ProTaper Ultimate® FXL, 21mm (6)

ProTaper Ultimate® · FXL · 21 mm

Large canalsStraight canalsMaxillary centralsDefects

The largest file in the range, for the widest straight canals

FX went to length and its flutes came out clean. The canal is larger still, and Dentsply Sirona’s larger-canal sequence goes one size up: FXL, an ISO 50 tip on a .10 variable taper, blue heat-treated. This is the 21 mm version – the same file on the shortest shaft, for short teeth or where opening is limited.

Sizes as Dentsply Sirona print them. Motor settings from their Fact File.

This pack: ProTaper Ultimate® FXL Rotary File, 21 mm (Pack of 6)
Dentsply Sirona · made by Maillefer Instruments Holding Sàrl, Ballaigues, Switzerland

What this file does

›  Larger and straighter canals only. The same limit Dentsply Sirona put on FX: maxillary central incisors, some palatal or distal molar canals, or a pathologic or iatrogenic defect.
›  The end of the range. Nothing in the ProTaper Ultimate® range goes larger than a 50 tip.
›  Blue heat-treated, rotary or hand. Dentsply Sirona name either a mechanically driven or a manual FXL in their procedure.

Where it sits in Dentsply Sirona’s sequence

1  After FX, never instead of it. If FX is loose at length and its apical flutes are not loaded with debris, select FXL and use it the same way.

2  Finished when two things agree. The apical extent of the Finisher is loaded with debris, and the corresponding gutta-percha point fits at working length.

3  Then as the standard sequence. Disinfect, dry with matched points, fill and seal (steps 16–20).

Paraphrased and quoted from the Dentsply Sirona, ProTaper Ultimate® step-by-step procedure. Your clinical judgement governs the case; the instructions for use govern the file.

Questions we get asked

Why is the taper lower than the FX?
The .10 taper sits on a much larger 50 tip – the file is still the biggest in the range. Dentsply Sirona publish the size and taper, not a reason, so we will not invent one.

Is there a matched cone?
Yes – Conform Fit® FXL gutta-percha and FXL absorbent points, both linked below.

Which motor?
400 rpm and 4–5.2 Ncm for every file in the range. Dentsply Sirona list a ProTaper Ultimate® library among the X-Smart® Go’s presets; on the X-Smart® Pro+ it is set as a custom sequence, and on the VDW.SILVER® in a Dr’s Choice slot (VDW manual: up to 4.1 Ncm). All three are linked below.

When do I throw it away?
Dentsply Sirona’s procedure: inspect the flutes on every removal, and if you see unwinding, straightening or stretching, discard it and use a new file.

Complete the case

ProTaper Ultimate® FXL, 21 mm (6) · 050.010v · Blue heat treatment · NiTi rotary · 400 rpm, 4–5.2 Ncm · Dentsply Sirona · REF BSTPULR621FXL