R-PILOT™ 012|25mm (6)

VDW R-PILOT® · ISO 12.5 · 25 mm · 6 files

Glide pathReciprocatingCurved canalsOne file to length

One file, one motion, and nothing to change on the motor

R-PILOT® is VDW’s glide path instrument, and the argument for it is as much about the motor as the file. It runs on the original RECIPROC® settings, so a practice already reciprocating changes nothing at all – the same handpiece, the same programme, one extra file.

This pack: VDW R-PILOT® Reciprocating Glide Path File, ISO Size 12.5, 25mm (Pack of 6) · Sterile
REF V040217025012 · Made by Dentsply Sirona (Maillefer), Switzerland

Key features

›  One size, ISO 12.5, on a constant 4% taper – wider than a .02 glide path file, so it leaves more room for the shaping file that follows.

›  Reciprocating, and VDW are direct about the practical consequence: "no need to change motor settings if you are already working with reciprocating motion."

›  M-wire, with an S-shape cross section that VDW credit for its cutting efficiency.

›  Sterile, single use, in a blister of six – VDW’s own comparison is with manual files: "sterile instruments and less files needed compared to manual files."

›  VDW describe it as "the first motor driven glide path instrument in reciprocating motion", and as a solution "for cases where a glide path is needed" – their wording, and worth keeping, because it does not claim every case needs one.

›  Three lengths – R-PILOT® 21 mm and R-PILOT® 31 mm sit beside this one.

What VDW claim, and against what

The claims on the R-PILOT® brochure carry footnotes, and the footnotes matter, so here they are with the claims attached. Less risk of instrument fracture and a reduction of cyclic fatigue are compared to rotary multiple-use instruments. Better respect of the canal anatomy is versus VDW stainless steel files. Neither is a comparison with every other glide path file on the market, and we are not going to write it as though it were.

What the evidence says

De-Deus and colleagues took R-PILOT® through 156 root canals in 52 mandibular molars and counted how often it reached working length, examining every fractured or deformed instrument by scanning electron microscopy. It reached working length in 89.10% of canals, with fracture in 2.56% and deformation in 1.92%. (De-Deus G et al., Journal of Endodontics 2021 – ex vivo, extracted teeth.)

A randomised clinical trial then measured what the patient feels. In 240 patients treated by four specialists, those whose glide path was cut with R-PILOT® reported significantly less postoperative pain than those whose glide path was cut with stainless steel K-files. There was no significant difference between R-PILOT® and ProGlider®, the rotary equivalent. (Keskin C et al., International Endodontic Journal 2019 – randomised clinical trial.)

Technique, as VDW set it out

VDW’s own step-by-step card, in their order. Not a QED protocol.

1  Scout. A C-PILOT® file ISO size 08 at minimum, or a similar hand file, to ensure patency – C-PILOT® 08, 25 mm.

2  Working length. By preoperative radiograph, which VDW mark mandatory, and/or an apex locator.

3  Irrigant in the access cavity.

4  Introduce R-PILOT® free, without binding. Start the motor when the instrument is at the canal orifice.

5  Peck. A slow in-and-out pecking motion, amplitude no more than 3 mm, with only very light pressure. One in-and-out movement is one peck.

6  Clean after three pecks. In the Interim Stand.

7  Irrigate.

8  Repeat 4 to 7. Until full working length is reached.

9  Shape. Continue with the file system of your choice.

Motor settings

RECIPROC ALL – the original VDW RECIPROC® settings, unchanged. That is the whole point of it on a reciprocating motor. Both motors we stock carry the setting: VDW.SILVER® RECIPROC® and X-Smart® Pro+ with apex locator.

R-PILOT or a rotary glide path file?

The last row is the Keskin trial, which found no significant difference between the reciprocating and rotary options. The honest summary is that the choice is usually about which motor is already on the bench.

Questions we get asked

Do I need a different motor?
No, if you already reciprocate. R-PILOT® uses the original RECIPROC® settings, so nothing on the motor changes. If you do not reciprocate, ProGlider® does the same job in continuous rotation.

Is ISO 12.5 a real size?
It is VDW’s own designation, printed twice in their current brochure. It sits between an 010 and an 015 hand file, which is the gap a glide path file is meant to close. Our stock code ends 012 for historical reasons; the file is a 12.5.

What does it pair with?
Anything, but it is VDW’s own file, so the natural sequence is R-PILOT® then RECIPROC® blue R25 on the same motor setting.

Can the files be reused?
No. VDW supply them sterile for single patient use.

Complete the case

VDW 2Seal® and AH Plus® are the epoxy sealers in the group’s own range; NeoSEALER® EZFlo is the premixed bioceramic. Resin or bioceramic is a real choice of technique rather than a ranking – we carry both because both are right in different hands.

The other glide path options we stock

Downloads

›  VDW R-PILOT® brochure (PDF, 0.5 MB, VDW) – the geometry, the claims with their footnotes and the product range.

›  VDW R-PILOT® step-by-step card (PDF, 0.6 MB, VDW) – the nine steps above, as VDW print them.

VDW R-PILOT® NiTi Glidepath File · ISO 12.5 · constant 4% taper · M-wire · S-shape cross section · 25 mm · sterile, single use · blister of 6 · reciprocating, RECIPROC ALL · REF V040217025012