Dr James Y.S. Ho, DMD
Founder and Owner
Endodontic Care Center
Dr. James Y. S. Ho, DMD, is an accomplished and experienced endodontist specializing in microscopic and microsurgical techniques. A graduate of the doctorate program at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Dr Ho received his DMD (Dentariae Medicinae Doctoris) in 1998. Dr. Ho completed his residency at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center and further specialized in advanced microscopic and microsurgical endodontics atUCLA School of Dentistry.
Driven by a vision for exceptional patient care, in 2004 Dr. Ho established his Berkeley, California private practice, Endodontic Care Center. Notably, Dr. Ho was among the first endodontists in the United States to adopt Cone Beam CT technology and has fine-tuned techniques for saving teeth from unnecessary removal which he terms “Hero-dontics” and “Second Opinion Saves" (SOS).
Dr. Ho travels as a guest speaker about his techniques, gives back to his alma mater as one of the dentists for Cal Berkeley's Sports Medicine team and volunteers with the non-profit Great Shape! Inc's 1000 Smiles service trips to Jamaica to further his mission to save teeth and retain them.
Advanced Restorative
Care
Our team's goal is to preserve the tooth as much as possible using all aspects of modern care - microscopes, 3D imaging, laser-enhanced disinfection. Our 3 goals for your teeth:
1. Asymptomatic (no pain)
2. Functional (able to chew normally)
3. with Longevity (lasting results & without cracks or fractures)
Serene Environment
OUR MISSION
"Our mission at Endodontic Care Center in Berkeley is to provide meticulous, uncompromising,
state-of-the-art endodontic care,
delivered in a professional, compassionate, and comfortable environment,
and performed in an efficient, responsive, and respectful manner.
This commitment extends to the patients we have the privilege to care for
and the colleagues with whom we have the opportunity to work."
"SOS" or
Second Option Saves
If you have been told that the tooth needs to be extracted (removed), come to Dr James Ho for a second opinion. With advanced technology including microscopic aided diagnosis and treatment, 3D guided imaging, lasers to disinfect diseased tissue, and, most importantly, a contemporary philosophy of tooth preservation, our ultimate goal is to preserve the structural integrity of one's tooth, thereby increasing the longevity. Dr. Ho has abandoned out-dated techniques to focus on what matters most to increase tooth longevity. We are proud to save teeth that other clinicians have doomed to removal. Sadly, too many teeth are being extracted, when they can be saved with contemporary measures.
Speaker
Dr James Ho has lectured at the International Academy of Endodontics (IAE), the California Dental Association (CDA) convention, the Dental Influencers Alliance (DIA) and for local dental associations including the San Mateo County Dental Society.
He has also committed to sharing his knowledge to doctors-in-training. He has lectured at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (his alma mater), at UCSF School of Dentistry and at the University of the Pacific (UOP).
Volunteer Dental Missions
Since 2022, Dr Ho has traveled annually with Great Shape! Inc's 1000 Smiles Project to Jamaica teaching UOP dental students and saving teeth from extraction.
Message from Dr. James Ho
Hello. Welcome to our office. We look forward to the opportunity to meet and care for you. Please explore the rest of our website, but here's a summary of our practice philosophy. It's ECC in a nutshell.
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My team and I do not treat teeth...instead, we take care of people who have a diseased or injured tooth. The pleasant and comforting environment of our office was designed with our patients' well-being in mind. We want your experience to be a positive one.
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Even though I am an endodontist, my primary job is not to just do root canal treatments. I believe that my main job is to accurately diagnose diseases of the pulp ("root canal"). Only then, do I recommend or perform any necessary treatment. I strive to ensure our patients' chief complaints are addressed. I want to get the diagnosis right! (because there is a financial consequence to our patients, if I am wrong).
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I believe that endodontic treatment is so much more than "just a procedure." I believe that endodontics is the foundation for all subsequent restorative treatment. I believe that modern-day endodontics should strive to follow what I call:
"THE 7 R's OF RETAINING TEETH"
1) don’t Ruin
2) Rescue
3) Regenerate
4) Repair
5) Restore
6) Reinforce
7) Re-evaluate
The number one rule follows the Hippocratic Oath's first rule, "first, do no harm." That is, don’t Ruin teeth by doing the procedure without the microscope, without careful planning, or without deliberate attempts to preserve tooth structure. The microscope is ESSENTIAL for this - the better one can see, the better one can do. Often times, many clinicians focus on doing procedures as fast as possible with little regard to planning the procedure or ignoring the consequences of hasty and sloppy treatment. I am ethically opposed to that. As a RESTORATIVE endodontist, I feel that our job is to rehabilitate a tooth so that it is asymptomatic and functional, with longevity. As such, I take much pride in achieving these goals.
I strive to Rescue compromised teeth - those that really shouldn't be there, but need to be there for the welfare of our patient. Sometimes there are medical reason why we need to retain a tooth. Sometimes there are strategic reasons. Sometimes, there are reasons of convenience.
In areas of disease, effective and thorough treatment is performed so that the bone can Regenerate in areas that have been lost due to chronic infections. In pediatrics, our goal is to Regenerate the pulp in an underdeveloped tooth, so that our young patients have a chance to retain a tooth into their adulthood.
I strive to Repair damaged parts of teeth so that they can continue to function in a useful and comfortable manner for our patients. Sometimes, by Repairing a small area, we can avoid a costly replacement of an entire bridge or complicated restorative structure.
I aim to meticulously Restore teeth to function and aesthetics, so that they work and look like they did before they were drilled into. For many years, I have been committed to learning the nuances of adhesion science and cosmetic dentistry.
From an engineering and biomimetic standpoint, I try to strategically Reinforce teeth internally so that the filling materials actually make the teeth stronger, instead of making them weaker. I have spent many years developing my own technique to help stabilize and Reinforce cracks in teeth. Currently, I am analyzing 10 year follow-ups for this technique.
And finally, I strive to Re-evaluate the efficacy of my treatments with follow-up recall visits, so that I can gain valuable feedback on what does and what doesn’t help teeth.
I am committed to using all the current technologies to achieve "The 7 R's." It takes time, commitment, and concentration to retain teeth properly. I don't like to give up on teeth and take pride in resuscitating teeth that other endodontists have given up on. See our collection of Second Opinion Saves (SOS).
