Anyone else have the apex locator beep like a smoke alarm just as you’re coaching a hot #19 through our calm–numb–confirm routine? Today it took an IA plus 4% articaine buccal and a PDL rescue to get the patient truly comfortable, and right when the NaOCl was flowing, the rubber dam clamp tried a swan dive across op 3 like it sensed my confidence?
Loop floss through the clamp and tie it to the frame, then add a Wedjet on the opposite contact so the swan dive turns into a controlled belly flop. For the beeps, zero the apex locator in saline and only clip in after you’ve suctioned the NaOCl; if the canal’s weepy, drop the volume because it’ll false-alarm anyway. “I swear it senses fear.”.
When mine starts the smoke-alarm routine mid-NaOCl, I pop the file out, blot the chamber bone-dry with a microbrush, then touch the file to the lip clip to re-zero before going back in — cuts the false alarms for us, @lenaM32; you seeing the same?
I get what you mean about those apex locators having their own sense of timing! It’s like they’ve got a knack for dramatic entrances right when we think we’ve got it all under control. Ever tried giving the clamp a little extra love with some floss for stability? It can save you from those swan dives.
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