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Mastering 3D Obturation with the Continuous Wave Technique

Event Info

content_instructor

Categories: Endodontics

Speaker(s): Chanelle Small, DDS

CE Supporter:Kerr Dental

Date: May 12, 2026 at 8:00 PM EDT

Location: Online Webinar

Contact Hours: 1 Live CE

Event Details

 

Achieving a true three-dimensional seal is one of the most technically demanding steps in root canal therapy — and one of the most consequential for long-term treatment success. This webinar gives general dentists a clear, reproducible framework for performing warm vertical obturation using the continuous wave technique, grounded in clinical evidence and real case application.

 

In this lecture, we will walk through the science behind thermoplasticized gutta-percha, the clinical rationale for selecting this technique over cold lateral compaction, and a step-by-step procedural workflow applicable across a range of canal anatomies. Cases are used throughout to illustrate key decision points, common technical errors, and real-time troubleshooting strategies.


Whether you're refining your existing obturation technique or making the transition from lateral condensation, this course delivers the procedural depth and clinical needed to perform warm vertical obturation with greater consistency and confidence.

By attending this webinar, you will learn how to:

  • Compare the clinical indications and limitations of warm vertical obturation using the continuous wave technique versus cold lateral compaction across varying canal morphologies.

  • Demonstrate a systematic, step-by-step workflow for continuous wave obturation — including master cone fit, heat carrier preparation, and backfill sequencing — that supports a predictable three-dimensional seal.

  • Identify common technical errors in warm vertical obturation (including incomplete apical plugs, voids, and sealer misapplication) and apply corrective strategies before, during, and after obturation.

  • Analyze radiographic and clinical indicators of obturation quality to assess treatment outcomes and determine when retreatment may be warranted.

Additional Information

Author Bio

Chanelle Small, DDS

Dr. Chanelle Small received her Certificate of Endodontics from the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and both her DDS and her undergraduate degree from Howard University. She is a former Clinical Instructor at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.

Dr. Small is the founder of Midtown Endodontics, a specialty practice located in New York City. She is a believer in mentorship and welcomes students and new dentists to her office to shadow her and gain insight into dentistry and practice management.

In addition to clinical dentistry Dr. Small is an expert witness. She works with attorneys in dental malpractice cases to establish whether the standard of care was met.

Outside of the office, Dr. Small is a wife, mother, real estate investor, and marathon finisher!

Disclosures

Commercial Disclosure

This free Dental Learning presentation is made possible through the continued support of Kerr Dental. Chanelle Small, DDS is a consultant and/or speaker for the following companies and/or organizations: Dental Learning, Kerr Dental. Chanelle Small, DDS may receive an honorarium as compensation from the CE Supporter of this presentation and/or from Dental Learning for the time involved in preparing and delivering this online presentation.

Dental Learning is an approved ADA CERP Provider, AGD PACE Provider, and California State Dental Board Provider of dental continuing education. Dental Learning strives to deliver balanced, objective and clinically relevant information grounded on scientific research. Lecturers who are invited to deliver Dental Learning CE webinars are advised to substantiate their claims with research-supported data and to disclose all commitments to, or relationships with, any commercial entity within the dental industry. In many cases, lecturers are sponsored by a dental manufacturing company, which provides them with support in the form of honorarium and/or dental products and equipment in order to help with clinical presentations. Prior to each live CE webinar, lecturers are made aware of the importance of delivering their presentations without commercial bias, and where appropriate, to mention a variety of different product choices that may be relevant to the subject matter of the lecture, for the educational benefit of the participant.

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