Dentists Can Learn from Mistakes Met During Root Canal Treatment: A Case Report

Aim: This case report opens two allegations of serious malpractice incidents during the root canal treatment and suggests a dentist to learn from any mistakes, whether own or others' faults.Synopsis: A detailed description of each reported damage that occurred during root canal treatment (RCT) is based on patient documentation and the operator's statement.Case A describes damage during RCT of a lower first molar.The operator failed to stay in the canal and finally penetrated the canal wall in the apical third of the root.Then the file fractured in the mandible/bone.In the end, the tooth was lost and replaced by an implant.Case B is about the RCT of an upper second premolar.A serious mistake in localizing the canals and filling the wrongly stated canal ended in the removal of the tooth.The loss was replaced with a fixed prosthesis, a bridgeconstruct extending from the canine to the first molar.Key learning points: The cases presented are inevitably serious mistakes.Both resulted in loss of RCT tooth and compensation for its replacement.To develop his/her own practice and skills, every dentist could use this report to consider his/her own clinical way of working with similar RCT cases but without damage.An outline on how the damage could have been avoided suggests working calmly and thoughtfully, learning beforehand about the possible variations in the anatomy of the RCT tooth, and following the guidelines given by endodontic associations and experts.