Yesterday, 7/8/25, was my 2nd time in the Downtown Endodontic Group's ofc. Both times I've been pleased! The ofc was clean; the atmosphere welcoming. Dr. John and staff were welcoming as well. I felt comfortable there. This is a business that I recommend! Keith B. read more

Friendly, professional, very efficient. Good post-procedure guidelines that covered things a previous dentist never mentioned.

I was sent to Dr. Johnson because my current dentist is out of the country for a few weeks and I needed a potential root canal. I was shocked by the fact they could get me in the very next day but now based on the type of person that Dr. Johnson is I'm not surprised that his waiting room was empty and that I was able to get an appointment the very next day. He was incredibly dismissive of the concerns that I had around the care he was going to provide me. His type of dentistry as a cis white man in his 60s shined through when he wouldn't listen to what I had to say and continuously interrupted me. All he would've had to say is "I hear what you're saying and I will do my best to make sure that I do everything I can to prevent that from happening". I decided to not get my root canal done by Dr. Johnson and to wait for my doctor to be back in town because Dr. Turk at Portsmouth dental is kind compassionate and actually listens to his patients. read more

I was referred to Dr. John H. Johnson for a root canal by my doctor, Katie Ball at Bling Dental. I explained my experience with an assistant and they listen. They reassured me that the process will be pain free as much as possible. The assistant provided me a headphones and I plugged in to my smartphone. I put on relaxing music to calm my nerves down. Dr. Johnson came in and apply the anesthetic. We waited a few minutes to let it set in. The process took about 2 hours. During this time I was so relaxed that it was boring. After the root canal was done the assistant went over what I need to do when I get home. If you are looking for a doctor that specializes in root canal I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND coming to see Dr. Johnson. read more

Seeing Dr Johnson was my last ditch effort to save a very important tooth (okay yes, ALL teeth are important, but I really needed this one for masterfully chewing delicious steak) before giving in to what I thought was an inevitable extraction. I had had a root canal on this tooth 3 years prior, and began experiencing mild discomfort on it a month before I moved from Boston to Portland. My Boston dentist sent me to two specialists for second and third opinions about saving my tooth. The endodontist told me there was nothing he or his associates could do - they took an xray, didn't even examine my tooth, and said they wouldn't bother to attempt to retreat the previous root canal. They recommended extraction. The oral surgeon took a big schmancy CT scan of my head and I paid 250 dollars just for him to tell me he couldn't help me either, and I'd need the tooth extracted, along with bone grafting, sinus lift, and implant. Now, I totally get that when you can't save a tooth, you can't save a tooth, and you just gotta do whatcha gotta do, (I've had an extraction and implant on another tooth too) but I was pretty frustrated that nobody would even TRY first. I moved to Portland that September, and right before Christmas the tooth started hurting much worse. My new dentist sent me to Dr Johnson to get his take on the whole ordeal. Let me tell you something about Dr Johnson: HE IS A NICE DUDE, AND HE CARES. First of all, his office manager Elizabeth is amazing. She's kind and friendly and she seriously knows her stuff. His assistant Diane is so funny and welcoming and she put me at ease right away. Did I mention she's hilarious? Everyone there gets along; you can tell they all like each other and treat each other with respect. Dr Johnson took a look at my X-rays, took a few more with his own software, and examined my tooth. He told me that he didn't think I had to jump right into extracting the tooth before he opened it back up to have a look, because there was really nothing to lose in giving it a shot. I was SO PLEASED that someone was finally willing to just TRY to retreat it before giving in. My appointment with Dr J and Diane was so fantastic. He is great at giving anesthetic, and I practically fell asleep in the chair listening to his awesome Bing Crosby Pandora station. And guess what: He found an extra canal in my tooth that had been missed during my first root canal. It had been inflamed this whole time, causing me that pain. Dr J cleaned out the extra canal, filled it up, told me to give it a month to see if it helped, and it totally did. 2 months later my regular dentist put a gold crown on the tooth, and in the 2 years since, it has never bothered me again. Long story short, dudes, Dr Johnson is a really nice guy and a very skilled endodontist, who totally cares about helping his patients. I don't know why someone would perceive him as arrogant, but I never felt for a second that he was dismissive of my concerns about my tooth, and he was nothing but genuinely friendly to me every time I went to his office. I couldn't recommend him and his staff more emphatically, and though I hope I never need his services again, there's nobody else I would trust with my teeth. read more

