Care tailored for your children.
We thrive on helping them get a beautiful smile, achieve their full genetic potential and live happy, healthy lives!
Many of the challenges of treating kids relate not to technical skill, but simply in making children feel comfortable and less anxious — something the caring team at our practice excel at.
We also offer several painless, anesthesia-free procedures that are as or more effective than traditional treatments and won't stress your children.
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Breathing disorders affect your child whole development. Treating them during this crucial growing phase is key to prevent and correct several future problems with gentler treatments.
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When should you start your child's dental appointments?
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The Canadian Dental Association recommends the assessment of infants within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth or by one year of age. The goal is to have your child visit the dentist before there is a problem with his or her teeth. In most cases, a dental exam every six months will let your child's dentist catch small problems early.
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Here are 3 reasons to take your child for dental exams:
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You can find out if the cleaning you do at home is working.
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Your dentist can find problems right away and fix them.
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Your child can learn that going to the dentist helps prevent problems.
Your dentist may want to take X-rays. X-rays show decay between the teeth. They will also show if teeth are coming in the way they should.
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Once your child has permanent molars, your dentist may suggest sealing them to protect them from cavities. A sealant is a kind of plastic that is put on the chewing surface of the molars. The plastic seals the tooth and makes it less likely to trap food and germs.
Dental Cleanings with GBT
Children can greatly benefit from Guided Biofilm Therapy - GBT, the highest standard of care in dental cleanings.
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GBT uses warm water, air, and a fine powder (Erythritol) to remove plaque. It's a gentle, painless, stress-free Swiss technology that is perfect for your little ones. Before the cleaning, we apply a disclosing agent that tints biofilm, allowing us to show your child which areas need more attention. The disclosing agent also guides the hygienist on where to focus the cleaning, increasing efficiency and reducing chair time.
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What are the advantages of Guided Biofilm Therapy?
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There are several advantages to GBT over traditional scalings:
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No pain
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Much more efficient biofilm removal
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Less chair time
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Warm water
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Doesn't damages the enamel or gums
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Especially suited for fixed braces since it cleans where traditional instruments can't reach
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No harsh or artificial chemicals - Erythritol is a natural sugar that inhibits bacterial growth
Airway-centric Orthodontics
"A strong and persistent association between sleep-disordered breathing and diminished IQ"
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"Sleep disordered breathing increased the risk of ADD/ADHD by 50%"
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​"Sleep disordered breathing kids were 40-100% more likely to have neuro-behavioral issues"
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Dr. Karen Bonuck, PhD and Professor of Family Medicine - Albert Einstein College of Medicine
If your child has crooked or crowded teeth or has a hard time sleeping at night, they could be at risk of suffering from sleep apnea when they are fully grown.
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Sleep apnea is where breathing can become hard when your child is sleeping because they have a small airway. Small airways are a result of underdeveloped jaws during childhood.​
Symptoms of a compromised airway in children:
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ADD/ADHD Symptoms
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Restless Sleep
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Difficulty In School
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Crowded / Crooked Teeth
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Aggressive Behavior
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Mouth Breathing
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Allergies
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Asthma
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Inflamed or enlarged Tonsils and Adenoids
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Bed Wetting
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Night Terrors
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Overbite / Overjet
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Venous Pooling
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There are many reasons why jaws don't develop properly that include:
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Thumbsucking
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Bottle feeding for a long time
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Short or no breastfeeding period
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Tongue and/or lip ties
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Pacifiers
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Soft diet
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Certain types of orthodontic treatment can also inhibit the body’s natural growth pattern
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Illness or even allergies that clog or block the airway for some time
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Because these factors are so common in modern society, many children are suffering.
How does Airway-Centric orthodontics differ from traditional orthodontics?
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Airway-centric Orthodontics look into your child's airway, in addition to esthetics and proper occlusion. It targets the root cause of sleep-disordered breathing, guiding the child’s natural growth process, promoting better development of their jaws, airway, and facial symmetry.
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The best part about treating the airway at an earlier age is that it is a simpler, non-surgical, non-invasive treatment, and requires no medication. We offer a number of different appliances, each one better suited for your child's specific case.
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The benefits that are often seen with Airway-centric Orthodontics in children are:
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Better Sleep
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Better Breathing
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Nasal Breathing
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Wider Upper Arch
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Larger Airway
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Greater Tongue Space
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Straighter Teeth
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Better Focus and Concentration
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Improved facial profile
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Improved facial symmetry
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Better academic performance
SDF - Silver Diamine Fluoride
The benefits of SDF
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No freezing and no filling
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Saves tooth structure
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Less expensive than a filling
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Quick - It can often be done at your check-up
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Helps prevent decay all around the mouth
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A positive experience at the dentist
Who is this for?
This treatment is safe for any dental patient. It is of particular benefit to those who cannot tolerate conventional treatment, such as young children and seniors, and when we want to avoid sedation due to its risks. It can also be used on adults in areas where the dark colour is not an issue (between back teeth, high on roots and crown edges).
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Is it safe?
This product has been used in Japan, and Australia and New Zealand for many years, with virtually no negative side effects. It has a very high safety margin.
Are there any drawbacks?
The brown cavity on the tooth gets stained a darker black, which shows the SDF is working (it doesn't stain healthy enamel). However, after a couple of applications, when the cavity is stopped, a white filling can be placed to cover it if the patient wants it. For children with baby teeth, however, the stains are effectively temporary because the teeth will fall out on their own.
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Are there any contraindications to SDF therapy?
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No adverse events using silver compounds have been reported in more than 80 years of use in dentistry. Silver allergy is the only known contraindication.
