THE DIGITAL STREAM

In the 1950s, America saw the beginning of “car culture,” and today there are roughly 210 million licensed drivers in the United States. Driving is almost second-nature. However, if you’re used to driving a Volvo and I give you the keys to a Mercedes, it may take a moment or two of adjustments before you’re ready to cruise down the highway. It’s not because you don’t know how to drive; it’s just a matter of learning a new system.

In the 1960s, root canal morphology was looked at differently than today. The common thought was that molars generally had three canals. Today, we know that there are often four, sometimes five canals. Have humans genetically evolved in the past 50 years? No. But new technology, such as cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), reveals minute details of root morphology like never before.