Endo Made Simple Part 2: Shaping, Cleaning, & Irrigation

December 6, 2025
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By: Michael Eid

Missed Endo Made Simple Part 1? Check it out first here.

Once the canals are open and a size 10 can glide, you’re ready to start shaping. This phase is all about control, patency, and avoiding iatrogenic trauma.

Step 1: Confirm Working Length

  • Use a size 10 file with your apex locator.
  • Get a stable, repeatable reading before anything else goes in.

🦷 High-Yield Tip: WL mistakes snowball into overfills, underfills, and blocked canals. Nail this first.

  • If the tooth is going to receive a crown after the RCT, flatten the cusps completely out of occlusion.
  • This allows an accurate reference point for your files and takes the tooth out of occlusion, reducing post-operative pain/sensitivity.

Step 2: Establish a Smooth Glide Path

Work your way: 10 → 15 → 20. Pre-curve every file. Use light watch-winding and gentle strokes.

🦷 High-Yield Tip: If a 10 can’t glide, nothing else will. Fix the path before you fight the canal.

  • Don’t neglect orifice opener → the file can be constricted coronally if the orifice is not opened wide enough.

Step 3: Recapitulate Constantly

After every new file, drop back to the previous smaller one. This keeps the canal open and prevents debris from packing apically.

🦷 High-Yield Tip: Most student blockages and ledges come from skipping recapitulation.

Step 4: Irrigate Between Every File

  • Flush with NaOCl frequently.
  • Use EDTA every few files if the canal feels tight or “scratchy.”

🦷 High-Yield Tip: Files shape. Irrigation cleans. Don’t rely on files to do a fluid’s job.

Step 5: Respect Canal Anatomy

  • Pre-curve for curves.
  • Use short, controlled strokes.
  • If you feel resistance → stop, irrigate, recapitulate.

🦷 High-Yield Tip: Forcing a file is the fastest way to create a ledge or snap a rotary.

Step 6: Rotary Files

  • Start with small tapers.
  • Use gentle pecking — never push apically.

Visual Cue:

Watch the flutes.

  • If they’re packed with dentin → that’s your sign to stop at that size.
  • If you don’t feel the rotary engaging much and the flutes are clear → up a size on the rotary.

🦷 High-Yield Tip: Rotary breakage isn’t skill-related — it’s ignoring the flutes or pushing through resistance.

Michael Eid

Michael Eid

I’m a dental student at LECOM SDM with a passion for merging the worlds of business and medicine. With years of experience in dropshipping and marketing, I bring an entrepreneurial spirit to my dental journey, constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance patient care. As a key orientation leader for igniteDDS—a program dedicated to guiding and empowering new dental students through hands-on learning, mentorship, and leadership development—I have the privilege of shaping the next generation of dental professionals. Beyond dentistry, I’m deeply passionate about fitness and nutrition, believing that a healthy lifestyle is the cornerstone of success in both personal and professional endeavors.

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