When asked why endodontics is a difficult subject, undergraduate and postgraduate students alike frequently reply that it is because they cannot see what they are doing. There is no doubt that magnification of the pulp chamber greatly assists in finding and accessing narrow canal orifices, and many practitioners now routinely use loupes, as seen in Figure 30. This one purchase has made huge improvements in the quality and ease of endodontic treatment for many practitioners. Indeed, the improved vision gained from the use of loupes improves all aspects of general dental practice, not just endodontics. The patient in the illustration is merely undergoing a routine examination.
However, specialist practitioners, and some generalists, are moving to the use of surgical microscopes, as seen in Figure 31 where it is being used by a relatively new member of staff in training, who was seeking, and found, a sclerosed canal in an upper incisor.