It’s always fun to work on the cover of roots magazine. For this issue, which has just been printed, I wanted to try something a little different. This cover shows a handpiece and a file — the machinery used by the dentist during a root canal procedure — next to before-and-after X-ray images of a tooth that was treated.

As a non-dentist, I have come to respect and admire those who perform root canal treatment. When I show friends who are not dentists the cover of a magazine like this, most get scared or grossed out. But the thing is, it’s scary-looking equipment like this in the hands of a trained professional that can take away your pain and save your tooth.