The more information we have the quicker we can schedule treatment.  This includes radiographs, tooth number and symptoms from you and/or your referring dentist.

A consultation is typically 30-60m.  A consultation with treatment, which includes the permanent filling often takes as long as the root canal and is scheduled for 2 hours.

If the patient is a minor, being sedated or elderly, a driver or parent/guardian is welcome and often needed. Otherwise, we would prefer every patient to come alone to minimize contact, especially during Covid.

We understand your time is valuable; we will strive to complete the majority of treatments with as few visits as possible.  However, many cases sent to a specialist are very difficult and sometimes require more than 1 treatment appointment.  This can be due to infection, tooth difficulty, limited opening, patient handicap (unable to lean back in the chair) and other reasons.  We will never compromise the highest care possible at the expense of treating your tooth in an additional visit.

Most often posterior teeth (teeth behind your canine) will be recommended to get a full coverage restoration (crown) on the tooth after completion.  If the tooth already has a crown, we pride ourselves on preserving your money previously spent on a crown and allow you to keep your existing crown.  Sometimes a piece of the crown will break or will need to be replaced due to leakage, decay or function.   In these circumstances, your primary dentist and/or our office may recommend a new crown. 

We have zero desire to hide any fees from you and will always strive to be transparent with our fees to eliminate any surprises.  Please ask if you have any questions.

All treatments will charged a consultation visit and often times a CBCT fee. 

A root canal charge is divided into 3 categories and 2 subcategories.  Anterior (front 6 teeth), premolars (typically 2 teeth behind canines and in front of molars) and molars.  These teeth are then classified as having no previous root canal (first-time treatment) or having had a previous root canal (retreatment).  Other fees may include removal root canal obstructions (posts, broken files) or perforation repairs.

If you have no insurance, these fees are very clear and can be provided at your request.

If you have dental insurance, the allowable fee, benefit and patient amount can vary from plan to plan, even with the same name.  Each benefit plan is set by your employer and the insurance administrator.  We can give an estimate, but will need to request a predetermination for exact dollar amounts.

According to the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) the average annual radiation dose per person in the U.S. is 6.2 millisieverts (mSv) or 6,200 microsieverts (μSv).   The Federal Occupation Safety Limit per person pear year is 50,000 μSv.  The radiographs in our office (periapical or bitewing) produce around 6 μSv each, equivalent to about 1/3 of the average daily background radiation per day.  Our 3D CBCT radiates 6-40 μSv per scan or up to about 5 days of daily background radiation that is also equivalent to a flight from LA to NYC.  For comparison, a medical grade CT radiation is about 2,000-10,000 μSv.  As you can see, a full series of x-rays taken in our office during a root canal and a 3D CBCT scan is equivalent to one round-trip flight from LA to NYC or about 5 days of the average background radiation exposure.