Access cavity preparation and glidepath are the critical first steps in root canal treatment. There have been many changes from traditional access preparation to current access trends, due to improvements in available instruments, dental operating microscopes, and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). The access preparations have been trending toward being more minimally invasive and to conserve dentin. However, this puts more strain on the instruments and may make subsequent cleaning, shaping, and obturation more difficult. Securing the glidepath is a very delicate procedure and must be performed with mindfulness and patience. The proper sequence of instruments should be followed, as well as care taken to irrigate between instruments.