Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Get The Podcast Straight to Your Player Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More
Welcome to What I Wish I Knew by Dental Head Start. This is a podcast where we learn from people that have been there, made the mistakes, learnt the lessons and have developed into the accomplished dental professionals they are today.
It’s your weekly mentoring session.
You’re emergency slot fills with a patient in pain. You find a tooth with irreversible pulpitis and need to extipate to get the patient out of pain. Yet on the PA, the canal is almost unrecognisable!
Extirpation and location of calcified canals is a challenge for us all. But perhaps less so for Dr Omar Ikram, Specialist Endodontist based in Sydney Australia.
This episode Dr Omar Ikram leads us on a discussion about finding these elusive canals and shares a few tips and techniques that will help you locate, navigate and extirpate!
Some of the pearls of wisdom include:
- Magnification – Need more than 2.5x!
- Clamp a different tooth
- Equipment he mentions
- Endo Tracer Bur
- Munce Bur
- Endo Micro Opener – 10/06 is his favourite. Rigidity with a fine tip.
- orifice opener – XA File
- C+ and C pilot files.
I know I learnt a lot in my chat with Omar, and really hope you do too. Let us know what you think about the new podcast!
Dr. Omar Ikram
Dr Omar Ikram was born in Christchurch, New Zealand and attained his Bachelor of Dental Surgery qualification from Otago University, Dunedin. During his training in Otago he was awarded the Craddock Prize and a distinction in removable prosthodontics. After graduation, Omar worked in private practice in New Zealand and then moved to London in the UK where he attained significant experience in endodontics.
In 2005 he completed his Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons and began specialist training in Endodontology at King’s College, London. His groundbreaking research at King’s, entitled ‘Micro-computed tomography of tooth tissue changes following root canal treatment and post space preparation’ was published in the International Endodontic Journal during his final year. This research has enabled him to lecture in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia and Malaysia.
Omar mentors new graduate dentists from all over Australia at the Sydney Dental Hospital, as well as treating patients on the New South Wales State waiting list. He practices at Specialist Endo Crows Nest and is the sole administrator for the Specialist Endo Crows Nest Facebook page; which features clinical tips for dental professionals that love or dread endodontics.
We got to know Omar a bit better.

Follow Dr Omar Ikram on social media for more Endo Tips!
Instagram – @specialistendo
Facebook – Specialist Endo Crows Nest – Clinical Hacks
Practice – Specialist Endo Crows Nest
Also, look out for more tips from Omar coming out on the “What I Wish I Knew” Podcast soon!
CPD Junkie

How do you find CPD? It is such a difficult task, with courses listed here and there but you never know you’ve seen them all.
Until Now.
www.cpdjunkie.com.au has been created to provide all Dental CPD in the one place. Search by keyword, date, discipline, location, speaker or organiser – however you want to find it, you can.
Get the Free e-book – “How to Get the Most From CPD”
Including a template to use to maximise every CPD dollar you spend!
The Dental Head Start Podcast is for students and new graduates. We interview successful dentists and specialists to uncover the tips, tricks and advice to help you transition from dental school to private practice successfully.
If you like this content then I ask just one thing of you; share this with a friend who will benefit from this and help us help more students and new grads!