FAQs

Our goal is to establish a long term relationship with our patients by being caring and sensitive to your needs. By carefully listening to your wishes and concerns and by giving considered advice we hope to provide appropriate treatment.

All of our dentists and hygienists each take part in formal continuing education courses each year as well as personal study. They are committed to maintaining and enhancing their skills and their knowledge of cosmetic, restorative, preventive, orthodontic and general dental procedures.

Anyone in our surgery will be glad to explain them to you. We have many types of visual aids to help you understand any dental procedure.

There are several options that you could consider, including reshaping and recontouring, whitening, veneering in composite or porcelain, crowning. We can give advice on invisible braces and can arrange a referral.

You may be able to lighten your teeth by teeth whitening. Your dentist will first need to check you are suitable. Some people may not benefit from whitening or may have too sensitive teeth. You can either have your teeth whitening by your dentist who will make you thin gum shield like trays which you can take home and fill with a special whitening gel and wear when convenient. The benefit of bleaching at home with the “trays” is that you can control how much you lighten your teeth and also it may be cheaper. It does however take much longer than in surgery whitening. Your cosmetic dentist will be able to show you examples of people’s teeth that they have whitened in the past.

The dental hygienists is an important member of the dental team. The hygienists role in patient care is becoming increasingly important. Patients are usually referred to the hygienist by their dentist. Hygienists help to treat and prevent gum disease by scaling and polishing teeth. They also advise patients how to care for their teeth through the use of various products such as toothbrushes, floss, interdental brushes, tongue scrapers and give advice on a healthy diet.

Veneers are used to improve the appearance of front teeth. Your dentists will advice you of the different options. Often this involves taking an impression which is sent to a dental technician who turns that impression into a model on which they make a veneer. The dentist then sticks the veneer on the tooth with special adhesive materials.

Crowns sometimes called caps are like a thimble that fits over the remains of a tooth that may be damaged beyond simply placing a filling or to improve the look of a tooth or after a tooth has had root canal treatment. A crown can be either made of a gold coloured material or a tooth coloured material. Your dentist can advise you as to which type of crown will be best for your tooth, don’t be afraid to ask to see examples.

White fillings may be referred to as tooth coloured or composite fillings by your dentist. Your dentist will advise you as to whether a white filling is appropriate for the tooth you need restoring.

An impression is a mould of your teeth. Your dentist will put putty like material into a tray slightly bigger than your teeth. The tray with putty in it is then put into your mouth and pushed over your teeth. Some of the putty may get squeezed out into your mouth. If you do not cope with things in your mouth very well it is a good idea to try and breathe very slowly through your nose and try to relax letting your mind wander. Depending on the type of putty the dentist uses the tray may be in you mouth for a few second to a few minutes. When the putty sets solid the dentist will remove it from your mouth. The tray with set putty is then sent off to the dental technician who will make a perfect model of your teeth from the impression.

During the surgery visit when you receive your temporary crown, we’ll explain what to do if it breaks or comes off. Generally, the best thing to do is call our surgery and ask to come in; we’ll either remake it or cement it back in place. Always take extra care with temporary crowns as they are secured with a soft cement only. If you dislodge the temporary, we suggest that you gently push it back on the tooth. It will fit precisely and will hold until you can get to see us. Please do not attempt to glue it onto the tooth in any way.

Bleeding gums are an early, warning sign of periodontal or gum disease and should not be ignored. Our dental hygienist has been specially trained to treat periodontal disease and to get it under control.

Persistent bad breath may be a sign of underlying problems, including periodontal problems or decay under older dental work. The best thing to do is call our surgery for an evaluation appointment.

It is important to clean every surface of every tooth every day. So yes, daily flossing or interdental cleaning with small brushes truly is that important to your overall oral health.

We accept all major credit cards, cheques, switch/maestro and cash.

Your dental insurance policy is a contract between you and your insurance company. Insurance policies often differ in their coverages, but many do not cover cosmetic dental procedures. To simplify procedures for everyone, we ask that you pay at the time of service and then obtain any reimbursement directly from your insurance company.

We will be happy to assist you in completing the necessary paperwork and providing copies of any information that you require for submitting to the insurance company. Please bring us your insurance card on your first visit, and keep us updated on changes to your insurance coverages.

We welcome anyone referred by other dentists or by our current patients. We appreciate your referrals because we like to serve like minded people who are looking for the comprehensive dental care philosophy we are proud to provide.

We have a Decontamination Suite that means we adhere to rigorous cross-infection control for the safety of our patients. The team also receives annual training on the handling of medical emergencies.