The product is being introduced at the Chicago mid-winter meeting. It is essentially two instruments (It takes two to Tango). They consist of a 30/02 stainless steel relieved reamer design and a 30/04 relieved NiTi. They have an s-shape cross section and are used in a 30º latch-type handpiece. They are to be used only in the reciprocating handpiece. If they were used manually and rotated beyond 30º, something that is possible if done manually they would be subject to separation. Used in the reciprocating handpiece, this is highly unlikely. Why the addition? They shave dentin away more efficiently than traditional stainless steel reamers. They are only used after the glide path has been established to a 20, something accomplished quite easily in most cases using the SafeSiders in the 30º reciprocating handpiece. The goal is to remove tissue in the thin, but sider bucco-lingual plane, an area that has been documented to be poorly achieved with rotary NiTi. Because we do not exceed an 04 taper we preserve tooth structure in the mesio-distal plane. Also because the arc of motion is confined to 30º we take away the action that has also been documented to produce dentinal defects. hey are not for safety reasons. These instruments are machined metal as opposed to twisted. As a result, if they are rotated too much, as can be done manually, they would have a greater tendency to separate. Not a great chance, but an increased chance. By limiting their use to the reciprocating handpiece because they are latched, they will only be used in a 30º reciprocating handpiece that prevents the chance of separation that might come about via manual use.
It was a difficult decision to make, but the last thing we want is someone to use the system and then incur breakage. For me that is the event I want most to avoid. And with that assurance, the dentist is comfortable working the instruments with vigor against the full extensions of the usually broader bucco-lingual canals. If we can do this, then we enlarge the canal space in line with the original anatomy in both planes and along length.
Regard, Barry
