Robert Higa, DDS

Staff was friendly & soothing, especially important for a stress case like me.
Dr. Higa was professional, patient and took time to explain my options.
I was referred for a problem, so I was more than my usual amount of scared but Dr Higa was kind, gentle and very professional.

Avoid! Avoid! Avoid! Having to have my tooth redone by a different endodontist because the tooth became infected after my root canal. The crown is not cracked. The endodontist has confirmed this is due to improper treatment of the first infection. I went in after my root canal, and Dr. Higa quickly brushed me off, wishing I would have been more pushy now as the infection ate a lot of my root. Please, please, please look for someone else. Save yourself the pain and time away from work! A proper root canal should be done in 2 sittings, not 1. Good luck!

The absolute best endodontist in Riverside. From his friendly and courteous staff, to keeping you well-​informed every step of the way, every visit to his practice has been an absolute pleasure. Dr. Higa takes his time to perform every procedure in a way that makes you feel comfortable, at ease, and fully confident in his abilities. I highly recommend him to anyone in need of a root canal or any other endodontic procedure.

Exploring the wonderful world of dentistry again. Lucky me! Heavy metal party-​in-​my-​mouth time.
First of all, I am honored to be the first to review Dr. Higa, but mystified why he has not been Unilocaled before. I was referred to Dr. Higa by my dentist, Dr. Anthony Kim (whom I now identify as my personal white knight). While wonderful at his craft, Dr. Kim knows his own limitations. So he keeps a network of specialists whom he highly respects for those «more difficult» cases. He confided that Dr. Higa was his #1 choice for me.
I had an emergency appointment (the very next day after Dr. Kim gave him a call) for a tooth in the back of my mouth that actually showed absolutely nothing on my X-​rays. And how could this be? Well, the teeth on that side already had porcelain/​metal crowns which blocked any visualization of what was really going on deep down inside. All I knew was, I could not chew on one side from the throbbing and excruciating pain.
First Dr. Higa did a non-​invasive analysis to see what was really going on in there. This included touching the front and the back of what seemed to be my offending tooth with an extremely cold wand. When I declared I could not feel anything from the front, he knew at least two roots were dead, possibly one still viable. Testing the adjacent teeth that were feeling tender too, I could feel the cold. The prognosis, a root canal for one tooth, extremely difficult even for him. He sent me home with a penicillin prescription and an appointment for 10 days later.
The penicillin calmed it down in time for the big day.
Most impressive, the good doctor has a wonderfully calm and assuring manner. Both he and his assistant made me feel at ease and made sure I was comfortable as they carefully explained everything he would do, and answered my questions. Then he, gratefully, numbed me up so I felt no pain (!) through the entire 2 ½ hour procedure, while still awake.
He worked carefully and meticulously with an amazing array of tools, checking his work with x-​rays several times. The location of my tooth, combined with the fact the tooth turned out to be completely necrotic, plus calcified, made this a very complicated and long procedure for him.
And in the end, excellent results. His goal was to save my tooth, save the crown, plus give me a beautifully done root canal. And he was true to his word.
Now my tooth simply looks like it has a new, safe filling. I like that!
His office is small, tastefully decorated, complete with piped in music. And I also noticed how quiet it was. There were no other patients waiting. You see, he does not double book. He wisely allowed himself plenty of time to focus exclusively on me. That also meant no waiting in the waiting room when I arrived. He was very prompt.
A very happy outcome, a very positive experience. Thank you, Dr. Higa and staff for taking such good care of me.