From tooth pain to saved tooth: one patient's week
What actually happens between the first throb and a healed tooth six months later. The timeline below is a composited case based on real visits — names and small details changed for privacy.
- 1
Day 0 — Sunday evening
The pain that wouldn't go away
A patient we'll call Maria — a 38-year-old elementary school teacher from Mountain View — woke up Sunday with a dull ache in an upper-left molar. By dinnertime it was throbbing. Cold water sent a shock through her jaw that lingered for 30 seconds after she stopped drinking. She tried ibuprofen and a heating pad. Her general dentist's office was closed for the weekend.
- 2
Day 1 — Monday 8 AM
The first call
She called her general dentist, who fit her in at 11 AM. The X-ray showed a deep filling on tooth #14 — the upper-left first molar — but the periapical area looked unremarkable. Her dentist diagnosed irreversible pulpitis from lingering cold sensitivity and referred her to our office for the root canal, noting that #14 is a tooth with frequently complex anatomy and a microscope would be helpful.
- 3
Day 1 — Monday 1 PM
Consultation in Sunnyvale
Maria reached our office by 1 PM. Dr. Kung reviewed her referral, examined the tooth, and took a focused-field CBCT because upper first molars are the textbook case for hidden MB2 anatomy. The 3-D scan confirmed the diagnosis and revealed that her tooth had four canals: MB1, MB2, distobuccal, and palatal. The MB2 canal was small but clearly visible on the scan.
- 4
Day 1 — Monday 2 PM
The treatment
Treatment began the same afternoon. Under the Zeiss OPMI surgical microscope, Dr. Kung located all four canals, including the MB2 canal that's missed in roughly half of cases worked without magnification. The treatment took about 90 minutes. Maria felt pressure but no pain. She left with a temporary filling and a follow-up scheduled with her general dentist for the permanent crown.
- 5
Day 2 — Tuesday
The first 24 hours
Maria reported mild tenderness when biting on the treated side — normal post-operative inflammation. Over-the-counter ibuprofen managed it completely. She taught a full day of school. By Thursday the tenderness was gone.
- 6
Two weeks later
The crown
Maria returned to her general dentist for the permanent crown. We sent the post-operative imaging and treatment notes the same day Dr. Kung completed the work, so her dentist had everything needed to plan the restoration without follow-up calls.
- 7
Six months later
The recall
Maria came back for a six-month follow-up. The tooth was asymptomatic. The periapical X-ray showed healing of the small lesion that had been visible on the original CBCT. Her tooth was saved — and is expected to last decades.
What this case shows
Same-day treatment is realistic
For many patients with active symptoms, we can complete diagnosis and treatment in a single visit when the referring dentist confirms the case is appropriate. Same-day appointments depend on availability — but they happen routinely.
The microscope and the CBCT worked together
The CBCT told us where the MB2 canal was; the microscope let us actually access and clean it. Without either tool, the same case would have had a meaningfully lower long-term success rate.
Communication with the referring dentist matters
Maria's general dentist had the treatment notes and imaging in their inbox the same evening. That's how a specialist referral should work — the patient shouldn't have to be the messenger between two offices.
Privacy note: this story is composited from real visits. The patient's name, occupation, town, and identifying details have been changed. The clinical sequence, imaging findings, treatment time, and outcome are representative of actual cases — we have not invented or exaggerated any clinical detail. No protected health information from any specific patient is published on this page.
Your case is probably more straightforward than you think
Most patients walk in worried it will hurt and walk out surprised by how routine it was. If you have a referral in hand — or even just persistent pain that hasn't been diagnosed — call us. Same-day appointments are often available, including weekends.