a second file of said set has a tip diameter of 0.1 mm and a shank diameter of 0.420 mm, and a taper of 0.02 mm/mm. 
     
     
       25. The set of files of  claim 17  wherein a third file of said set has a tip diameter of 0.125 mm, a shank diameter of 0.605 mm, and a taper of 0.03 mm/mm. 
     
     
       26. The set of files of  claim 17  wherein a fourth file of said set has a tip diameter of 0.15 mm, a shank diameter of 0.790 mm, and a taper of 0.04 mm/mm. 
     
     
       27. The set of files of  claim 17  wherein a fifth file of said set has a tip diameter of 0.175 mm, a shank diameter of 0.975 mm, and a taper of 0.05 mm/mm. 
     
     
       28. The set of files of  claim 17  wherein the shank of each file has a proximal end, remote from said flute portion, which is embedded in a handle configured to facilitate manipulation of the associated file. 
     
     
       29. The set of files of  claim 28  wherein each file handle is pear-shaped and configured to provide an enhanced gripping area to facilitate the application of torque to the file in combination with apically directed force. 
     
     
       30. The set of files of  claim 29  wherein the handle of each file is shaped with planar proximal and distal ends oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of the file. 
     
     
       31. The set of files of  claim 30  wherein the handle of each file comprises a smooth curved surface portion extending from the distal end to a maximum diameter and a scored section tapering from the plane of maximum diameter to said proximal end of said handle. 
     
     
       32. The set of files of  claim 31  wherein the scored section of each file handle comprises 70% to 85% of the length of the handle. 
     
     
       33. The set of files of  claim 32  wherein the scored section of each handle is 80% of the length of the handle. 
     
     
       34. The set of files of  claim 33  wherein the handle of each file is 10 mm in overall length and the length of the scored section is 8 mm. 
     
     
       35. The set of files of  claim 31  wherein the scored section of each file handle comprises a plurality of longitudinally directed grooves oriented side-by-side about the periphery of the handle, each of said grooves tapering slightly in width from the plane of maximum diameter to the proximal end of the handle. 
     
     
       36. The set of files of  claim 35  wherein each of said grooves comprises a pair of beveled sides intersecting at the bottom of the groove. 
     
     
       37. The set of files of  claim 1  wherein the flute portion of each file includes a plurality of flutes, each provided with cutting edges about the periphery of the file, said cutting edges diminishing in diameter and sharpness and increasing in pitch with distance from the largest diameter flute.