The field of endodontics has improved tremendously over the years, and technology is the biggest gamechanger. One of my favorite pieces of tech is the GentleWave root canal procedure, which takes irrigation to a whole new level.

I remember in dental school being in awe of the operating microscope. I would watch the endo residents and wonder what they were seeing. It didn’t make much sense to me at the time, simply because I didn’t have that much experience, but I now see the significance.

By the time I started my own endodontic residency, the CBCT had started to make its way into the marketplace. I was able to play around with an ICAT, but only on a few patients. My experience with the technology was minimal. By the time I opened my own practice, this new cone beam imaging had started to really take off and I did everything in my power to make sure that I got one.  And, man am I glad that I did, because the CBCT has changed my life and the way I practice.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better for my specialty, it has! 

The GentleWave root canal procedure has dropped my number of retreatments on my own cases by 90%

For the first decade of my endodontic practice, I had a handful of patients who still had issues with their tooth after their root canal that I performed. The root canal would look great, there was no lesion, but the tooth felt different to the patient than their other teeth. And there would be no evidence of a crack, either. 

I actually had this exact same thing happen to MY tooth!

Previously, my answer was to simply retreat the tooth and see if long-term calcium hydroxide medication does the trick — and 8 times out of 10, it did. 

But, what about the other 20% of teeth? And what about reducing the number of retreatments needed in the first place?

I don’t exactly have an explanation for patients’ persistent pain, but since everything is bacterial in endo, then this must be the problem.

Enter this new technology: the GentleWave root canal procedure

When I had that issue with my tooth, I got it retreated with GentleWave. There were some occlusal issues, but once that was adjusted as well, everything was absolutely perfect!

Back in 2018, I completed my first demo of the GentleWave Procedure by Sonendo, and I was blown away! My first impression was: This procedure is irrigation on steroids! I mean, we all know that our rotary files are only cleaning about 65% of the canals and leaving 35% of the bugs behind, so our success is heavily based on irrigation.

GentleWave is minimally invasive, using sound and fluid dynamics to activate the irrigant in even the teeniest, tiniest, most hidden canals in a tooth’s anatomy. All those microscopic places where bacteria can hide… they are no match for this technology.

Here’s the wild thing: I used to have to retreat 1-2 of my own cases per month. After I switched to GentleWave, I’m only having to retreat 1-2 a year. That’s a 90% reduction in retreatments, meaning I have happier patients, increased production time, and greater efficiencies and profits.

Trust me when I tell you that the GentleWave has a massive ROI and is 100% worth the investment of money and training time.

I’ve come a long way with the GentleWave root canal procedure.

I’ve become a huge freaking advocate for GentleWave in the last 5 years since I first was introduced to the procedure.

I don’t even get a kick-back from them. I’m not an affiliate; I’m just a GentleWave provider. In fact, I even thought about holding off on this post to see if I could become an affiliate first. I feel like my advocacy has only helped GentleWave take off! But I decided to go ahead and post anyway, because I want you to know that this is my genuine, honest experience.

Here are some pics of the first time I saw GentleWave in action back in 2018. I went to Nashville, TN to watch my friends from Cumberland Endodontics use this brand new (at the time) technology.

Since then, GentleWave has become an integral part of my practice. It’s pretty rare that I don’t use it in a case. Here’s one of my favorites: that time GentleWaved helped me get into all those hard-to-reach places.

Pre Op

 

Post Ops

I have more cases like this than I can count. I’m not telling you to go spend a ton of money on technology right now. But I do want to make you aware of what exists out there, that might really improve your outcomes.

If you want more tooth stories, tips, tricks, and real-life radiographs, I’d love to invite you to join my email list. It’s free to subscribe, and I’ll be in your inbox every week with a new useful tip or tool. Empower yourself, my friend, and let’s keep learning together.

– Sonia

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