Empower Your Future with Education
Unlock knowledge and skills for career advancement.
Empower Your Future with Education
Unlock knowledge and skills for career advancement.
Endodontic Curriculum for the General Dental Practitioner
The standard of care in dentistry has changed significantly over the last few decades. More and more general practitioners are faced with the reality of more involved procedures as people are living longer, keeping their dentition much longer, and their demand and expectations have increased.
Additionally, the number, types, and details of procedures have increased the armamentarium and associated technologies. It is challenging for a general practitioner to stay up-to-date on all
the different topics and procedures and yet “wear another hat” amongst many; especially for practice owners and those in full-time private practice.
Cost analysis is also considerable; Reimbursement rates are not increasing, but the cost of business of dentistry has dramatically increased. The dental practitioner has to be able to
confidently and predictably perform the procedure yet stay efficient and profitable. He/she must also know their limits for when to perform the procedure or refer the patient to the dental
specialist. Public’s perception of dentistry is more of a “commodity" rather than health care. This complicates our role in the ever changing healthcare landscape.
The standard of care in endodontics has also changed significantly; It requires that we perform more conservative treatment with longer-lasting results. Large access and large canal preparations are no longer acceptable. The “old school” ways of shaping, cleaning, and obturation are proven to be less reliable and out of date.
One of the more recent challenges has been a trend of “Holistic Dentistry”. Also, propaganda such as “The Root Cause” have negatively affected the perception of the public about root canal treatment. It is common for patients to have a false perception of root canal safety and
unjustified fears as a result of inaccurate information on the web.
Additionally, manufacturers have created a vast array of materials and push their “technique recipe” onto the practitioner making the choices vast but confusing.
As dental providers we have to consider our success rate; In majority of situations we can predictably treat a tooth with endodontic treatment and a proper restoration, which gives us and the patient a safe and long-lasting result. However, we do have to reflect on what lowers
our success rate and how we can minimize it. In endodontics, a significant part of the failure has to do with unqualified general practitioners performing endodontics as a result of the lack of
and outdated nature of their “endodontic knowledge”.
Our Curriculum
Our courses are designed to give the general practitioner an insight and depth of
knowledge to endodontics using peer reviewed scientific resources that the instructors
have utilized as the basis of their lectures and methods.
We pride ourselves in providing personalized and small group learning environments
with a very interactive learning objective. All of our endodontist instructors have been
practicing as a general dentist prior to becoming an endodontist and understand the
challenges faced in a general practice.
We will evaluate and discuss the experience and qualification of each individual
practitioner (see questionnaire and interview) prior to selecting the class tier and how
he/she would benefit from the curriculum. The emphasis of case selection is discussed
in depth.
Our curriculum allows participants to learn clinical techniques that are up-to-date and
scientifically and clinically proven. Furthermore, clinical “gems” will be discussed in the
Tier Three and Tier Four levels to increase efficiency and success rate.
In Tier Two, Three, and Four curriculums, the one-on-one approach with each
participant allows the practitioner to understand which endodontic cases are
predictable and profitable for them and their practice and according to their individual
experience level. We do not believe in one size fits all.
Our curriculum can be taken as a whole or as tiers. This will be determined by us and the
practitioner. We suggest that if the practitioner wishes to engage in more endodontic
treatment that they consider taking the entire curriculum. Sometimes it is also a matter
of un-learning bad habits.
Participants have the opportunity to continue coaching and learning beyond the core
curriculum using our “Virtual Endodontist” subscription.
Meet Our Team
Arash Niazi, DDS
Arash Niazi, DDS
Arash Niazi, DDS
Dr. Niazi obtained his Doctorate in Dental Surgery from Case Western Reserve University in 2003. After practicing for five years as a general dentist in Tacoma and Gig Harbor, he attended the University of Southern California to become certified in Endodontics (root canal specialist).
Dr. Niazi's past experience as a general dentist is an
Dr. Niazi obtained his Doctorate in Dental Surgery from Case Western Reserve University in 2003. After practicing for five years as a general dentist in Tacoma and Gig Harbor, he attended the University of Southern California to become certified in Endodontics (root canal specialist).
Dr. Niazi's past experience as a general dentist is an asset in providing a multidisciplinary approach to long-term treatment in conjunction with a patient's general dentist. Dr. Niazi believes root canal treatment is the best method of saving teeth and improving oral health, an essential part of a patient's overall health. He believes that endodontic treatment should be affordable, comfortable, and of long-lasting results. Dr. Niazi has enjoyed returning home to serve the endodontic needs for the people of Pierce, Kitsap and Mason counties.
Dr. Niazi is active in endodontic research and publication. He has volunteered and traveled to El Salvador to provide endodontic care to the less fortunate. He enjoys spending time with his daughter and son.
Amber Chu, DDS
Arash Niazi, DDS
Arash Niazi, DDS
Dr. Amber Chu immigrated to the United States from Taiwan at the age of 17. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, an elite honors program for gifted students that admits only five undergraduates per year for advanced, graduate-level cours
Dr. Amber Chu immigrated to the United States from Taiwan at the age of 17. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, an elite honors program for gifted students that admits only five undergraduates per year for advanced, graduate-level coursework. During her studies, Dr. Chu received the prestigious Randolph Wolf Research Award for her work in organic chemistry and graduated with Dean’s Honors.
Driven by a passion for science and a desire to work closely with patients, Dr. Chu pursued her dental education at New York University College of Dentistry, graduating in 2002. She opened her first private dental practice in Manhattan shortly thereafter and, over the next six years, expanded to own and manage three group practices.
In 2008, Dr. Chu continued her advanced training by completing an endodontic residency at the University of Southern California. Following residency, she returned to New York before relocating to Houston, Texas, where she established and successfully operated a solo endodontic practice for over 12 years
In 2026, Dr. Chu moved to the Pacific Northwest to join Puget Sound Endodontic Associates group practice alongside Dr. Arash Niazi, her former USC co-resident and longtime colleague.