Location is good, the view from the 13th floor is amazing. The dental assistant, Jessica, was absolutely wonderful and super friendly. Dr Johnson was excellent. No one likes to have root canals done, but if you need one done, this is the place to go. read more

After having a crown in early 2014 I started having issues with my tooth. Cold sensitive and worst of all I couldn't chew on it. This happens. I also moved to Boise. There was no question that I would return to Dr Johnson for treatment. He did such a great job on my first root canal I was willing to wait. I booked my holiday trip and it included a visit. As usual his staff was very knowledgeable and helped me set it all up. The procedure was smooth and at one point I drifted off to sleep. The next day I was able to chew on pineapple that was stored in the fridge!! All symptoms gone and I couldn't be happier. Dr Johnson is a top notch endodontist. He's compassionate and tender. He will relieve your pain while putting you at ease. Thank you Dr Johnson!!!! Sincerely, Lisa Engel read more

Thank you Dr. John Johnson and your entire team for giving me some quick relief! Very professional all the way around!

Dr Johnson and his entire team were amazing. I had a previous root canal (25+ years ago) that went awry. It took three appointments, but they were able to save and repair my tooth. They really care about their patients. While this is nothing that you want to have done, I can't imagine a better team to do it! read more

I had a root canal done here yesterday and all the 5 star reviews on here are spot on! This place is amazing and the doctor along with his staff are just great. If you need this type of work done, I highly recommend Dr Johnson. read more

After a couple weeks of increasing pain and reaching a certain level of desperation due to severe intermittent nerve pain on the top and the bottom left side of my mouth, I received an endodontic referral from a substitute dentist on New Year's Eve. The new-to-me dentist felt that I needed a root canal on my bottom molar based on my x-ray and symptoms at the time. Downtown Endodontic Group got me in right away after the holiday and Dr. Johnson did a very thorough evaluation. Based on my responses to cold and pain stimuli, he determined that I was not in need of a root canal. He patiently repeated the tests multiple times, trying to elicit a consistent source of pain but could not. I left the office a little frustrated (pain weary) and with a prescription for a short steroid course. I was totally unconvinced of his diagnosis but appreciated that he wasn't going to perform an invasive and expensive procedure on me just for the sake of doing something. Despite my skepticism, the steroid medication ended up helping my pain a ton. It was like a dark cloud lifting... such a relief. I went back to my regular dentist of 10 years to follow up and we decided on a course of action on a different tooth that completely solved the problem. Long story short, Dr. Johnson was correct in his assessment. I did not need the root canal on the tooth I was referred for by the emergency dentist. I really appreciate Dr. Johnson for his care and for being an ethical provider. If I ever do end up needing a root canal in the future, I will definitely return to Downtown Endodontic Group. read more

I joined Yelp to write this review, which is unfortunate, because having been on Yelp, I love giving stars. I was referred to Dr. John H. Johnson for a root canal, after determining that a tooth was probably in the process of dying. I made an appointment with them, and explained that I am most comfortable with having nitrous during these types of procedures. After waiting for over 20 minutes while doing paperwork (which I finished in about 10 minutes), I was taking back late, and x-rays were taken (even though my dentist who had referred me already had taken x-rays). Dr. Johnson then came to diagnose what tooth, and took a few minutes to do the same tests my dentist had done a week before. I think it would have been much more efficient to have received the records from my referring dentist than to redo all the work that was done the prior week. Then, they started the nitrous and left me there for about ten minutes. I told the assistant I wasn't feeling the nitrous, and several minutes later Dr. Johnson came to turn up the nitrous. He still had not administered any anesthesia and left me there again. About ten minutes later, he injected me with anesthesia, and several minutes went by and his assistant asked if I was numb. I told her that I wasn't numb enough, and sometimes it takes a lot of anesthesia for me to get numb. At that point, Dr. Johnson came to the chair and said "Well, we are 3/4 of the way into your appointment, so there is no point starting it". I asked why they had not scheduled enough time, he said condescendingly, "Well, you wanted nitrous.". I explained to him, that when I scheduled my appointment, I had specifically requested nitrous, and it wasn't last minute decision. He then said it took longer to diagnose me, and then I wasn't getting numb in time, and he just didn't have time. So, two hours of my day was wasted on an appointment I already felt anxious about anyway, and now, I had to go back because it wasn't completed. I chose not to return to him for this procedure. I'm assuming that everyone's physiology is different, and that dentists should know that. Dr. Johnson's office should schedule plenty of time to ensure that there is enough time to diagnose, anesthetize and perform the procedure for any type of person. I am so underwhelmed with his practice, and Dr. Johnson's arrogance and condensation that I would encourage anyone seeking treatment to find someone else. read more

