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Would You Rave About Your Last Root Canal?
by Jackie & Kevin Freiberg UNBELIEVABLE! That’s what I said when my dentist informed me that I was headed to the Endodontist for a possible root canal. UNBELIEVABLE! That’s what I thought when I walked out of Endodontist Jack Pawlak’s office after having an incredibly positive experience. How many people do you know who rave about getting a root canal? Pawlak, whom I met for the first time during this visit, is a certifiable “nut” who loves his work. It shows in his remarkable approach to the patient. While my tooth was extremely sensitive to cold and gave me some discomfort at night, this was not a throbbing emergency. Yet, Pawlak’s office was able to get me in for a consult within an hour of my dentist’s referral—this is a busy Endodontist with a successful practice. After a five-minute wait in the reception area (remember the guy fit me in on an emergency basis) I was escorted into the dental chair where Pawlak was already waiting for me. Before I could even sit down he started firing questions at break-neck speed. “So is it hot or cold that bothers it?” he asked. “Cold.” “Is it upper or lower?” he continued. “Feels like both.” I replied. “Does it wake you up at night?” “Sometimes.” His demeanor exemplified a cross between the comedic routines of the quick-witted Robin Williams and the sarcastic, in-your-face Don Rickels. When he asked me if the tooth in question had a crown, I said “yes.” He said, “Is it porcelain or gold?” “Porcelain.” “Ahhh!” he said, “That’s why I came to practice in California. Everyone wants those nice white porcelain crowns. In the Midwest where I grew up it’s always gold crowns. Why? Less long-term problems. Sixty-five percent of the porcelain crowns need a root canal within 7-10 years you know. That’s why I came to California—big bucks!” I thought to myself, “Who is this guy?” Jack Pawlak is brash, irreverent, unafraid to editorialize about other patients and very direct all in a charming sort of way. He immediately put me at ease and made me laugh. His stories were captivating and memorable—each designed to make a point that would educate and guide me. Three or four times during the course of our conversation he pulled out a chart showing me the anatomy of a tooth. Each time he explained possible scenarios causing my pain. I quickly grew comfortable with his knowledge and confidence. It was obvious that he was interested in thoroughly diagnosing the situation because the questions kept coming and each time I answered he would pick up on little nuances. When I told him the pain was more evident when I was mountain biking he said, “That’s because you’re pumping more blood into the sensitive area, causing more throbbing to occur.” When I told him it felt like both top and bottom molars hurt, he told me that was due to a nerve that wrapped around the back of my mouth. He analogized, “If I stick a knife in the back of your neck, you feel it in your toe. Why? Because the nerve goes from your neck to your toe!” At the end of the initial consultation Pawlak said, “Look, it’s up to you, but if it were me I wouldn’t do this root canal right away. I’d take some heavier-than-usual doses of IBUPROFEN and see if we can get the tooth calmed down. You’re a bright guy, in a couple of days you’ll know. If it still hurts call me. I’ll see you Saturday, I’ll see you Sunday morning, I’ll see you whenever you want, I’m here seven days a week. Just don’t call me five hours before you get on an airplane, you’ll need some time to let the tooth calm down before exposing it to high altitude.” Trying to match his wit and sarcasm I said, “What kind of “nut” works seven days a week?” He said, “Hey man what can I say, I love what I do. Besides, I only work with four dentists and I like yours. If I didn’t like him and I didn’t like you it would take you six months to get in and see me, and even then I might refer you to someone else.” Unfortunately, three days later the pain was still there so I made an appointment to have the root canal. Again, the wait in the reception area was less than five minutes. When I sat down in the chair Jack Pawlak explained exactly what he was hoping to find when he got inside the tooth. Then he grabbed my cheek and gave it a little jolt as he inserted the needle for the Novocain shot—I didn’t feel a thing. From that point until the procedure was complete, Pawlak explained exactly what he was doing and how long it would take. He said, “I’m in the first canal and we’ve got two more minutes to finish it.” Sure enough, at the end of two minutes he was done and we were on to the next phase of the procedure. The whole process was very educational and very reassuring. When the procedure was complete Pawlak demanded, “I want to hear from you by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning to see how you’re doing.” Now I assure you, I’m a tough critic of mediocre or “satisfactory” service. I expect a lot, I certainly don’t make a habit of writing about my Endodontist. But in this case I think we could all take a few lessons from Dr. Jack Pawlak:
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