Frequently asked questions

No. Most patients arrive on a referral from their general dentist, and that is useful because it brings notes and X-rays with it, but you can contact the practice directly.

Time is reserved each day for emergencies. Call the practice rather than sending an email or a form — a phone call is the only route that reaches someone quickly.

Photo ID, your insurance card, a list of your medications including blood thinners and bisphosphonates, and any X-rays taken in the last six months. Completing the registration form beforehand means the appointment is spent on your tooth rather than on paperwork.

Allow about an hour. Many patients are diagnosed and treated in the same visit, so do not plan the day on the assumption that it is only a consultation.

Yes. If you are having sedation you must bring someone, because you cannot drive yourself home afterwards.

No, and the reputation is worth unpicking. It was earned decades ago, before modern anaesthetic, rotary instruments and magnification. Today the treatment is carried out under local anaesthetic and feels much like having a large filling placed. What people remember as the agony of a root canal is almost always the toothache that sent them to the dentist in the first place — which is the thing the treatment removes.

Most treatments are finished in one visit of roughly sixty to ninety minutes. Molars have more canals and more complex anatomy, and a heavily infected tooth sometimes needs a second appointment so medication can work inside the canal in between.

Say so when you book. Sedation is available and it addresses anxiety rather than pain — for some patients it is the reason a tooth they have avoided for years finally gets dealt with.

Dental radiographs use a low dose, and imaging is only taken when it changes what is done. Tell the practice if you are pregnant or think you might be, and the approach is adjusted.

Not always, and you will be told plainly if it is not. A tooth can be beyond saving because of a crack running below the bone, severe gum disease around it, or too little tooth structure left to restore. Being honest about that is more useful than starting treatment that will fail.

The practice works with most major dental plans. Because endodontic coverage varies so much between policies, the practice checks your specific benefits before treatment and tells you what to expect rather than guessing.

It depends on which tooth and what is wrong with it — a front tooth with one canal and a lower molar with four are different procedures. You receive a figure before treatment starts, not after.

An extraction is cheaper on the day. Replacing the tooth afterwards with an implant or a bridge generally is not, and no replacement performs quite like the tooth you were born with. That comparison is worth making with the actual numbers in front of you.

Financing options are available. Ask the front desk before deciding to leave an infected tooth untreated — it tends to become a more expensive problem rather than a cheaper one.

Most people describe mild soreness rather than pain for a few days, because the ligament around the root has been irritated. Over-the-counter pain relief is usually enough. Take it before the anaesthetic wears off rather than waiting.

Most people do, after local anaesthetic. Your lip and tongue stay numb for a few hours, so it is not the afternoon for a presentation or a hot lunch. If you have chosen sedation, write the day off: you cannot drive, and someone needs to stay with you.

Usually, on back teeth. Chewing forces on molars and premolars are high and the treated tooth has an access opening through its biting surface. Your own dentist places the crown; the practice sends the recommendation.

A tooth that is properly treated and then properly restored can serve for many years. The restoration matters most: a back tooth left without a crown is at real risk of fracturing, and a fractured root cannot be re-treated.

Contact the practice. Persistent pain weeks after treatment is not something to wait out. Sometimes a canal is missed, sometimes the problem sits at the root tip, and there are procedures for both.