Endodontics has always been good at looking finished before it is.
A canal can sit beautifully shaped on the post-op radiograph and still be full of bacteria. A new device can look transformative in the hands of the person selling it. A classification can look authoritative right up until someone asks for the data outcome.
This edition is about that gap.
The Root Canal Isn’t Failing. Your Irrigation Is.
Shaping is the part that feels like progress. It is measurable, satisfying, and visible on the radiograph. It is also only half the job, and arguably the easier half. The Wolf is here to spoil the celebration…
Richard’s cynical tiptoe through a couple of the season’s papers. Two this quarter, both filed under “interesting, but…”.
Impedance-Guided Localisation of Pulp Chambers and Canal Orifices in Calcified Root Canal Systems — Nekoofar & Dummer, International Endodontic Journal, 7 June 2026.
A clever idea for finding canals in calcified teeth: use the tissue’s own electrical resistance to tell sclerotic dentine from a true canal path, and stop cutting away tooth you cannot afford to lose. Genuinely promising with a few evidential caveats.
Prognostication of External Cervical Resorption Based on Heithersay’s and Patel et al. Classifications (Letter to the Editor) — Pimentel & Patel, International Endodontic Journal, 10 June 2026.
Resorption or reputation? Richard isn’t letting you decide.
David is back with two cases worth pausing the scroll for. Both make the same quiet point this edition keeps circling: the radiograph is not the patient, and biology has the final word.
When One Root Fails… Do We Lose the Tooth
Hemisection as an alternative to extraction — By Dr David Z Selouk
When Technical Perfection Fails… But Biology Wins
What actually heals the tooth – By Dr David Z Selouk
A short quiz closes the volume, as always. Score 80% or more and you earn an hour of verified CPD, plus a certificate proving you read past the jokes. Reflect, review, and bank the points, no tedium required.
Our dentists and nurses are all registered with the General Dental Council
The practice is regulated by the Care Quality Commission
Our complaints process can be found here.
© 2026 Academy of Advanced Endodontics. All rights reserved.
