General & Family Dentistry in Calgary

Regular oral hygiene visits are vital for keeping your teeth and gums healthy, as well as preventing potentially serious problems. Typically, we recommend children start receiving dental checkups as early as 2-3 years old. By starting exams at an early age, you  can help your child form positive experiences of the dentist, which will give them more confidence in maintaining their oral health. After that, it’s a lifelong process of keeping your smile looking and feeling its best.

Your child(ren) will require your help in learning how to brush carefully, and will need your example to show them the importance of doing so. Young children may need your help avoiding harmful oral behaviors like aggressive thumb sucking (which can lead to improper bites and alignment of teeth), as well as clenching or grinding their teeth. Children are capable of getting all the same oral diseases as adults, and equally capable of avoiding them with the right guidance.

Other than the obvious cleaning & polishing of your teeth, we also look for, and provide, a number of other services, including: a thorough check for cavities, loose fillings and crowns, and tooth fractures.

• X-rays are taken to review for cavities, bone loss, cysts, impacted teeth, abscesses, missing teeth, and any issues that may exist in deeper tooth areas
• We evaluate you for gum disease by probing your gums. If you have inflamed gums, an antimicrobial agents may be given, depending on the need
• Oral cancer screenings are very important because catching a cancer of any kind in its early stages can be the difference between life and death
• Fluoride is a natural element found in much of the food and water we eat & drink. It is absorbed by your teeth to strengthen their enamel. We offer an application of topical fluoride – the kind applied to the outside of enamel – to make it more durable and resistant to cavities. It can also reduce tooth sensitivity, blocking the tooth pores that conduct cold, hot, and sweet sensations to the nerve

Fillings are a common fix for decaying teeth. We do this by removing the decayed portion, and plugging the cleaned-out cavity with the filling material. This keeps harmful bacteria out of the tooth and prevents infection or any loss of tooth function. It also serves to prevent any further decay, because nothing outside the tooth can interact with the inside any longer.

• Resin fillings (colored white) present an advantage in their bonding properties. The resin material can prevent breakage and damage to the tooth, and are already blended to match your natural tooth color. Usually, resin fillings are best for improving the appearance of misshapen, chipped, or discolored teeth
• Composite resin fillings (made of plastic) are more durable than normal resin fillings, and take less time to apply than most other kinds of fillings. Because it’s plastic, less of your tooth needs to be drilled, accommodating the mechanical requirements of a strong composite resin filling
• Amalgam fillings (colored silver) are made of an alloy of multiple durable metals, and are likely to last a long time as a result

Sealants are special resins, designed to protect your teeth pits and fissures from cavities by sealing them off completely. Sealants are placed on molars (and sometimes premolars as well), to protect teeth from decay. These are generally recommended for children, whose poorer motor skills mean they’re at a higher risk of tooth decay in the hard-to-reach pits and fissures of their teeth. We use our Kinetic Cavity Preparation tool to clean the tooth first. A mild acidic solution is then applied to the tooth, “etching” the surface to make it easier for the sealant to stick. Once the sealant is added, it is hardened a special blue light. This is a completely painless procedure.

Mouthguards are designed as shock absorbers for your teeth, protecting them while you play sports, or when you sleep. Nightguards are a type of mouthguard, but designed for a different purpose: keeping your teeth safe from cracking. During sleep, grinding and clenching of teeth can occur, which can lead to a variety of oral disorders that are painful and difficult to fix. Symptoms of these problems include headaches and migraines, pain in the mouth or around the head (face, neck, shoulders, jaw), tinnitus (ringing in the ears), loose teeth, sensitive and sore teeth, limited jaw movement or a locking jaw, and worn or cracked teeth. We custom-make mouthguards for your teeth, and they can be designed in a number of colors (including the natural color of your teeth).