Separation of an endodontic instrument can obstruct apical access and compromise canal disinfection. Management should balance the biological benefit of fragment removal against the structural cost of dentin removal. This case report describes conservative retrieval of a separated instrument during root canal treatment of a maxillary right canine in a 42-year-old woman who presented with pain in the upper right posterior region. Deep proximal caries affected teeth 13 and 15, both were tender to percussion, and neither responded to cold or electric pulp testing. Root canal treatment was initiated under rubber-dam isolation. During instrumentation of tooth 13, an instrument separated in the apical third. Under magnification, the coronal end of the fragment was exposed conservatively with ultrasonics. A chairside custom snare was fabricated from a 22-gauge Luer-lock disposable pre-bent dispenser tip and 0.08-mm stainless-steel orthodontic ligature wire. The wire loop was positioned around the exposed fragment, tightened through the needle and withdrawn coronally. Radiography confirmed complete retrieval and canal patency. Cleaning, shaping and obturation of teeth 13 and 15 were subsequently completed. The combined use of direct visualisation, controlled ultrasonic troughing and a custom syringe-and-wire snare permitted nonsurgical removal while limiting unnecessary dentin sacrifice.