Glide Path in Endodontics

Traditionally, the glide path has been created with size 10, 15, and 20 stainless steel hand files. Often, creating the glide path with stainless steel hand files is the most demanding part of the entire endodontic procedure. Getting a size 20 hand file to the canal terminus can be fatiguing and time consuming. Additionally, this is where steel hand files tend to create ledges, blockages, and transport canals. This is the critical point where many cases are won or lost. Because most canals naturally have an unimpeded path to the canal terminus, stainless steel hand files are responsible for creating most of the blockages that are encountered during canal negotiation and glide path formation. The two main causes of canal blockage are tissue compaction (pushing pulp tissue ahead of the file) and ledge formation. Stainless steel hand files are much more likely than nickel-titanium rotary files to produce these unwanted consequences. There will always be a need for small stainless steel hand files; however their uses will be limited.