Reviews
“It is good to know my visits have been beneficial to the Russian
dentists”
Julian Webber
 Dr. Webber,
I write to thank you for your and Dr. Radlynsky's seminar in Krasnoyarsk held in 2008. Then I was a 5th-year student going to graduate in several months. Knowledge, tips and nuances, that you shared, contributed greatly to the basics of my endodontic practice and the way I work. Thanks to you I heard of the endodontic microscope and it had revealed the new direction of my self-development. Almost 2 years has passed since.
Now I am a 2nd-year resident physician. I specialize primarily in Endodontics. During last 2 years the following achievements have been made:
- I successfully started using an apex-locator and was one of a few pioneers at my alma-mater (Prof. V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University).
- Skills of isolating of the working field impressively improved: I pioneered using “OptiDam” at the medical university in 2007 and after meeting with you I ventured upon buying and utilizing classical rubber dam system. Your irrigation protocols became one of the keystones of my practice.
- This had a very positive side effect on my restorative work and, nowadays, I do prefer to utilize rubber dam in situations when previously its application seemed to me impossible (II and V classes by Black).
- I mastered techniques of working with NiTi rotary files (“ProFile”, “ProTaper” and “Mtwo”) and not only introduced it to my everyday work, but also taught my students; they were delighted to see its successful application (commonly, here it is still believed to be a mysterious, exotic, incomprehensible and considered-to-be-costly-and-dangerous technology).
- And, of course, I stopped being frightened of the NiTi rotary instrument. There was a period when I was very close to become completely disappointed in this great technology as I had managed to fracture a hand “ProTaper S1” beyond the apex in patient and, trying to reassure myself several hours later, a rotary “ProTaper F2” inside a training plastic block. But I analyzed my mistakes and revealed a very important secret, which is as attractive as simple, – if the recommendations are considered and the rules are fulfilled, then the instruments are not broken.
By now I have been using NiTi rotary files for more than a year and, except the cases with “S1” and “F2”, I experienced only one fracture; it was “Mtwo 15.05” broken in the apical third. I still cannot explain this in any way but as “well, bad things sometimes happen” because right before it “Mtwo 10.04” worked successfully as well as “20.06” and “25.06” with the latest of which I bypassed the broken fragment and prepared the canal to the full length.
- Thanks to the theory you had presented I found out the secrets of the “Thermafil” technology and employed it in my clinical work (I use “Soft-Core” system by “CMS Dental”). I learnt an interesting fact. As you had told, after preparation with “ProTaper” it is necessary to cut 1 mm of GP and step back 1 mm to avoid overfilling. But after preparation with “Mtwo” (“VDW”) there is no need in cutting 1 mm and stepping back may be equal 0.5 mm or 1 mm (this consistent pattern may vary depending on whether it is a real tooth or a training plastic block).
- In autumn 2009 I studied working with endodontic microscope at a Moscow private practice of a well-known doctor Vladimir Mitrofanov. It was another step further to my dream to be able to work at a world-recognized level of quality.
- I adopted an ultrasound technology for cleaning and irrigating root canals.
- I started going toward mastering the techniques of removing broken instruments. I am interested in studying of utilizing ultrasonic for that purpose and also, as an alternative, I have got the very deficit in Russia microtubular removal system (Masserann kit by “Micro-Mega”) delivered from the US.
- You didn't teach it last time, but I am close to taking the advantage of down-pack and back-fill techniques (“Touch'n Heat” by “SybronEndo” + “BeeFill” by “VDW”).
- Thanks to you I had a brilliant opportunity to test my language skills and believe in myself because your lecture was the first one in English I have ever listened to; I wrote it down completely in the original language as well and now these notes are like a treasure for me. Stating this fact in autumn 2009 I persuaded a Fulbright committee that I can successfully study at an American university and also I had passed the international exam in English TOEFL (got the score of 104 out of 120) and became a Fulbright Program semi-finalist. I keep my fingers crossed to finally win the grant and to continue my education in the USA this year after graduating my residency.
But before my residency ends, I will be very glad to meet you once again as you are one of the persons who influenced me the most. And I am arriving to Novosibirsk March 20th to attend your master-class and the practical course.
Thank you for your time!
Yours sincerely,
Sergey Nikonov,
Krasnoyarsk, Russia
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