Apex Locators

The removal of all pulp tissue, necrotic material and micro organisms from the root canal is
essential for endodontic success. 

This can only be achieved if the length of the tooth and the root canal is determined with accuracy.The outcome of treatment of roots with necrotic pulps and periapical lesions is influenced significantly by the apical level of the root filling.

During root canal treatment working length determination is most important for its success.Else desired results are not achieved.Hence accurate determination of root canal length is vital for longevity of root canal treated tooth.

The development of the electronic apex locator has helped make the assessment of working length more accurate and predictable.The majority of present generation apex locators are not affected by irrigants within the root canal.

Apex Locators

 Apex locator is an electronic device used in endodontics to determine the position of the apical foramen and thus determine the length of the canal within the root.
The original electronic apex locators operated on the direct current principle. A problem with these devices was that conductive fluids such as hemorrhage, exudate, or irrigant in the canal would permit current flow and therefore a false reading.

Newer devices are impedance-based, using alternating current of two frequencies;these measure and compare two electrical impedances that change as the file moves apically. The benefit is that these devices are much less affected by fluid conductive media in the canal. The impedance type apex locators have been demonstrated to be 80 to 95% accurate in identifying the apical foramen. Therefore after obtaining a reading, 1 to 2 mm is subtracted as the corrected working length.

Electronic apex locators reduce the number of radiographs required and assist where radiographic methods create difficulty. They may also indicate cases where the apical foramen is some distance from the radiographic apex.

The preoperative radiograph is essential in endodontics to determine the anatomy of the root canal,the number and curvature of roots,the presence or absence of disease, and to act as an initial guide for working length. The electronic apex locator is an instrument, which used with appropriate radiographs, allows for much greater accuracy of working length determination.

Multiple-function apex locators are becoming more common and several have vitality testing functions. Combination of  electronic apex locators and electric handpieces are also becoming common and are able to achieve excellent results with the same accuracy as the stand-alone units. 

The use of apex locators alone without a preoperative and postoperative radiograph is not a recommended practice due to the large variation in tooth morphology.

No individual technique is truly satisfactory in determining endodontic working length. Modern electronic apex locators can determine this position with accuracies of greater than 90% but still have some limitations.Therefore knowledge of apical anatomy, prudent use of radiographs and the correct use of an electronic apex locator will assist practitioners to achieve predictable results with greater accuracy.

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Milan Tomic

Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.

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