Patient Resources
Your First Visit
What to bring, what will happen, and how it will feel. Everything worth knowing before you walk through our door.
An hour, give or take. A thorough diagnosis. A clear explanation of your options. And often, if you want, treatment completed the same day. That is the shape of a first visit here. No lectures, no pressure, no surprises on cost.
Before You Arrive
What to Bring
You can save time in the waiting room by completing your new patient paperwork online before your visit. Eat normally beforehand, and plan to drive yourself as usual. Local anesthesia does not affect driving.
Step by Step
What Happens at the Visit
We listen first
Your symptoms, your history, what your dentist saw. The story guides everything that follows, so we start there, not with instruments.
Examination and imaging
Gentle, targeted tests tell us how the tooth is behaving: response to temperature, biting pressure, gum health. Digital x-rays come next, and 3D cone beam imaging if your case calls for it. Dr. Malakpour examines everything under the surgical microscope.
Diagnosis and honest options
You will hear what we found in plain language, what your options are, and what we recommend and why. Sometimes the recommendation is treatment. Sometimes it is monitoring, or a crown from your dentist, or nothing at all. The diagnosis decides, not the schedule.
Costs before treatment, always
Before anything begins, our team reviews your exact fee and what your insurance is expected to cover. You decide how to proceed with the full picture in front of you.
Treatment, often the same day
If treatment is needed and you would rather not come back, we can usually complete it the same visit. Prefer to think it over? That is completely fine too. Either way, your dentist receives a full report the same day.
Good to Know
A Few Reassurances
If you are nervous, you are in good company. Most people who walk through our door would rather be almost anywhere else, and we take that seriously. Tell us you are anxious and we will slow down, explain everything, and check in as often as you want. Nothing happens before you are ready, and nothing happens before you are thoroughly numb.
And if you were referred but it turns out you do not need treatment, we consider that a good visit. You will leave with answers either way, and your dentist gets the full findings. If you want a sense of what treatment itself involves, our root canal treatment page walks through it step by step.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will my first appointment take?
Plan on about an hour. Diagnosis-only visits can be shorter, and visits where we complete treatment the same day run longer. We will tell you what to expect when you schedule.
Will you do the root canal at the first visit?
Often, yes. If the diagnosis is clear and the schedule allows, many patients choose to have treatment completed the same visit rather than returning. It is always your call, and there is no pressure either way.
Should I eat before my appointment?
Yes, please do. A normal meal beforehand is a good idea, since your mouth may be numb for a few hours afterward if treatment is performed.
Can I drive myself home?
Yes. Local anesthesia does not impair driving, so you can drive yourself to and from your appointment and return to your normal day.
What if I am anxious about dental visits?
Tell us, ideally when you schedule. Extra time, thorough explanations, and going at your pace cost nothing, and they make an enormous difference. Many of our most nervous patients become our most relieved ones.
Reviewed by Dr. Ron Malakpour, DDS, MS
Endodontist, Root Canal Specialists, Tucson, AZ. Page last updated July 2026.