Dr. Curtis Brimley - Through the Keyhole

Dr. Curtis J. Brimley reflects on the inspirations and challenges that made endodontics his focus

What can you tell us about your background?
I did all my undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I majored in finance with a minor in chemistry, plus did all my dental prerequisites, so, needless to say, I spent a little extra time in Provo. I attended dental school in Philadelphia at Temple University and also got my MBA from Temple’s Fox School of Business. After leaving Temple, I did a general practice residency (GPR) at the University of Utah hospital. I was then in private practice in Salt Lake City for 4 years before moving to Detroit for endodontic residency at Detroit Mercy. After residency, I returned to Salt Lake City and opened Copper Creek Endodontics.

When did you become a specialist and why?
I graduated from Temple Dental in 1999 and didn’t go to residency until 2004, but that entire time I knew I wanted to be an endodontist. The undergraduate endodontic faculty at Temple was amazing, and from the first year in dental school, I realized I had some innate draw to endodontics. I’m not sure why, but I just loved doing root canals. I was president of the endo study club and loved everything about it.

Is your practice limited solely to endodontics, or do you practice other types of dentistry?
There is definitely a trend in the endodontic specialty towards placing implants, and I whole heartedly support the endodontists who are doing that, but my true passion is saving teeth if at all possible, and I have not done a single dental procedure that wasn’t endo in more than 8 years. It might not be the greatest business model to not incorporate some other procedures, but I love what I do so much that as long as I can support my family doing just root canals that is all I will ever do.

Why did you decide to focus on endodontics?
Of course I believe that endodontics is the greatest field in dentistry, but the honest truth is I don’t really know why I love it so much. I think a lot of endodontists reading this will relate to that; for whatever reason, I was just enamored with the practice of endodontics. Over the 4 years I spent in general practice, I gravitated to endo so much that the last 2 years of that period, all I did was root canals, and it was a dream come true to be accepted in the residency at Detroit Mercy.

Do your patients come through referrals?
We are 100% referral based. I really love the interaction and relationships I get to have with my referring doctors. It’s been a great honor to work with so many talented clinicians in a way that we all improve each other. I often have referring doctors over to my office to watch a procedure or just exchange theories and ideas.

How long have you been practicing endodontics, and what systems do you use?
If you count the 2 years I limited my practice, I’ve been doing just endodontics for about 10 years, and during that short time, I have changed systems and techniques several times. Even though it’s not really a “system,” the thing I am most married to in my practice is TDO (Total Digital Office). There is still a lot of misunderstanding about what TDO is in endodontics. Every year at lectures or meetings, I meet endodontists who think that TDO is just a software program. What TDO really is is a group of endodontists with an extremely fierce commitment to the highest quality possible. That commitment is what truly defines TDO, and it touches on every aspect of the practice of endodontics. It encompasses clinical work, practice management, continuing education, ect.

What training have you undertaken?
Of course I am a hard-core believer in continuing education. I think that staying current on all aspects of the profession is what keeps the job interesting and exciting. I’m pretty sure that if you don’t stay inspired through learning, that’s when work starts to feel like work. My latest passion has been the introduction of cone-beam imaging. I’ve had a Kodak 9000 cone beam (Carestream Dental) in my office for about 2 years now, and I am not exaggerating when I say that it has changed my life. The amount it has increased my ability to diagnose and treat is almost impossible to describe. I’ve even lectured for Kodak several times, which has been a great learning experience, and it’s been so interesting to learn how much more there is to still discover in our profession.

Who has inspired you?
The faculty at Temple Dental was exceptional, and specifically in endodontics, Drs. Esposito and Gordon really supported my interest in endodontics. Also, my program director at Detroit Mercy, Dr. Michael Hoen, was truly amazing. I so admire all of their dedication to educate and also advance the field of endodontics. I would also be remiss not to mention my admiration for Dr. Gary Carr who started TDO; he has committed his entire life to advancing the practice of endodontics.

What is the most satisfying aspect of your practice?
As cliché as it may sound, I really did go into dentistry and endodontics for the love of helping people. There is nothing more satisfying then getting a patient who is really suffering out of pain and back on the path to good oral health. I feel endodontists are really lucky in that respect—we get to see the results of our work and the gratitude of our patients in a fairly short amount of time.

