It's very likely that you've never heard the word "endodontics" before, but for Doctor Joseph Petrino it's his wheelhouse within the dental industry. Need a root canal or an honest opinion on a possible root canal? You're in the right place. Missoula Endodontics is a welcoming place with a friendly staff and a dog or two whose job it is to let you know that you’re in good hands (because a dog would never steer you wrong!). Doctor Petrino shares some knowledge on the subject of endodontics and how this specialty can be a perfect fit for your upcoming or unexpected dental needs.
C: Why would someone come to Missoula Endodontics?
Dr. P: Well I think just because that's our area of focus in dentistry—we're very specialized for it. My staff members know all the codes that we charge for insurance, the most common costs associated with our treatment. Everything in our office is designed to perform root canal therapy to the best possible level. Really, they would come just for that expertise and that use of technology to really try and get as predictable of an outcome as possible. Doing it every day, we have certain efficiencies built in and we are really honed in on that to make sure we can find all the anatomy. Also, our appointment times are about an hour and fifteen minutes, where we can get people in and out pretty quickly because this is all we do.
C: Tell us about your imaging techniques. Why are you excited about them?
Dr. P: It started becoming en vogue when I was in residency. There was a new technology called cone beam CT, which is just a cat scan essentially, and it’s very, very specific for teeth and it really is good at being able to highlight fine detail and determine the anatomy of the tooth. It really becomes indispensable in being able to diagnose, treat, and then plan for any complications that may occur. In 2013 I purchased my first machine and have been using it ever since. It’s pretty invaluable to where I do not like doing treatment without having a cat scan first. The other that we do that really helps us out is we use microscopes when we operate. The surgical operating microscope is an indispensable tool that really helps you get good light down into the tooth. Having good light and the magnification helps me be able to see the detail and anatomy inside the tooth to make sure everything is treated accordingly.
C: The patient experience is something that a lot of people take into consideration when choosing a place to get their dental work done. What’s your patient experience like?
Dr. P: We hear a lot of “Thank you for your honesty and your demeanor.” That’s one of our core values in office—just honesty and trying to make sure that we’re doing the best we can to minimize surprises and let patients really know what the pros and cons are of treatment, whether that’s extraction, whether that’s us doing the treatment—so they can make an informed decision. Some of my greatest joys are when the light clicks on and people say, “Oh wow, this tooth doesn’t really fit within my overall mouth. Maybe we’ll sacrifice this one and go on to other areas.” And that, to me, gives me a lot of satisfaction when they really have other needs and they want to address those.
C: As a parent, I can’t help but consider the future and warding off dental woes as my kids age. Sugar is desirable and diligence isn’t quite a honed skill when you’re a kid. What advice do you have for parents that will help keep a healthy mouth?
Dr. P: I would say that normal hygiene and brushing on a regular basis. Avoiding sweets on a regular basis, especially the sweets that are very sticky—those that can stick to teeth and be there for a long time. Those are generally the ones that are going to have the highest rates of decay because the sugar can stick to the tooth for so long and really change the PH to make things more susceptible to decay. The other thing I would tell parent is if their kid is in sports, potentially consider mouthguards. Most of the time with kids—if we’re treating kids—it’s usually trauma to a front tooth or decay on a lower molar or an upper first molar.
C: I know that community is important to everyone at the office. Tell me what type of involvement Missoula Endodontics has within our community.
Dr. P: This is a significant population in Montana of people who need access to care. I think I’m the only endodontist that’s a provider for Medicaid, meaning I accept that insurance and I accept the patients because it was a decision that the staff and I made. We didn’t like the thought of people not having access to care, and so we’ve made the decision to accept those patients and treat them accordingly.
"Everything in our office is designed to perform root canal therapy to the best possible level."
"That’s one of our core values in office—just honesty and trying to make sure that we’re doing the best we can to minimize surprises and let patients really know what the pros and cons are of treatment."