Many patients arrive at our office saying: "my dentist sent me here." Others ask: "why doesn't the regular dentist do it?" The answer is the same one that explains why you don't go to a general practitioner for heart surgery: specialization matters, and there are procedures where the difference is literally between saving or losing a tooth.
Training: what's behind the title
A general dentist completes dental school, 5-6 years, with training in every area. An endodontist is first a general dentist and then completes a 2-3 year specialty dedicated only to endodontics: root canal treatment, root anatomy, diagnosing tooth pain with no clear cause, and retreatments. Those years are cases, not theory: canals you can't see with the naked eye, molars with four curved roots, root canals from another office that have to be reopened.
Typical cases for each one
The general dentist treats
Cleanings, simple fillings, straight tooth extractions, simple root canals on single-canal anterior teeth, basic crowns and bridges, whitening, diagnoses and referrals to specialists.
The endodontist treats
Root canals on molars with several curved canals, retreatments of root canals that failed, tooth pain that is hard to locate, dental trauma (luxations, avulsions), instruments that broke inside the canal, root resorptions and calcified canals. If a case needs apical surgery, the endodontist refers it to a surgeon.
Technology: it's not just training
An endodontist works with equipment a general dentist typically doesn't use:
- Endodontic microscope: up to 25x magnification (general-practice loupes: 2-4x). With it you see the fourth canal of a molar that the naked eye misses.
- Rotary motor with nickel-titanium files: they follow the curve of the root without deviating.
- Electronic apex locator: measures the exact length of the canal, millimeter by millimeter.
- Digital periapical X-ray: taken in seconds, before, during and at the end of treatment.
When the general dentist refers to an endodontist
A good general dentist knows their limits: root canals on molars with complicated anatomy, calcified canals, pain without an obvious cause, previous treatments that failed, root fractures. Referring isn't a sign of incompetence — it's professionalism, and it's what happens when someone walks in saying "my dentist sent me."
Can you go directly to the endodontist?
Yes: if you already have a diagnosis of a pending root canal, if a previous root canal hurts again, if you have dental pain that doesn't respond to general treatments, or if you want a second opinion before an extraction. We see patients directly here, no prior referral needed.
Who should you see? It depends on what's going on
| What's going on | Who to see |
|---|---|
| A large cavity that started to hurt | Your general dentist can start; if the nerve is already affected, you need a root canal. |
| A root canal done years ago that hurts again | Endodontist: it's a retreatment, done under the microscope. |
| "They can't find the canal" or you were told it's calcified | Endodontist, with an endodontic microscope. |
| Pain and nobody can tell which tooth it is | Endodontist: sensitivity tests and digital X-ray to locate it before touching anything. |
| You were told the tooth has to come out | Endodontist, before extracting: a second opinion changes many decisions. |
| A blow to a front tooth | Endodontist, as soon as possible: the first hours decide whether the tooth stays. |
Coordinated work
In the ideal flow, the general dentist diagnoses and refers to the endodontist for the specialized procedure. Once the root canal is done, you can have the crown made right here — $300 in zirconia or $450 in lithium disilicate — or with your general dentist, if you prefer to stay with them. Each one does their part.
If you were already told it can't be done, get a second opinion
At Clínica Endodontics in San Miguel, Dra. Stefany Colato is an endodontist: Doctor of Dental Surgery from Universidad de El Salvador, Endodontic Specialty in Brazil, license JVPO 5411. She works with an endodontic microscope and digital X-ray. Root canal $390, any tooth; evaluation with X-ray $35. If you have a tooth that others haven't been able to resolve, send us your X-ray on WhatsApp or meet the team.
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