Simple honest review:
So I had to have a root canal in the city of Austin TX and took the advice of some Austin acquaintances and went to Ianiro Endo. I have had six root canals in my life and am quite familiar with the procedure. Although the office was clean and well-appointed, it was not at all busy, nor did it look as if it ever had been. The amount of legal paperwork I was required to sign was more than the amount I had to sign when I had my elbow surgery. Staci Ianiro has (or has been bought) some of the very latest dental equipment, but she seemed slightly hesitant and unsure. Endodontics is definitely one of those "practice makes perfect" professions, and her youth and hesitance does not instill confidence in an experienced patient. Nor does it instill confidence when she, the doctor, who is supposed to know what you are in her chair for, asks you what kind of treatment you need. In my case, I had a very specific kind of root canal that needed doing within a very specific time frame. I had discussed this in depth with Staci Ianiro's front desk woman and thought everything was clear. Hence my surprise when Staci Ianiro had me down in the chair and propped open when she asked a question I would only expect to hear in dental school from an observing student. Had it been a more difficult (back molar, upper canine, five root channels, etc.) procedure, I would have left then and found a different endodontist, but as it was fairly simple and I was on a very tight work schedule and I'm not a millionaire, I decided to stay and not pay the exorbitant cancelled appt fee and let Stace Ianiro have a go at what I knew to be a very simple root canal. Without informing me of what she was doing, Staci Ianiro proceeded to numb my palate only - my entire top palate, and started the root canal. This was highly unpleasant. During the root canal I had both minor pain and discomfort. After the root canal was finished, Staci Ianiro proceeded to leave the exam room without comment. I was led into the hall by a hygenist, who asked me if I wanted an advil or a tylenol. I was mystified. I have never had a root canal without painkillers before. Clarification: in the past I would only get two Vicodins, one for after the appt. and one for that night after the appt., only two because I don't like painkillers (I also don't drink) but I like pain even less, especially gnawing awful dental pain. The hygenist tells me that Staci Ianiro does not give painkillers to root canal patients unless severe pain lasts for more than a day or two. A day or two??? At this point, I began to feel like this was some kind of scam. If a patient still has severe pain 36 hrs after a root canal procedure, then the root canal procedure wasn't done correctly. My alarm is lessened when Staci Ianiro comes into the waiting area as I am leaving and says that she'll call me later that night to check on me. Long story short: I had major pain and discomfort that night, Staci Ianiro never called like she said she would, she had her front desk woman call the next afternoon and say that she and Staci were "sure that all yer pain is gone now" - I let them leave a message, because my entire face was still too sore to talk. Palate numbing is very painful. The next week, when I went to my regular dentist, he was appalled by the type of packing Staci Ianiro used, said "whoever did this root canal is an idiot who got paid way more than this work is worth" and urged me to refrain from patronizing this endodontist ever again. The channels were not packed tightly - had I not been immediately seen by another dentist, I would have had major leakage in that tooth and would have to have gotten another root canal or maybe even have lost the tooth.
In short, when looking for endodontists, remember:
A. Age = experience
B. Busy waiting room = return customers
C. Can you do this root canal without making me sign more paperwork
than it takes to buy a house? = Dr. does good work, not sloppy read more
