The second look: an hour, itemized.

Patients often arrive braced for a sales pitch and leave surprised: the consultation is mostly detective work, and sometimes it ends with "you don't need us." Here's exactly what happens in the hour, and why we refuse to skip any of it.

The hour, itemized.

The story (10 minutes). When it started, what triggers it, what’s already been tried. We ask about your medical history — medications, allergies, past surgeries, conditions like diabetes or heart disease. Dental history too: previous root canals, crowns, injuries. The details matter: “it hurts when I drink cold water and the pain sticks around for a minute” narrows the suspects before any instrument appears.

The tests (15 minutes). Cold, percussion, bite, and palpation — every tooth in the region, not just the accused one, reproducing your symptom deliberately. A cold stimulus on each tooth: healthy teeth feel it and the sensation fades quickly; a damaged nerve gives a sharp zing that lingers, or no response at all. Bite testing isolates inflammation around the root or a crack. Probing measures gum pockets — deep pockets in one specific spot can point to a crack or a draining infection. Brief discomfort, but quick, and the information can’t be gotten any other way.

The imaging (15 minutes). A focused CBCT scan — cone-beam computed tomography — reading teeth, bone, and sinus together in 3D. A standard X-ray is a flat shadow; CBCT gives a full three-dimensional view that can be rotated, sliced, and zoomed. Hidden cracks, extra canals, infections tucked behind a root that were invisible on flat film — the scan takes about 20 seconds, with far less radiation than a medical CT.

The findings (15 minutes). Everything on screen, explained in plain language. If there’s an infection, you see where it is. If there’s a crack, you see how far it goes. If everything looks healthy, you hear that too. Then a plan that follows the evidence: treat, monitor, or refer. Options might include root canal treatment, retreatment of a previous root canal, apicoectomy, or — honestly — extraction when that’s the right call. Timeline, fees, insurance coverage, and out-of-pocket cost are all discussed before any treatment starts.

Why so thorough?

Because tooth pain lies. Jaw muscles, sinuses, nerves, and grinding all impersonate a dying tooth — and a root canal is irreversible. Our case files hold the receipts: a referred root canal cancelled when the masseter muscle confessed, and a sinus-versus-tooth puzzle solved by one scan. Both patients kept healthy teeth because the hour wasn’t rushed.

What makes this different.

The equipment: a surgical operating microscope for every procedure — up to 25x magnification, far beyond the loupes your dentist wears. CBCT 3D imaging on-site. The focus: one thing, all day — diagnosing and treating problems inside teeth. That focus means we’ve seen just about every unusual case. The diagnostic depth: a general dentist might say “I think you need a root canal.” We tell you exactly why — and show you the evidence. Sometimes the answer is different from what everyone expected.

Before you come in.

• Bring recent X-rays if you have them (if your dentist sent them over, we'll already have them pulled up)
• Bring your medication list
• Bring the story of the pain — including what makes it better
• No referral is needed — you can call directly and schedule
• If treatment is indicated and you want it handled, it can usually begin the same visit

Plan for about 45 minutes to an hour. The consultation fee is credited toward treatment here. Most dental insurance plans cover endodontic consultations — we verify benefits before your visit whenever possible. If you’re paying out of pocket, the front desk team can give you the fee when you call.