Yes. General dentists receive training on root canal therapy as part of their dental school curriculum. General dentists choose to refer their patients to a specialist for a variety of reasons including the difficulty of the treatment to be performed, or their overall comfort level with the procedure. Patients may also be referred when a general dentist is having difficulty determining which tooth is causing a patient’s pain, or if the patient presents to their office with treatment needs that need to be addressed immediately (severe pain / spreading infection / traumatic injuries).

General dentists may choose to refer their patients to a specialist for a variety of reasons including the difficulty of the treatment to be performed, or their overall comfort level with the procedure. Patients may also be referred when a general dentist is having difficulty determining which tooth is causing a patient’s pain, or if the patient presents to their office with treatment needs that need to be addressed immediately (severe pain / spreading infection / traumatic injuries).

An endodontist is a specialized dentist that focuses on the treatment of dental pain and diseases of the dental pulp. The most common procedure performed by an endodontist is root canal therapy. This procedure is performed to help patients save their natural teeth. While all endodontists are general dentists, only three percent of general dentists choose to specialize in endodontics.

No. While many of our patients are referred directly from general dentists, we do see a large number of patients who either do not have a general dentist or who have decided to seek out the care of an endodontic specialist for their root canal therapy.