Timothy H. Cross

As a young man, Dr. Cross wanted to fly. With High School behind him, he headed to Ohio State University, to pursue a career in aviation. He then worked as an airline pilot for several years. 

So, how did he come to be an endodontist?

While flying professionally, he worked with a nonprofit organization called the Truck of Love. For ten years he helped run their summer camp for youth on the Tohono O’odham reservation in southwestern Arizona.

One year at camp, a friend of his taught a class on healthy eating. He gave the example: “Instead of a candy bar you could eat an apple.” Something snagged Tim’s heart when one of the kids responded, “I can’t eat an apple, it hurts my teeth too much.”

Dr. Tim Cross recalls, “It opened my eyes to how the lack of good oral health affects one’s whole body. That moment put me on a path that brought me to where I am today. 

Back home, I talked to my dentist about it. I started spending time with him. As my interest in dentistry grew, I started taking classes. Eventually I decided to apply to dental school.

I graduated from the University of the Pacific in 2010. My family and I then moved to Tucson where I practiced general dentistry for seven years. I enjoyed what I was doing very much. But it became clear to me how very much I enjoy endodontics. No two teeth are the same. Like flying, performing a root canal mixes both art and science in a purely invigorating three-dimensional environment.

As endodontics, we don’t rebuild people’s mouths with implants and complex prosthetics. It’s more front lines, more in the trenches. We get people out of pain, which is what I love most about dentistry, and beyond that, we can usually save someone’s natural tooth and that’s a very good thing.”

When Dr. Tim Cross isn’t treating patients, he loves to spend time with his wife, who is also a dentist, and their daughter. He also enjoys hobbies such as skiing, hiking, and traveling.