GentleWave® System by Sonendo®

Clean and disinfect even complex root canal anatomies with Sound Science® — and a revolutionary mechanism of action

As endodontists, we are specialists in saving teeth, and as specialists, we are people of science. We are driven by an innate curiosity, a need to see results firsthand, and a hunger to understand exactly how things work. It’s a curiosity that naturally extends into the realm of technology. Maybe you’re a techie — the first kid on the block to have the latest gadget. Maybe you’re more conservative and likely to wait until one or more of your colleagues shares results that indicate a new technology delivers on its promises. Either way, you’re probably eager to know which new innovations can directly benefit your practice.

Interestingly, technological innovations in the field of endodontics have been for the most part, shall we say, incremental. Whatever advancements we’ve seen in recent years, we are often still relying on the same approach: shaping, cleaning, and disinfecting in the first treatment session, then obturating in a second session. And all too often, these conventional endodontic protocols can be the root cause of the very issues that lead to treatment failure. At Sonendo, we have recognized the need to rethink the fundamentals of conventional root canal therapies. And it starts by challenging the status quo and leveraging advancements in technology that result in a new mechanism of action — Multisonic Ultracleaning™ technology, available with Sonendo’s groundbreaking GentleWave System.

The GentleWave System’s mechanism of action begins in the operating system, located in the system’s console. The treatment fluids — sodium hypochlorite, EDTA, and distilled water — are stored here, where the automated fluid management system prepares and delivers the desired concentration. The system also reduces the gas content of the treatment fluids. Any gas that enters into the root canal system can significantly reduce efficacy. The gases found in even the most microscopic bubbles can prevent treatment fluids from reaching canal walls and into dentin tubules and other complex anatomy. In addition, these bubbles can result in apical vapor lock, in which the flow of fluids is restricted in the apical one-third of the canal. Apical vapor lock has been shown to have a detrimental impact on the efficacy of debridement — GentleWave technology’s ability to extract all gases and optimize the treatment fluids, before they enter the canal, helps prevent apical vapor lock from occurring.

The carefully calibrated fluids then pass through the GentleWave System’s Treatment Instrument, and this is where things get revolutionary. Because it’s here in the Treatment Instrument where patented Multisonic Ultracleaning technology enters into the equation. As the system is activated, treatment solution flows through the treatment tip of the instrument into the tooth. The stream of the treatment fluid interacts with the stationary fluid inside the pulp chamber creating a strong shear force, which causes hydrodynamic cavitation in the form of a cavitation cloud. The continuous formation and implosion of thousands of micro-bubbles inside the cavitation cloud generates an acoustic field with broadband frequency spectrum that travels through the fluid into the entire root canal system. The treatment tip of the instrument is designed to deflect the stream of treatment fluid in such a way to generate a flow over the orifices of the root canals. This flow induces gentle vortical flow as well as a slight negative pressure within the root canal system. The treatment fluid is degassed to minimize the energy loss and also to ensure energized treatment fluid is delivered throughout the root canal system. The result is highly effective cleaning and disinfection from the crown to the apex, with minimal instrumentation.

How minimal is instrumentation with the GentleWave System? We have found that overinstrumentation within the canal can pack debris into canal eccentricities such as fins, lateral canals, and ramifications and remove important tooth structure. As you might expect, this renders irrigation far less effective. Overinstrumentation can lead to more bacteria and tissue remaining in the canal, which in turn, leads to an increased risk of reinfection, as well as a weakening of the tooth.
The benefits to minimal instrumentation are profound. According to Tyler Baker, DDS, MS, it’s often the case that the more we instrument, the less of the actual anatomy we see. Where you once would have cleaned and shaped a canal using instrumentation to 30/.06 or 50/.06, GentleWave technology enables you to instrument to as small as a 15/.04 in every canal! By using smaller instruments, endodontists are able to shape and work into the main areas of the canal, and in the process, locate more of the complex anatomies where bacteria can be left behind. Because minimal instrumentation gives GentleWave System users the ability to preserve canal structure, they are consequently able to save more of their patients’ teeth.

As we bring a variety of technologies together in one mechanism of action, Sonendo has developed a truly revolutionary system for cleaning and disinfecting even complex root canal anatomies. The GentleWave System’s three-dimensional Multisonic Ultracleaning™ technology brings optimized treatment fluids throughout the entire canal system — from the crown to the apex — allowing for simultaneous canal disinfection and debris removal with minimal instrumentation. In addition, because this mechanism of action is able to work so effectively and efficiently, most root canal therapies are able to be performed in just one treatment session. As a result, GentleWave practices find that they are able to schedule more billable visits throughout the day and take on even more referrals.

As endodontists, we are optimists who specialize in saving teeth, but as people of science, we are often skeptical by nature. That’s why Sonendo invites you to visit its website www.sonendo.com to learn more about the GentleWave System’s mechanism of action, as well as peruse the latest case reports, peer-reviewed clinical outcomes, and in vitro research. After seeing the many benefits of Multisonic Ultracleaning™ technology, we hope you will schedule a hands-on experience with a Sonendo representative and learn more about how Sound Science® can improve outcomes for your patients and your practice.

This information was provided by Sonendo.