Lentulo Spirals

Lentulo spirals

Lentulo spirals are thin, coil-shaped rotary instruments that carry paste into a prepared root canal. Fitted to a slow-speed handpiece, the spiral turns and pushes sealer, calcium hydroxide, or medicament down the canal and against the walls. This spreads the paste more evenly than placing it by hand, in one quick pass.

What a lentulo spiral does

A lentulo carries paste deep into the canal and coats the walls in a single pass. The coils grip the material and, as the spiral turns, drive it down towards the root tip. Two jobs make up most of its use:

• Placing sealer — it lines the canal with a mixed root canal sealer just before the filling is packed in.
• Placing a dressing — between visits, it packs calcium hydroxide or another medicament along the canal.

Because the paste is spun in rather than pushed by hand, the coating reaches areas a hand file or plugger can miss.

How to pick the right size

Two numbers on the pack decide the fit. Match both to the canal you have shaped:

• ISO size (#25–#40 here) — the tip diameter. A finer #25 suits a narrow canal; a #40 fills a wider one.
• Working length (21mm here) — how deep the coils reach along the canal.

The sizing follows the same logic as the rotary files used to shape the canal — pick the spiral that matches the final prepared width.

Using it without breaking it

A lentulo is fine wire, so it fatigues and snaps if it is pushed too hard. A few habits keep it intact:

• Keep the speed low — around 800–1,200 rpm in a slow-speed handpiece, running clockwise.
• Never force a curve — keep the spiral centred and do not press it against the canal wall.
• Retire tired ones — bin any spiral that looks bent or has an opened coil.
• Use steady torque — a low-torque endo motor or slow handpiece runs it smoothly without stalling.

Discarding a stressed spiral costs far less than retrieving a separated fragment later.

What is in the pack

This category has one option right now:

• Product — Waldent Paste Carrier (Lentulo Spiral).
• Sizes — ISO #25 to #40, graded.
• Length — 21mm working length.
• Pack — four spirals, latch-type shank.

The latch shank fits any standard slow-speed contra-angle, and the spiral sits alongside the sealers and pastes it delivers within the wider endodontics range.

What is a lentulo spiral used for?

A lentulo spiral is used to carry paste into a root canal and spread it evenly along the walls. Spun in a slow-speed handpiece, it drives sealer, calcium hydroxide, or medicament apically. It is used during obturation to coat the canal with sealer, and between visits to place an intracanal dressing.

How do you use a lentulo spiral safely?

Coat the coils with mixed paste, mount the spiral in a latch contra-angle, and run it slowly clockwise inside the shaped canal. Move it gently in and out while it spins, then withdraw it still turning. Keep the speed low and never force it, since a bent or over-revved spiral can unwind or fracture.

What do the size and length numbers mean?

The size is the ISO tip diameter — #25 to #40 on this pack — and it should match the prepared canal width. The length, 21mm here, is the working length of the coils. A smaller number fits a narrower canal and a larger one a wider canal, so pick the spiral that matches how the canal was shaped.

Can a lentulo spiral break inside the canal?

Yes, a lentulo can separate if it is forced, run too fast, or used in a canal narrower than its size. The thin coil fatigues under strain and can unwind or snap. Using the correct size in a properly shaped canal, at low speed and light pressure, and retiring any kinked spiral, keeps the risk low.

What is included in the Waldent lentulo spiral pack?

The Waldent pack holds four latch-type lentulo spirals in ISO sizes #25 to #40 at a 21mm working length. The latch shank fits a standard slow-speed contra-angle handpiece. Buying a graded four-piece pack means the common canal widths are covered without ordering each size on its own.