Editor's Note Carol Murphy, Executive Editor
carol@dentaltown.com

In 1960, two years after the first reclining dental chair was introduced, approximately three million root canal treatments were performed in the United States. In 1990, when Joseph E. Murray and E. Donnall Thomas were receiving the Nobel Prize in physiology for their discoveries concerning organ and cell transplantation, dentists in the U.S. performed over 50 million root canals. This year, estimates are over 80 million endo treatments will be completed.

Endodontics is becoming one of the most significant segments of dentistry. Learning how to receive consistent and predictable results is one of the major concerns of dentists posting on our message boards. Within the Endondontics forum on DentalTown.com's message boards, dentists have started over 398 unique topics and received over 4,223 corresponding posts. Some of the topics currently being discussed are: sealer puffs, resin sealer and heat, Tulsa GT files, obturation and lateral canals. If you have an endo question, you’ll probably find an answer within this forum or you can start your own topic.

In our Point/Counterpoint section this month, we have included information from online discussions concerning the myth of the MB2. Space does not permit us to include the entire discussion, so if you would like to read everything be sure to go online to www.dentaltown.com and do a search for MB2.

If you are concerned about engine-driven files, overly aggressive hard tissue removal, along with fears of file separation during your endo treatments, you'll be glad to know there is now a system to minimize those challenges. Townie moderator, Marshall White, a wet-gloved dentist who describes himself as a simple country dentist, is in the spotlight this month. Marshall shares his favorable experience with Ultradent's new Endo-Eze product.

How about a day at the track? If you ever wondered what Dr. Steve Buchanan's FastTrack in-depth endo courses are like, Townie moderator, Marty Goldstein, DDS, describes his most recent experience at the hands of the master.

Dr. Gordon Christensen provides an overview of the progression of endodontic techniques as well as his opinion on controversial endodontic issues such as the use of posts.

Our corporate profile this month focuses on a company I'm sure you're all quite familiar with–Kerr. This company, founded 111 years ago in 1891, develops, manufactures, and markets a broad range of consumable dental products, including restorative materials (which include amalgam alloys, composites, cavity liners and ancillary products), preventive products, curing lights, impression materials, endodontic instruments and materials, dental burs, and infection control products. Like most successful companies, the reputation Kerr enjoys today within the dental industry is well-deserved.