Your Comfort A Priority

While quality of care is paramount, we realize that your comfort during treatment is of equal concern.  Knowing this, we make every effort  to ensure your treatment with us is pain free and comfortable by our use of:

  • state of the art equipment and techniques
  • oral sedation for those who desire it (click on link for more information)
  • adequate numbing
  • headphones/music during treatment
  • mouth rests, pillows, and blankets
  • individual attention to your concerns

Your First Appointment

Depending on your particular situation, your first visit may be one of the following:

1) Brief appointment with a staff member for one of the following

  • Additional x-rays: additional angles or views are sometimes needed
  • Testing to confirm your dentists' findings or to confirm the need for treatment and the correct tooth
  • Completion of a registration and health history or to dispense medications (pain meds, antibiotic, or oral sedation)

2) Consultation/Evaluation with Dr. Carman

Many situations require evaluation, testing, and/or an explanation of your treatment options before the best course of treatment can be determined. This is a 30 minute appointment reserved for time with Dr. Carman to thoroughly evaluate your situation, discuss options, and answer questions. Treatment will not be recommended unless the need for it is determined without question.

While we appreciate the hassle of scheduling a separate appointment for this, when needed, this separate appointment is vital to determine the need for treatment or to confirm which tooth needs treatment. In compromised teeth it is also vital that you be aware of other options (no treatment, extraction, a bridge, an implant, a partial, or root canal surgery)

3) Treatment Appointment

In some cases the tooth needing treatment and the type of treatment needed  can be determined ahead of time.  In that situation the first appointment may be to initiate treatment. In a few cases treatment can be completed in one visit. In most cases two or more visits will be needed. In these cases the first visit is typically an hour and the second visit varies from 1 to 2.5 hours depending on the tooth and the difficulty of the particular case.

4) Emergency Appointment

Some root canal problems can result in excruciating pain as well as swelling and fever that can deteriorate into a medical emergency. In these cases we may need to see you for an emergency visit between patients, during lunch, or after hours.