Custom Endodontic Drill Guide for Precise Canal Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current endodontic drill guide technologies fail to accurately determine the number and location of root canals in teeth, leading to inefficient access openings and potential missed canals during root canal procedures, and lack guidance for using high-speed burs and handfiles effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for creating a custom drill guide using digital 3D representations of teeth, placing virtual burs and dental dam clamps to design a physical guide with predetermined holes for precise bur placement and canal patency establishment, incorporating metal inserts for high-speed bur use and handfile sleeves for canal preparation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a larger access opening is created in the tooth, then the clinician can more easily access and treat the root canals, but the strength of the tooth is reduced and stress concentration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide is segmented into multiple components including a body with multiple holes positioned at specific angles, metal inserts received in the holes, and multiple burs that can be individually selected and inserted. This segmentation allows the system to provide multiple access paths through a minimized opening while maintaining tooth strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide is created preliminarily based on digital scans of the patient's anatomy and the identified location of root canals. The guide pre-determines the optimal positions and angles for accessing each canal, allowing the clinician to simply follow the pre-planned paths without needing to create a large exploratory opening.
2Productivity
If the number and location of root canals are determined without digital scanning, then the treatment process is simpler, but the probability of missing canals increases and treatment efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
A digital copy or scan of the patient's tooth anatomy is created to identify the precise location and number of root canals. This digital model is then used to create a physical drill guide that replicates the optimal access paths, allowing accurate canal location without repeatedly probing during the actual procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide acts as an intermediary device between the digital scan data and the physical drilling process. It translates the virtual information about canal locations into physical guidance structures (holes at specific angles) that direct the burs to the correct canals, eliminating the need for the clinician to interpret anatomical landmarks during treatment.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional drill guides are used without metal inserts, then the device is simpler to manufacture, but high-speed burs cannot be effectively used and canal patency establishment is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide combines multiple materials with complementary properties: a rigid body (such as 3D-printed polymer or metal) providing structural support and positioning, and metal inserts providing precise, wear-resistant bur reception holes. This composite construction ensures both manufacturability and reliable high-speed bur guidance for effective canal patency establishment.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal inserts are nested within the drill guide body holes, creating a hierarchical structure where the insert provides the precise guiding surface while the body provides overall positioning and support. This nesting allows the simpler body to be manufactured separately while the more precise inserts are added afterward, combining ease of manufacture with high reliability.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2~3B
AI summary
A custom drill guide and a method, system, and computer readable media for determining a number and location of canals in the tooth in order to create a custom drill guide to match the anatomy for proper orientation of high speed burs and files for cleaning/shaping. By knowing where the canals are located within the tooth, a relatively small access opening may be created, the small access opening provides for a strong crown during the restoration process.