Dental Arts Clinic

Here at Dental Arts Clinic, we understand that visits to the dentist can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for some patients. Because of this, we offer sedation services to help patients feel more comfortable and relaxed during their visit. IV (Intravenous Moderate Sedation) is a conscious sedation treatment, meaning that you will be aware of where you are and what is happening and be able to follow any instructions provided by our dentist. IV Sedation provides medication directly into your bloodstream to help you relax quickly and feel comfortable during your appointment. Prior to providing you with IV Sedation, you will meet with the dentist one-on-one to discuss your medical history, dental needs and any other relevant factors to determine if IV Sedation is the best option for you. This type of sedation is very safe, as we will monitor you closely throughout your entire treatment to ensure that there are no complications. Patients often feel as though they have slept through their treatment following their procedure and do not recall many of the details of their visit. Does insurance cover Sedation Dentistry? Since each extended health plan is unique it’s advised to check with your dental insurer to determine if you will be eligible for coverage. We can assist you with this process and with making the necessary financial arrangements.

Are you wanting to improve the colour of your teeth? Teeth whitening is a safe procedure that can be done to give you a whiter and brighter smile. We offer both in office and take home bleaching alternatives. In office whitening can be completed in one appointment and can dramatically change the colour of your teeth. Upon completion of in office whitening, you are provided take home trays to do touch ups when needed. In office whitening can last up to 2 years depending on how many staining foods you eat or if you smoke. Take home bleaching can offer the same whitening results as in office but at a lower cost. Most take home bleaches take 2-3 weeks to get desired colour and must be used once a day during this time. Touch up kits can be ordered as needed.

Do you like the look of your smile? Are your teeth crooked or discoloured? Do you have spaces between your teeth? Veneers and bonding can help you improve your smile’s overall look without the need for braces. What is a veneer? Veneers are porcelain facings that are applied to teeth to improve a tooth’s shape, colour, or size. They can also improve malalignment of teeth if minor correction is needed and if you do not want to do braces. They are the closest you can get in looks to natural teeth with the least amount of tooth removal. The porcelains used in veneers are matched to your natural colour, or if you want whiter teeth, they can be made lighter. When veneers are done right, they look and feel like your own teeth. What is bonding? Bonding is when we apply a white resin material to teeth in order to fill gaps, change tooth size and shape or to change the color of a tooth. Bonding typically can be completed in one appointment and may not require freezing. Since no tooth is removed when bonding is done, it is also reversible.

Bridges are used to replace a missing tooth or teeth. A bridge is a good option if replacing one or two missing teeth and the teeth on either side of the space have fillings. A bridge can strengthen the teeth on either side of the space and fill the hole between at the same time. Looking after your bridge is very important Flossing the regular way isn’t possible since it is all joined together so floss threaders are used to pull the floss between the gums and the bridge. Brushing and flossing daily is vital to the longevity of the bridge as without proper cleaning decay can still occur around a bridge.

We like to have a thorough understanding of your oral and medical health history. Your oral health and overall health is directly connected, so it is important we have an understanding of both before we recommend a treatment plan for you. Therefore, all our patients are given a thorough exam each year. We take diagnostic photos and x-rays as necessary to enable us to see in the areas not visible to the naked eye. We then perform the dental exam. The exam will include an intraoral/extraoral screening (checking glands, lymph nodes, and for abnormal tissues both visually and with a Velscope), periodontal screening (checking gum tissues), primary neuromuscular screening (TMJ), and airway screening (enlarged tonsils, sleep apnea) as well as your teeth (decay, broken enamel or fillings, wear). Once the exam is done, you will have the opportunity to discuss your treatment options with your dentist as well as with our treatment co-ordinator. Our treatment coordinator will discuss your treatment options in detail, costs, insurance and answer any other questions you may have. We strive to ensure your exam is complete.

Cleanings are a very individual service as no two cleanings are exactly alike. The build up of plaque and tartar or scale is different from person to person. Plaque is made up of a biofilm of bacteria, calcium from the saliva, and food. It can form both above and below the gums. As the bacteria process the food, an acid is produced that can cause cavities. As plaque sits longer on the teeth, scale begins to form. When the scale gets thicker, the gum tissue will pull away from the teeth. This can affect your bone health around your teeth and can make your gums bleed or your teeth loosen. Removal of the scale helps to keep your mouth healthy along with regular brushing and flossing. Gum disease is usually painless until later stages when it becomes too late to save your teeth. We use a variety of methods to help reduce and prevent the effects of gum disease.

Nobody likes to hear they need a root canal, but what exactly is it? Each individual tooth has living tissue inside it. If a tooth is damaged it can affect the living tissue inside. Bacteria will then live inside the tooth which can lead to pain and swelling around the tooth. When root canal treatment is completed it works similar to a stopper in a sink. We clean out the dying tissue and bacteria and then fill the canals with a material that stops bacteria from being able to get back into the tooth and allows the tissues to heal.

Many of us require fillings at some point in our lives. Fillings are used to restore decayed teeth, broken teeth, or sometimes even worn down teeth. Thanks to a wide variety of materials, fillings can vary in strength and looks. The fillings that most look and act like natural teeth are porcelain fillings. These are more commonly referred to as inlays and onlays. They are very durable in areas where large fillings are needed and blend well in a natural smile. They are fabricated at a dental laboratory and have the same strength as a crown, but allow as much natural tooth structure to be left as possible. Resin or composite fillings do not have quite the same strength as porcelain but work nicely when smaller fillings are needed. Amalgam or silver fillings are the least aesthetic, however, can function well for many years.

Crowns help to strengthen badly broken down teeth, heavily restored teeth, cracked teeth, worn teeth, root canal treated teeth or to increase the aesthetics of your smile. In order for a crown to be placed the tooth must be shaped so that the crown can cover the remaining healthy tooth structure to prevent further damage. If there is limited healthy tooth structure, a crown can still be placed but may need a few additional procedures to make the crown function better and increase its longevity. Crowns can be made in a variety of materials from beautiful porcelains, durable metals, a combination of metal and porcelain, or gold. Material is chosen based on the function that the tooth is required to do as well as the aesthetic appearance needed. This means that a molar (back tooth) needs to be strong enough to chew on whereas a front tooth needs to made of a more aesthetically pleasing material.

Are you missing one or more teeth? Implants are the gold standard for replacing missing teeth. An implant acts much like a regular tooth and does not affect surrounding teeth. It also has the added benefit of keeping your bone in your jaws healthy. You can brush an implant and floss it just like a regular tooth. Implants can also be used to stabilize dentures or replace dentures altogether. Depending on your needs, we can tailor a suitable treatment to optimizing the longevity of your implants. We will also work with specialists if you need more complex treatment to restore your smile.