It seems super strange to review an endodontist, but hey, sometimes you review weird places.
About 18 months ago, my usual dentist told me I'd eventually need a root canal. The tooth had been vaguely bothering me, so I decided to finally do it, and got a referral to Dr. Patterson. I went in a couple of weeks ago and very quickly got escorted back to the room I was going to be root canaled in (is that a verb?).
Dr. Patterson came in and talked to me first, which I appreciated. We chatted about pain management protocols (he's very aware of opioid addiction and helping his patients avoid that), which I appreciated (although I'm not an addict, I have family members who are). He walked me through some of the specifics for my procedure, since there are several options, and explained the various pieces of equipment he was going to use. Overall, he made me feel comfortable with *him*, rather than making my feel like I was just one of ten root canals that day. His assistant made sure I was warm (they have blankets!), and we got started.
The procedure itself was painless. I had my headphones on, I zoned out, Dr. Patterson and his dental assistant did their thing. Afterwards, it was a little sore, but nothing ibuprofen couldn't handle. I have a follow up next week for part 2.
Three fun facts:
#1, Dr. Patterson's father was one of the founders of endodontics.
#2, Someone loved their root canal so much they literally wrote poetry about it.
#3, If you have errant hairs on your chin that you have to pluck...wait until after your procedure. Your face is all numb, so you can pluck them pain-free!
Honestly, I hope I don't have to go back, because I'd rather not have messed up teeth. But if I do have to have another root canal, I'll certainly go to Dr. Patterson. read more