Patent ID: 7980853

Claim:
A method of cleaning the apical portion of a root canal of a tooth, the tooth having an operative coronal portion and a root canal portion, the root canal portion including an operative middle root canal portion and an apical root canal portion, the method comprising: providing an apical endodontic file comprised of a gripping portion and a thin, flexible, shaft extending from the gripping portion comprised of a super-elastic titanium-based material so as to be adaptable to a curvature of the root canal, wherein the shaft has a non-abrading portion proximal to the gripping portion and an abrading portion extending between a distal end of the shaft and the non-abrading portion, the abrading portion comprising less than about one-half the length of the shaft so that at least a portion of the non-abrading portion is positioned within the operative middle root canal portion when the abrading portion is positioned within the apical root canal portion, the apical endodontic file having greater flexibility than endodontic files used to clean the operative middle root canal portion; attaching the gripping portion of the apical endodontic file to a powered hand piece capable of moving the endodontic file in a reciprocating back and forth motion during use; inserting the apical endodontic file into the root canal of the tooth so that the non-abrading portion extends through the operative middle root canal portion and the abrading portion extends at least partially into the apical root canal portion; and cleaning the apical portion of the root canal by causing or allowing the powered hand piece to move the apical endodontic file in a back and forth reciprocating motion instead of continuous rotation in a single direction so that the apical abrading portion cuts or abrades tissue in the apical root canal portion without significantly cutting or abrading tissue in the operative middle root canal portion, the thin, flexible shaft adapting to the curvature of the root canal.