It is not uncommon to be faced with difficult treatment planning decisions when a patient presents with an endodontic problem during a routine day in the practice of general dentistry. Signs and symptoms of pulpal or periapical disease dictate the need for decision-making, and frequently the result of that decision is magnified by the patient experiencing severe pain. Our purpose is to present a link between case selection based on risk factors and the self-assessment of the dentist regarding his or her ability or motivation to treat a given case.