Dentist or Endodontist

Root Canal - Your Dentist or an Endodontist?
By Debbie L Boynton

So, your dentist has told you that you need a root canal. Do you let him or her perform the procedure or do you need an Endodontist, root canal specialist?

Before going any further, I need to let you know that I have worked for an Endodontist for over eight years, so my advice will be biased toward Endodontists. But I have my reasons, as I will explain.

What created the need for Endodontists in the first place?

1. A toothache is an emergency that can be caused by a broken tooth or abscess. This patient will need treatment immediately to control the pain, but your dentist has a lot of patients and books a full schedule every day. He can refer this patient to an Endodontist whose schedule is usually more accommodating and know that the patient will be treated correctly.

A caring dentist knows that he/she cannot possibly accommodate all emergencies. They develop a good working relationship with a local Endodontist as a way to offer their patients immediate care. An Endodontist can also be a back-up source for the dentist for vacation days, etc.

2. Root canals can take a lot of time for a dentist. This is a big point so listen carefully. An Endodontist does a lot of root canals and has the procedure down pat. For most patients, the less time spent in the dental chair, the better. My Endodontist can do a molar root canal from start to finish in less than an hour for a normal tooth.