Vortex Blue

Instrumentation
David Landwehr D.D.S., M.S.
Capital Endodontics
Madison, Wisconsin
WHY BLUE?
“Blue Wire” NiTi from post-grind
heat treatment

Proprietary processing results in

consistent Titanium Oxide layer
providing blue appearance
Design Characteristics

11 mm handle
Safe ended tip
Active blade
Patented variable helical angle
.04 and .06 tapers
ISO sizes 15 through 50
 Helical Angle
Comparison
Higher helical
Lower helical
angle 

angle (less
(more flutes) at
flutes)

tip

for efficiency
for flexibility
Comparison of File
Materials
Flexibility Torque Strength Cyclic Fatigue Resistance
 Vortex Blue® File Design

Identical to Original Vortex®

• Same Torque Settings

• Same Speed Settings
• Same ISO Sizes
• Same Technique
 Cyclic Fatigue
Vortex Blue®
ProFile® Vortex® with M-Wire® Niti
Average Fatigue Life (cycle)

TF™ Twisted File

 Cyclic Fatigue
•At least 65% and up to 353% better than 

original Profile Vortex® with M-Wire®
NiTi
•At least 37% and up to 181% better than 

TF™ Twisted File
 Torque Fatigue
Vortex Blue®
ProFile® Vortex® with M-Wire® Niti
TF™ Twisted File
Peak Torque (in-oz)
 Torque Fatigue
At least 42% and up to 126% better
than original Profile Vortex®
At least 31% and up to 178% better
than TF™ Twisted File
 Shape Memory
ProFile® Vortex® Rotary File

Vortex Blue® Rotary File

Standard “super elastic”” NiTi can revert to original straight

®
position
Vortex Blue with reduced shape memory holds curvature
 Why Less Shape Left Canal Instrumented Right Canal

Memory? with ProFile® Vortex® Instrumented with

Vortex Blue®

Vortex Blue® follows natural

curvature of tooth
Micro CT scan – tooth
instrumented with 

Vortex Blue® (right canal)
shows ability to follow original
canal path

Red = original canal

Green = instrumented canal
Vortex Blue showed a
significant increase in
cyclic fatigue
resistance when
compared with the
same sizes of ProFile
Vortex

JOE 2014
 The risk of ProFile Vortex
and Vortex Blue
instrument fracture is very
low

The Vortex Blue files have

metallurgical behavior
different from ProFile
Vortex instruments

J Endod 2015;41:937–942
 Vortex Blue and M-Wire offered
functional advantages over
conventional superelastic NiTi

Vortex Blue showed improved

fatigue resistance and flexibility
compared with ProFile Vortex M-
Wire

JOE 2012