Over the years that I’ve practiced dentistry, I’ve come to realize it’s not just about the tooth. It’s really about the experience—the emotional experience, to be specific.

So much emotion is part of the dental experience, and especially root canals. You do root canals? Why would you want to do that all day? It sounds so painful. Every time I hear comments like these, I’m amazed. In 2010, President Obama compared the bailout of the banks during the fiscal crisis to being as popular as a root canal. Most of the country probably laughed—but we endodontists cringed.

Somehow, our profession has earned a reputation for being associated with pain and bad experiences. Yet, that’s the opposite of what we see when we practice.

Every day, we spend time relieving pain. Many patients come into the office nervous, apprehensive and suffering, and they leave happy, smiling and talkative. They often go on to have a productive, pain-free day.

How does that happen? It’s the expert, compassionate and caring experience they’ve just had.

When we hire new team members to support our practice, we don’t look for people who’ve only worked in the dental field. We look for those who have experience in customer service industries and working with people. These are the team members who will make a positive difference, from the moment patients call the office to their first interaction with the dental assistant who welcomes them into the treatment room. And that experience continues as we engage with them.

I take time to get to know each of my patients. I accommodate their needs and requests, whether for a comforting blanket, noise canceling head phones, their favorite Netflix show, or maybe just a real conversation. I don't mind taking that extra time because I do my best work when patients are calm and trusting.

We understand that patients have a choice in their dental care these days. They research doctors, read reviews, follow social media, analyze websites and google everything. As informed consumers, they want to understand the procedure even before they make an appointment, and they want to connect with the doctor.

Dentistry is becoming more patient-centered, as it should be. There have been huge improvements in dentistry over the past few generations, from the days when alcohol did the job of local anesthetics, tooth pain resulted in extractions, and fear filled the air. Slow and steady improvements, though, are not enough. We need to innovate and recreate. As author Oren Harari says, "The electric light bulb did not come from the continuous improvement of candles."

As endodontists, we’re lucky because we’re experts in a procedure that relieves pain almost immediately. My passion and purpose are making patients happy and relieving their suffering. That’s why, at the end of each day, I go home feeling so much satisfaction. And, I look forward to coming back the next day.