Dr. Tom J. Rude, DDS

Kirkland East’s business strip runs straight and narrow behind the old Safeway lot. At the northern end, Dr. Tom J. Rude, DDS sits across from a strip of take-out spots and a used-car lot, quiet until the dental chairs start spinning. He’s the neighborhood’s only endodontist, meaning root canals and the finer points of saving cracked molars land in his chair instead of a general dentist’s. Three hygienists rotate through Tuesday and Thursday mornings if you need a quick X-ray before the real work begins.

The building itself is a low-slung beige rectangle tucked behind the Chase and the frozen-yogurt window. You’ll find him at 11830 NE 128th St Ste 101, an address that puts him closer to the freeway noise than to the lake, yet still inside the city’s fastest-growing ZIP. Inside, you won’t wait long—schedules run every twenty minutes, slots carved out for emergencies that flare up after dinner. Cracked crowns, failed fillings, and lingering pain after hours all get triaged before the drill ever revs.

Dial (425) 821-7100 to book or to ask where the building’s side entrance hides when it rains sideways. The staff confirm insurance details in two minutes, then open the folder you forgot to bring. They’ll e-mail a post-op kit while you still have numb lips, a trick that cuts down on the second call.

When the appointment’s over, you’re back on the wide sidewalk staring at the 7-Eleven sign, the lake breeze kicking up pine needles on the pavement. Directions and the door-to-door map live at https://www.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x54900d85f36bbded:0xf58dfd37f0f32ef8—drop a pin before you leave so the next patient can skip the strip-mall guessing game.