Good question. Most dentists feel that the sooner, the better. The main limiting factor will be how long it takes to get an appointment for you in your dentist’s practice. Some are very busy, some can see you within 2-3 weeks. I tell the patients referred to me that they should ask for the first available appointment possible. If it is not soon enough for your comfort level, ask to be placed on a “call list” in the event of a cancellation from another patient. Many times you will be successful in getting sooner than you expect to. If you must wait an extended period of time, due to scheduling conflicts, then we suggest that you at least get a short appointment for the buildup. This will make the tooth more stable, and more resistant to fracture while you are waiting for your opportunity to get in for the crown procedure. To aid in the stability of the tooth, we suggest you DO NOT eat anything hard to chew, or crunchy at all. This includes, but is not limited to: chips, pretzels, raw carrots, celery, hard breads, pizza, steak, hard candy, sticky foods, etc. Good guidelines of things to eat are foods, with the consistency when cooked; of pasta, fish or chicken. Once you have the tooth completely restored, normal eating of any foods may be resumed.

• Why do I need endodontic therapy (root canal therapy)?
• What is a root canal anyway?
• Would you be more specific?
• How long does it take?
• Is the procedure painful?
• How come my regular dentist won’t do my root canal?
• Am I finished after the root canal? Do I need to have anything else done to my tooth?
• I had several crowns done in the past, how come I never had a root canal with those teeth?
• Is it possible to not know that you need endodontic therapy?
• What is the difference between a regular dentist, and a specialist?
• Is it better to see a specialist, or let my general dentist treat me?
• What are some of the complications that could arise during treatment?
• Root canals don’t work on me! I’ve had several; and every time I end up getting the tooth pulled!
• My dentist said I needed to have a tooth I already had a root canal done on, treated again. Why?
• I had endodontic therapy done 10 years ago. Last week I had another tooth treated, and the procedure seemed very different. Which one is better?