When performing a root canal procedure, it’s imperative that after instrumentation, the clinician cleanses and disinfects the canal thoroughly with endodontic irrigants—even where instruments can’t reach. However, this can prove tricky, as irrigants must reach where they are needed without expressing beyond the bounds of the canal—breaking through apical tissues, potentially damaging healthy tissue. Dr. Dan Fischer says, “The basic concept of irrigation in endodontics is to get the smallest cannula down close to the apex, but shy of the foramen, and to irrigate from the bottom up. It is imperative to start from the bottom to prohibit trapping air in the canal—it is very difficult to displace an air bubble when you’re filling the canal from the top down. However, the deeper the canal, the more difficult it is to get the cannula down to the apical region of the tooth.”

“Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”—Theodore Roosevelt For many people throughout the world, the beginning of November marks the beginning of the holiday season—beginning with Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa (and any other way one chooses to celebrate the season), and ending with the ringing in of the New Year. Regardless of religion, I would say the marking characteristic of this season is care—care for our fellow man. Care also happens to be one of Ultradent’s five Core Values that we’ve chosen to uphold above all else here in the workplace. Seeing that it is the beginning of another joyous holiday season, I find it the perfect time to take a deeper look into the Core Value Care that we hold so dear.

These days, strategic, pin-pointed, and successful practice management has become as high a priority as providing quality, top-of-line patient care. That means making every second count without cutting any corners. Ultradent’s multi-award-winning curing light, VALO®, with its powerful 3-second cure feature, take both patient care and super-keen practice management to new heights, and has the numbers to prove it. In an interview years ago when low-intensity lights were more popular, Dr. Gordon Christensen estimated that a typical dental practice can save over $26,000 per year by switching from a low-intensity light to a high-intensity light like VALO. Some dentists are still using slower lights.1

Here’s a little something to remind you to share a smile with someone. Have a great Tuesday!