I was referred to Dr. John Johnson because I was informed by my dentist that I needed a root canal for a potentially cracked tooth. I had been experiencing the worst tooth pain I'd ever had and was told by my dentist that the tooth would either need a root canal or an extraction. Well, losing a tooth in the "smile line" is the worst possible scenario so I went to Dr. Johnson because he is a specialist. His approach was extremely professional, super informative, and friendly. Elizabeth, who works at the front desk, is friendly and competent. Diane, the technician, was really nice and put my mind at ease. I have extreme dental phobia and the entire staff worked well with my neurotic self!!. Dr. Johnson was able to do the root canal treatment on my tooth, save it from extraction, and the procedure took the pain away. I highly recommend these guys. Seems strange to me that the previous two reviewers had 1 star experiences. Give these guys a chance. Excellent customer service, good outcome for me, and awesome view from the chair! read more

Professional, gentle, kind, intelligent, & caring. These are all words I would use to describe the wonderful staff working at this AMAZING practice. As somebody who works in the dental field, I have been blown away by the five star service that I have received at Downtown Endodontic Group. I have been a patient of Dr. Johnsons for a couple of months now and he has been nothing but wonderful. I came to this office with a tooth that needed a root canal and I have always been a very anxious/nervous patient when it comes to dental work. I have now been through three dental treatments and every appointment has been pain free and very relaxed. The dental assistants are very well educated and always go the extra mile to make sure that I have everything I need to be comfortable (the noise cancelling headphone are AWESOME). I wish that I could giving this office a rating much higher than five stars because they genuinely deserve it! read more

Having a root canal can be traumatic when you have a fear of being in a dental chair. I experienced the most amazing care from Dr. Johnson, Diane and Liz. They calmed me by explaining the procedure, and having such a compassionate chair side experience. Absolutely no pain during or after! I would highly recommend their office. read more

I went trough the whole root canal ordeal with John Johnson in Dec 2012-January 2013 which involved 3 weeks of crucial pain, 3 series of antibiotics and over $1800.00 fee for the premium "SERVICE". In August of 2013 when I was seeing my hygienist, she told me my gum in inflamed and need to go back to check it out. Dr. Johnson casually looked at the X-ray and reported that I need to extract the tooth because looks like it is probably cracked and draining. His response to my frustrated surprise was: you probably have chewed something!!! Few days later I ended up with another specialist and pulled the molar tooth, and no replacement option in sight for now. I have had couple of root canals in the same office when Dear Dr. Brian Whitten was the owner, who was the greatest all the way around. I was too angry to write a review on this subject, but could not let it go. I simply don't need to pay such price to pay for someone else's toy collections. State of the art technology that is not used properly, should not be purchased. If you are still not convinced, feel free to deal with his arrogant and indifferent approach. read more

These people are The Best. Nobody has a root canal for fun (I hope!). But I had an experience that was gentle, KIND easy, fast, ELEGANT and pain free. I am grateful, grateful, GRATEFUL. Thank you! read more

A couple of months ago my tooth was killing me and I knew I had finally reached the point that I could no longer avoid the inevitable...Root Canal Therapy! Only problem was I was in New York for a week. I actually chose to suffer and wait until I got home to Portland to see Dr. Johnson and his staff rather than taking my chances anywhere else. Dr. Johnson and his staff did a root canal on me several years ago and now he is my go to guy for root canals (hopefully I don't need anymore though). I even flew my mom in town when she needed one because I wanted it done compassionately and expertly. Dr. Johnson's team is as good as you can find when it comes to the dreaded root canal. I have found in the past that often medical and dental specialists talk over my head and then I feel too dumb to say I don't know what the heck they are talking about...not Dr. Johnson and his team...they respectfully made sure I understood as much as I wanted to know. The first time I gripped the chair and was ready for some pain....never happened...WOW! I actually was embarrassed that I caught myself snoring three times! No one wants a root canal and everyone tells you their horror stories when you need one....those people did not go to Dr. Johnson and his amazingly kind team! read more

Dr. Johnson and his entire team jumped into action in getting me an emergency appointment when I called begging for their help with my painful tooth. Elizabeth called me back that afternoon and I was in their office the very next day!! Amazing service from an amazing team!!! Thanks so much : ) read more