Metallurgy & File Classification: Capital Endodontics

This document discusses metallurgy and classifications of endodontic files. It covers the evolution of nickel-titanium files from early stainless steel files to modern reciprocating and rotary files with active cutting edges, varying tapers, and different cross-sections. Files can be categorized based on factors like whether they have radial lands, fixed or varying tapers, and rotary versus reciprocating motion. The document also examines the properties of newer nickel-titanium alloys like M-wire that improve files' strength and wear resistance.

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Metallurgy & File Classification: Capital Endodontics

Uploaded by

newmexicoomfs

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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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Metallurgy

&
File Classification
David Landwehr D.D.S., M.S.
Capital Endodontics
Madison, Wisconsin
Stainless Steel

• Minimal shape
• Time
• Transportation
• Cyclic fatigue
File anatomy
0.02 taper

ISO 35 D-16 D-8 D-0

0.67 0.51 35
Why Nickel Titanium

• Super Elastic
• Resists Cyclic Fatigue
• Corrosion Resistant
Why Nickel Titanium
• Shape memory is the ability of nitinol to
undergo deformation at one
temperature, then recover its original,
undeformed shape upon heating above
its transformation temperature

• Superelasticity occurs at a narrow

temperature range just above its
transformation temperature; in this case,
no heating is necessary to cause the
undeformed shape to recover, and the
material exhibits enormous elasticity,
some 10-30 times that of ordinary metal
Stress-strain curve of
SS and NiTi

MARTENSITIC MARTENSITIC
AUSTENITE
TRANSFORMATION ELASTIC
Disadvantages

• Shape Memory
• Separation
Fracture Mechanisms

• Torque
• Cyclic Fatigue
Cyclic Fatigue
differences in the
methodology affected the
fatigue behavior of rotary
instruments and the outcome
of these studies

An international standard for

cyclic fatigue testing of NiTi
rotary instruments is required
to ensure comparable results
NiTi History

• 1991
• Passive radial lands
• Fixed tapers
• 1 cross-section (4 / 18 instruments)
Flat Radial Lands
(Passive)
Flat Radial Lands
(Passive)
NiTi History

• 2001
• Active cutting edges
• Changing tapers
• 1 cross-section (4 instruments / 18
instruments)
No Radial Lands
(Active)
No Radial Lands
(Active)
NiTi History
• 2010
• Active file
• Changing tapers
• Changing cross-section & unique
movements (1 instrument)
NiTi History
• 2007
• New NiTi Metallurgy (Science of
refining metals)
• 2008
• File Movements and Numbers -
rotary vs. reciprocation, How many
files needed?
M - Wire

Processing for M-
Wire yields a
microstructure
containing martensite
M - Wire

Endodontic instruments manufactured with M-

Wire are expected to have higher strength and
wear resistance than similar instruments made of
conventional superelastic NiTi wires because of its
unique nano-crystalline martensitic
microstructure
NiTi History
• Currently
• Active file
• Changing tapers/Constant tapers
• Cross-section differences
• Rotary / Reciprocation
File Classifications