Root Canal Specialist in Houston: Dr. Bohluli
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An endodontist is a dentist who has completed additional residency training devoted entirely to the inside of the tooth: the pulp, the nerve, and the root canal system. At Omega Dental Specialists in Midtown Houston, root canal treatment and retreatment of failed root canals are performed by Dr. Pedram Bohluli, with the fee for your specific tooth given in writing before treatment starts. Here is when seeing a specialist actually matters and when it does not.
Seen in Midtown Houston, Saturday hours: Book an appointment · (713) 322-7474 · Endodontics in Houston
What an endodontist is
Every dentist learns root canal treatment in dental school and many general dentists do it well. An endodontist has gone on to complete a further residency, typically two to three years, devoted specifically to diagnosing tooth pain and treating the root canal system.
The practical difference is repetition and equipment. An endodontist does this work all day rather than between fillings and crowns, and the practice is set up for it: a surgical operating microscope, cone beam CT imaging, ultrasonic instruments for canals that are narrow or calcified, and electronic apex locators for measuring root length precisely.
That does not make a general dentist's root canal a bad idea. For a straightforward front tooth with clear anatomy, it is often entirely appropriate, and your own dentist is well placed to say so. The value of a specialist rises with the difficulty of the case, which is what the rest of this page is about.
What it costs at our Midtown office
The average cost of a root canal in Houston moves with the tooth itself, and our fees follow the same logic.
• Root canal treatment is priced by tooth position, because a molar with three or four canals is considerably more work than a front tooth with one.
• Retreatment of a previous root canal that has reinfected or failed to heal carries a higher fee than a first treatment.
• Apicoectomy, a surgical procedure at the root tip when retreatment through the crown is not possible, is priced above either.
• Cracked tooth diagnosis: free with treatment.
The crown that usually follows a root canal is a separate procedure and is quoted at your consultation, because it depends on the tooth and the material.
Retreatment costs more than a first root canal because it is more work. The existing filling material has to come out before the canals can be cleaned again, and the reason the first treatment failed has to be found, which is where the microscope and the CBCT scan earn their place.
For today's exact fee for your tooth, call (713) 322-7474 or see our endodontics page; we put the figure in writing before treatment starts.
When a specialist genuinely matters
Some cases are meaningfully harder, and these are the ones worth taking to an endodontist.
• A previous root canal that has failed or reinfected. Retreatment is technically demanding and it is the clearest case for specialist referral.
• Molars, which have more canals than front teeth and often a fourth canal in the upper first molar that is easy to miss without magnification.
• Curved, calcified or unusually shaped canals, which a CBCT scan will show before anyone starts.
• A cracked tooth, where the question is not only how to treat it but whether it can be saved at all.
• Pain that persists after a root canal, or pain that no one has yet been able to locate to a specific tooth.
• Any case your general dentist refers, because they have looked at it and formed a view.
If none of those apply, your own dentist is a reasonable place to have it done, and we would tell you that on the phone.
Dr. Pedram Bohluli
Dr. Bohluli came to dentistry through engineering. He holds a Master's degree and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and received an Excellence in Biomedical Engineering Award in 2005. He earned his certificate in endodontics from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in 2007 and has practiced endodontics since.
Root canal work is detailed mechanical treatment carried out in a space a few millimeters across, using instruments measured in tenths of a millimetre, and an engineering background is a reasonable fit for it.
At Omega he performs root canal treatment, retreatment of root canals that have reinfected or failed to heal, apicoectomy, and the diagnostic work of locating pain that has not been pinned to a specific tooth.
What the appointment involves
It starts with diagnosis, and on a difficult case that is the part that matters most. Digital X rays, a CBCT scan where the anatomy warrants it, testing the tooth, and a conversation about what your symptoms actually indicate.
Treatment is done under local anesthetic and usually takes about sixty to ninety minutes for a single tooth. Under the microscope, the pulp chamber is accessed, the infected tissue removed, the canals cleaned and shaped, and the canal system sealed with a biocompatible filling material.
A temporary filling goes on top at the end. The tooth then needs a permanent restoration, usually a crown on a back tooth, because a root-treated tooth is more brittle than a living one and the restoration is what protects it from fracturing. That can be done by a general dentist in this practice or by your own dentist, whichever you prefer.
