Armantarium for Access Cavity Preparation

You should familiarise your self with the instruments for access preparation. The instruments required for access preparation include:

Armantarium box

• Front surface mirror

• Endodontic explorer (DG 16) – to aid in locating orifices

• Endodontic excavator

• Plastic instrument

• Amalgam plugger

• Spatula

• Cotton pliers

• Broaches

• Glass slab

• Cotton pellets – to hold medication and absorb blood

• High speed and slow speed handpiece

• High speed fissure bur and round bur

• Slow speed long-shank #2, #4, #6 bur

• Irrigating syringe and needle (bent at 450)

• Sodium hypochlorite, and

• Rubber dam.

For initial entrance through the enamel surface or through a restoration, the ideal cutting instrument is the round end carbide fissure bur or a diamond stone mounted in a high speed contra-angle handpiece. As soon as the enamel or restorative penetration and minor surface extensions are complete, you require to use the slow speed handpiece with round burs to drill through the dentin and “drop” into the pulp chamber. The same bur is employed for removal of roof of the pulp chamber. The choice of size of the pulp chamber is made by estimating the canal width and chamber size apparent in the initial radiograph. As soon as the bulk of the overhanging dentin is removed from the roof of the chamber, you need to use the high speed fissure bur to finish and slope the side walls in the visible portions of the preparation.