Patent ID: 6558163
Filing Date: 2003-05-06
Classification: A61C,A61K

Abstract:
A method for cleaning the operative coronal portion and the operative middle portion of an operative root canal of a tooth, the method comprising:exposing the root canal by removing a portion of the tooth at a crown thereof and by removing the top of the pulp chamber; obtaining a set of first endodontic instruments wherein each instrument has a file with an abrading portion for removing pulp material, each file having a length corresponding to at least the combined length of the operative coronal portion and the operative middle portion; removing and cleaning essentially all pulp material from the operative coronal portion and the operative middle portion by sequentially introducing the files of the instruments in the set of first endodontic instruments into the operative middle portion and then flexing each file such that the abrading portion of each file is urged against root canal surfaces within the operative middle portion as each instrument is rotated and moved in a cleaning motion in conformance with the anatomical shape of the operative middle portion by following the contours of the operative middle portion as a guide for movement of each instrument, and without significantly extending the file of each instrument into the apical root portion, wherein each sequentially introduced file has greater rigidity than the previously introduced file along at least an upper part of the abrading portion of each file to enable each sequentially introduced file to more rapidly and aggressively clean than the previously introduced file.