Expect some tenderness for a few days, usually manageable with over the counter pain relief. Call us if it is increasing rather than settling.
Root canal or extraction
Worth having straight, because the alternative to a root canal is losing the tooth.
Saving the tooth is generally preferable when the tooth is restorable. Nothing replaces a natural tooth exactly, the root keeps stimulating the bone around it, and the adjacent teeth are left alone.
Extraction is the right answer when the tooth is not restorable: a vertical root fracture, decay extending well below the gum, or too little tooth structure left to hold a crown. In that case the honest sequence is extraction, and then an implant later if you choose to replace it. An implant with its crown costs a multiple of a root canal, with any socket grafting added on top.
Adding up that second path is worth doing before deciding that a root canal is expensive. We will lay out both at the consultation with the real figures, and if the tooth cannot be saved we will say so rather than treating it and hoping.
Seeing an endodontist in Midtown Houston
We are at 106 W Gray Street in Midtown, between Downtown and the Texas Medical Center, with parking on site. Patients come from Montrose, River Oaks, the Heights, EaDo and the Museum District, and general dentists across Houston refer cases here.
Because Omega is a multi-specialty practice, a root canal does not end with a handoff to another office. A general dentist here can place the final crown, and if a tooth genuinely cannot be saved, the oral surgeons are down the hall.
We keep same-day emergency slots on weekdays for severe toothache. Open Monday to Friday 9 to 5 and Saturday 9 to 3.
Whether your policy contributes depends entirely on that policy. We verify your specific benefit with your insurer before treatment, at no charge, and give you your share in writing. Cherry, Affirm and Sunbit spread the balance monthly.
Call (713) 322-7474 or book online. More on the treatment on our endodontics page, and on root canal cost.
Frequently asked
What is an endodontist?
An endodontist is a dentist who has completed additional residency training, typically two to three years beyond dental school, focused on the pulp, the nerve and the root canal system, and on diagnosing tooth pain. They perform root canal treatment, retreatment of failed root canals, and surgical procedures at the root tip. At Omega Dental Specialists that is Dr. Pedram Bohluli.
Should I see a specialist or my general dentist for a root canal?
For a straightforward front tooth, your own dentist is often entirely appropriate and well placed to advise you. A specialist is worth seeking for retreatment of a failed root canal, molars with complex canal anatomy, curved or calcified canals, a cracked tooth, pain persisting after previous treatment, or when your dentist refers you. The harder the case, the more the extra training and equipment matter.
How much does a root canal cost in Houston?
The average cost of a root canal in Houston depends mainly on which tooth needs it, because a molar with three or four canals is more work than a front tooth with one, and retreatment of a previously treated tooth costs more than a first root canal. The crown that usually follows is quoted separately because it depends on the tooth and the material. Call Omega Dental Specialists at (713) 322-7474 for today's exact fee; we verify your insurance benefit at no charge before treatment.
Why does root canal retreatment cost more?
Because it is more work. The filling material from the first treatment has to be removed before the canals can be cleaned again, and the reason the original treatment did not heal has to be identified first. That is where the operating microscope and a CBCT scan matter, since a missed canal or unusual anatomy is a common cause. That additional work is what puts retreatment above a first root canal on any fee schedule, including ours.
What equipment does an endodontist use that a general dentist may not?
A surgical operating microscope for magnification, cone beam CT imaging to see canal anatomy in three dimensions before starting, ultrasonic instruments for canals that are narrow or calcified, and electronic apex locators to measure root length precisely. None of this guarantees an outcome, but it makes complex anatomy visible rather than something to be worked around blind.
Is it better to have a root canal or pull the tooth?
Saving a restorable tooth is generally preferable, since nothing replaces a natural tooth exactly and the root keeps stimulating the bone. Extraction is the right answer when the tooth is not restorable, such as a vertical root fracture or decay well below the gum. Worth comparing the full paths: a root canal that keeps the tooth, or an extraction followed by an implant, which adds up to considerably more once every stage is counted.
Can I be seen for a root canal the same day?
We keep same-day emergency slots on weekdays for severe toothache, and Saturday appointments run 9 to 3. Call (713) 322-7474 and describe what you are feeling. If the tooth is infected and painful, it is worth calling rather than waiting, because an infection that spreads is both more urgent and more expensive to deal with.