Google Endoplaza

A C-Shaped Canal


A C-shaped canal occurs now and then in the lower molars, more often in the second lower molar than in the first one.

Problems which may occur are:

  • Recognition of a C-shaped canal
  • Preparation of the whole system
  • Filling the complete system
Recognition is important because otherwise you look as always for the 3 or 4 canals which normally occur in a lower molar. Finally, a big part of the canal system has not been cleaned then. With an operating microscope you can see immediately that it is not a matter of normal canals, but of a complex ribbonlike system
You also should think of a C-shaped canal if all of a sudden all canals are empty when hypochlorite is aspired from one single canal. Sucking is done by bringing the needle of the hypochlorite syringe far to the apical and then by aspirating. This is standard procedure when the canals have to be dried at the end of an endodontic treatment.

A good preparation of a c-shaped canal is extraordinary difficult. It is handy to prepare first canals distolingually and mesolingually. This can be done in the usual way as described with the primary endodontic treatment. Then you can continue in two ways. The first way is to prepare a canal at any place where a hand file still wants to go to apical. Finally, the major part of the complex canal system has been cleaned. Another possibility is to clean the whole ‘half moon’ area with ultrasonic files from the already prepared two canals. This can also be done with the help of Rotary shaping files. Gates Glidden drills are also very handy to clean the ‘half moon’.

The most convenient way to fill the complex canal system is to do it with a combination of System B and Obtura II . The lateral condensation technique is less appropriate here. With System B the apical parts of the canals are filled and then the rest of the complex system is filled with the warm gutta-percha spray technique.



From this page you can order the following products in our catalogue


  • Operating microscope
  • Gates Glidden Drills
  • Hand files
  • Obtura II
  • Rotary files
  • System B
  • Ultrasonic files (EMS)
To last chapter: Bleaching an element
To next chapter: Deep dividing canals
©2005 Endoplaza.com  |  This page is best viewed in a resolution of at least 1024 x 768 pixels  |  Latest update on 21 November 2006