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Alternative Techniques to Remove Fractured Instrument Fragments from the Apical Third of Root Canals: Report of Two Cases

This paper describes two cases of instrument fragment removal from the apical thirds of root canals using a customized extractor and a modified needle technique, respectively. In case 1, a customized extractor was manufactured to remove a bur fragment located in the apical root canal of a maxillary central incisor. The use of this extractor enabled successful and conservative removal of the instrument fragment. In case 2, a modified injection needle was used as a trepan to gain access around an instrument fragment located in the curved apical portion of the mesiobuccal canal of a mandibular molar. A segment of steel wire was inserted into the needle lumen to engage the metallic fragment, enabling its removal with counter-clockwise rotation and a simultaneous pull-out motion. Alternative and creative methods are useful for the management of intracanal metallic fragments during root canal treatment.

Fractured instrument; root canal therapy; extractors.


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