Professionally, what are you most proud of?
For the last 4 years I’ve been an endodontic attending for the GPR residents at the University of Utah Hospital. It was a real honor to be asked to be a faculty member of their program, and it’s been amazing to see my career come full circle and work at the program that I attended over 10 years ago.

What do you think is unique about your practice?
It’s a bit hard to be truly unique in such a specialized field, but one thing I do a bit differently is, on cases that for whatever reason need more than just the standard referral letter being sent back to the referring dentist, I will create a video case review and e-mail it to the dentist. The video format allows so much more information to be relayed back to the dentist—after all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Also, given the 3-D nature of cone-beam imaging, the video is really the only way to convey all the information that it contains. If a picture is worth a thousand words, and a cone beam is thousands of pictures, you really start to see the value it has. Another unique part of our practice is my main operatory which is a live patient demonstration operatory where up to fifteen people can watch the video feed from the scope and participate in the treatment. Ultradent Products has even used it for doing lectures which I considered an honor because I think they are an excellent company.

What has been your biggest challenge?
Very predictably, my biggest challenge is one that we all have, and that has been time management. In the first year after residency I moved to Utah, got married, became a stepdad to four kids, bought a house, started a practice from scratch (literally an empty lot), had my first child, started a study club, and started working at the University of Utah. Even with all that, it seems to have only gotten busier since then, so time is a very precious commodity.

What would you have been if you didn’t become a dentist?
My grandfather was a plumber and my dad was a plumber, and all the way through college I worked as a plumber, so I guess that’s a possibility, but I know I would not have been as happy as I am now. In fact, a few years ago when my parents were moving, they found a book about me that I had filled out when I was only 8 years old. In the blank after “When I grow up, I want to be,” I had written “an artist,” then crossed it out and wrote “a dentist.”

What is the future of endodontics and dentistry?
I am definitely an eternal optimist, and I think that the future of dentistry and endodontics is very bright. I feel like every single year we advance as a profession in some way or another. We all know that technology moves so fast that it’s hard to predict what is around the corner, and I don’t see a reason to think that will ever change. Most of us have probably heard the story that in the late 1800s, the United States considered closing the patent office because there was nothing left to invent, and yet the number of patents grows every year.

What are your top tips for maintaining a successful specialty practice?
Kill every patient with kindness, make every root canal the absolute best that it possibly can be, and treat your referring doctors like gold. Do that with all your heart, but don’t forget to not take life too seriously.

What advice would you give to budding endodontists?
Just make sure you love what you do with all your heart. Do that by doing a lot of endo, attending a lot of lectures and conventions, and just immersing yourself in the profession. That way you’ll get a good idea if you can do it for the rest of your life and continue to enjoy it.

What are your hobbies, and what do you do in your spare time?
Until moving to Detroit, I was an avid doer of almost anything. I spent 15 years hang glidding, 5 years paragliding, and 4 years skeleton racing. The year before I started residency, I was actually a member of the US National Skeleton Team. I’ve played the guitar since I was young and still take weekly lessons. I grew up snow skiing, snowboarding, and water skiing, and still do when I get the chance. My latest hobby is just taking care of my wife and our six kids, which is by far the most enjoyable hobby I have ever had.

Curtis J. Brimley received both his DMD and MBA from Temple University in 1999. He completed a GPR in hospital dentistry at the University of Utah and then practiced general dentistry in Salt Lake City for 4 years. In 2006, he received his MS and Certificate in Endodontics from the University of Detroit Mercy. Since that time, he has been practicing endodontics in Salt Lake City. In 2008, he opened Copper Creek Endodontics in Riverton, Utah, where he practices with his associate Dr. Jeffery Hanzon. Copper Creek Endodontics is a beautiful office with five operatories, five full-time, wonderful employees, two Carl Ziess Pro Ergo and two Global 6-step microscopes. Every case is cone-beam imaged with their Kodak 9000. Dr. Brimley is on faculty at the University of Utah GPR program and also lectures for Kodak on cone-beam imaging. Dr. Brimley, his wife, and their 6 kids reside in South Jordan, Utah. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or 801-432-8200.