Ultrasonic Technique to Retrieve a Rotary Nickel-Titanium File Broken Beyond the Apex and a Stainless Steel File from the Root Canal of a Mandibular Molar: A Case Report

During endodontic treatment, clinicians may face endodontic procedural mishaps such as broken instruments, which is a complex situation especially when the file breaks beyond the apex. This condition is associated with potential risk of contamination, which compromises the healing process. Management of a broken instrument beyond the apex is difficult and time consuming and requires creativity as well as clinical knowledge and skills. Several devices and techniques have been developed to retrieve the fractured instruments, but none are consistently successful. This case report describes a technique using modern ultrasonic tips for retrieval of broken instruments separated beyond the apex.