More ATP= More Bacteria= More Failures= More Headache
ATP is short for Adenosine TriPhosphate and it is present in every living organism. By detecting for trace levels of ATP you can determine if the canal is clean and can be filled.
The details
The goal of a root canal is to remove microorganisms and nerve tissue from the root canal. Previous research has demonstrated that teeth sealed without viable bacteria have a 94% success rate, while teeth sealed with bacteria only have a 68% success rate. The Endocator measures the invisible amount of ATP present in the root canal, which is directly related to the presence and number of bacteria and/or nerve tissue still present in a root canal.
Because all cells have ATP the Endocator can detect invisible levels of debris that cannot be detected even with a microscope. The endocator reads this ATP and gives the dentist a range of expected values for the same type of tooth (ex. necrotic tooth with 3 roots). When the ATP level reaches the point where the canal would be expected to have viable bacteria present the device will report the result as a fail. When Endocator ATP levels indicate their is a 90% probability of no viable bacteria it records the result as a caution. When the Endocator ATP levels indicate that their is a 95% probability of no bacteria it records the result as a pass.
“Endocator lets me be save tooth structure on clean canals, and be more aggressive on more infected canals. With Endocator I know that my patients are receiving a higher level of care.”
Summary
ATP is present in all bacteria, dental pulp cells, and all other living organisms.
The quantity of ATP present in a root canal sample is directly related to the amount of bacteria and/or nerve tissue still present in the canal.
By testing for ATP you detect microscopic levels of debris and get an unbiased evaluation of canal disinfection.
Even recently viable cells killed during the root canal have ATP so our test is able to detect debris well below the levels of a single viable bacteria.
The same technology is trusted by hospitals across the nation to confirm sterility in hospital settings and has a proven to be extremely sensitivity, easy to use, and cost effective