Teeth with evidence of pulpitis or pulpal necrosis are not appropriate for SDF treatment and require surgical treatment. Similarly, teeth with deep lesions where the carious dentin has been excavated are not candidates for SDF, due to the ammonia content and high pH, which may create a pulpal reaction. It's also not recommended for pregnant women and during the first six months of breastfeeding.
Ozone Therapy
Why Ozone?
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Are you searching for a whole body dentistry treatment that supports natural healing and is minimally invasive? If so, you’ll want to learn more about the incredible benefits of dental Ozone therapy.
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Ozone therapy is fast becoming one of the most effective treatment options used in dentistry today. This minimally invasive and conservative approach to oral care can be used to:
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Clear away infections, and cavity-causing bacteria
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Heal gum infections and support bone regeneration
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Reduce tooth sensitivity
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Holistic dentists have used this procedure for many years, but it has only recently gained significant attention as bacteria become more and more antibiotic-resistant.
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Many patients favour it because it’s conservative, painless, biocompatible, durable, minimally invasive, and can dramatically lessen treatment time.
CariVu
No Radiation Caries Detection Technology
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CariVu uses patented transillumination technology to identify caries (cavities) and cracks on the surface of your teeth, as well as in the hard-to-see areas between your teeth.
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By hugging the tooth and bathing it in safe, near-infrared light the CariVu makes the enamel appear transparent while porous lesions trap and absorb the light. This unique caries detector allows the clinician to see through the tooth exposing its structure and the actual structure of any carious lesions with very high accuracy.
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CariVu does so without the use of radiation, making it ideal for children, pregnant women, and those unwilling or unable to undergo a traditional dental X-ray.
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​CariVu doesn't completely replace our digital x-rays, it complements them when we want to follow a carious lesion more often (so we don't need to drill it if not absolutely necessary) without additional radiation exposure.
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Catching cavities early makes all the difference!
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Most tooth decay begins in the tiny cracks and grooves of your tooth's surface. CariVu’s illuminating technology can help your dentist:
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Detect tooth decay as early as possible
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Eliminate or reduce the number of costly treatments that you may need in the future
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Treat small problems before they become serious dental issues
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Ensure you achieve a lifetime of oral health safely and comfortably
Laser Dentistry
Laser dentistry for kids is offering a new wave of pain-free treatments.
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On average, a higher percentage of children go to the dentist than adults! Parents everywhere are doing their best to keep their kids’ mouths healthy and their teeth strong.
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Some kids find the trip to the dentist’s office stressful. Perhaps they’ve experienced pain or anxiety in the past or maybe they just don’t like the noises that dentistry tools make.
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With laser dentistry for kids, a lot of those fears are alleviated. We provide a number of treatments that can change the way your kids feel about their dental appointments. Laser dentistry can increase comfort, reduce anxiety, speed up healing, and more.
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Increases Comfort and Reduces Anxiety
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Laser dentistry is less invasive than many traditional forms of dentistry. In fact, many of the procedures performed with lasers are so painless that patients don’t require any anesthesia at all! And when they require anesthesia, the laser can be used to numb the gum prior to its application, minimizing or eliminating any discomfort.
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In addition, lasers don’t make loud noises or create the grinding sensation that some traditional dentistry tools do. Even if a procedure isn’t causing physical pain, those sounds and sensations can create anxiety in young patients. This is especially the case for kids who have sensory disorders or feel particularly overwhelmed by their senses.
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In other words, laser dentistry could be the perfect solution for children who find dental appointments stressful or scary!
Digital X-Rays
Up to 90% less exposure*
* Compared to traditional x-ray machines
Digital x-rays use less radiation than traditional x-rays. They are safe for kids, teens, and adults.
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We need x-rays to show us areas of the mouth that we cannot see with the naked eye. Such aspects include jaw formation, tooth decay, cracks, fissures, and plaque buildup. This allows us to make a more accurate diagnosis and treatment plan for your child.
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X-rays provide us with a baseline so we can identify and compare future dental problems.
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We capture high-quality pictures that are viewed immediately on the computer screen. We can also enlarge the image and manipulate other aspects (colour, brightness, contrast).
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Digital x-rays are fast! You don’t have to sit in the dentist’s chair for a long period of time while we take the x-rays AND we don’t have to wait long to view them on the computer (the images show up on the screen almost immediately).
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We don’t create hazardous waste disposal as we did with traditional film x-rays.
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You would have to take 2,000 dental x-rays to equal the radiation in 1 mammogram! We would have to take almost 10,000 dental x-rays to reach your maximum safe yearly dose.
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We are exposed to background radiation from concrete buildings, roads, and the sun. Just standing around outside for several minutes, you receive more than 3 digital bitewing x-rays worth of radiation every day.
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We are also very conservative in the number of x-rays that we take. We never take unnecessary images, and we can also rely on other technologies that don't use radiation such as the CariVu System for frequent monitoring of a tooth after the initial assessment.
I think I see your problem.
Entertainment
We have entertainment options for your kids from when they arrive to when they leave.
We have iPads and a TV in the kid's area, and a big curved monitor playing cartoons in the operatories. They can use our bone-conduction wireless headphones (a very cool technology where the sound is transmitted through the skull bones so there's nothing in or over their ears) and watch their favourite shows while having their treatment done.
Fun Zone
The grand finale.
After the appointment, your children will be awarded a prize from our toy capsule machine! They really enjoy the surprise reward after a great dental experience!
They can also get (with your permission) a tooth-friendly lollipop, sweetened with Xylitol, a plant-based, natural sweetener that do not promote tooth decay. It's sugar, nut, soy, gluten, dairy and egg-free, with no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners.
