Frequently Asked Questions

+ How do I make an appointment?

Give us a call at (780) 433-1133 or request an appointment using this handy form. Messages left during business hours will be returned by phone the same business day. After hours messages will be returned the next business day.

+ What COVID-19 protocols are in place at your office?

Learn more about our COVID-19 protocols here.

+ "How important is an annual check-up?"

Short answer: very important.

In spite of considerable public education efforts on the part of health units and the dental colleges, we find that people usually come in for a check-up when one of their teeth is either broken or painful. When a tooth starts to hurt, the options available to you for addressing that tooth are limited.

Certainly we all find that time slips past more quickly than we would like. Recently, we had an experience that underscores our recommendation: pretend the person is named Joe. Joe has been coming to ouroffice for many years and is a great friend of the office. He faithfully brings his children in for regular check-ups and teeth cleanings. He always follows our advice for his children, but personally he only has a check-up when something is bothering him. Joe comes in quite regularly for teeth cleaning appointments with our dental hygienists, he brushes his teeth carefully every day, but he only occasionally flosses.

Recently, Joe came to the office with a severe tooth ache that was keeping him awake for 3 days; he was hoping the problem would go away. Sadly, Joe could not identify which tooth was the source of his trouble, but the pain was awful. Joe was over-tired and he looked terrible. Under these circumstances, he took our suggestion to check all of his teeth with a proper check-up and x-rays.

In Joe’s case, we found the cause of the problem, addressed it, and identified a few other issues that can be dealt with in the near future. If he would have chosen an annual examination previously, we would have been able to spare him the experience of 3 sleepless nights.

We urge you to consider maintaining an annual check-up even if you have no awareness of trouble. Your dentist will check your mouth (more than just teeth) visually, by feel, and below the surface with x-rays. Please don’t leave it for too long.

+ "What treatment do I need?"

Maclean’s magazine published an article that examined why dentistry is so lucrative considering the effectiveness of oral health prevention programs.

Within the ethical guidelines provided by our governing bodies, Dentists, being individuals, have broadly differing views regarding acceptable salesmanship practices in the dental office. Certainly we can all agree that regular people find it difficult to make purchasing decisions in our consumer/advertiser culture. What, then, can people do to make wise treatment decisions in the dental office?

First: Remember that you and your dentist must have a frank discussion regarding the benefits, risks, prognosis (expected service life of the treatment), costs, and reasonable alternatives of/for/to the treatment that has been recommended to you (a.k.a. Informed Consent). Your dentist should discuss these things with you before you receive dental freezing, while the dental chair is in the upright position, and under the understanding that you always have the first option of receiving no treatment at all. If you and your dentist do not have this conversation, do not proceed with any treatment.

Next: Take your time. Gather additional information regarding the treatment alternatives you heard about. If you have concerns about the recommendations that have been made to you, seek a second opinion. Read what is to be found online (discerningly), and be cautious about “new” treatment techniques or machines.

Finally: Remember that teeth with dental decay do need to be restored with fillings or crowns; weakened, broken and cracked teeth do need attention or you risk losing the tooth. Dental treatments are sometimes a necessity, so remember this note and consider your options carefully.

+ "I am going to lose my teeth eventually...right?"

It may surprise you to know that we hear this question nearly every day from people of all ages with (basically) healthy teeth. Now, because our answer is nearly always the same (with very few exceptions), we are confident that what is written here will be true for almost everyone who reads this.

The answer to the above question is: WRONG.

We suspect that people believe (more or less) that the only way to keep their teeth for life is to spend a fortune on them. As we assess people in the dental office we often find that their dental needs can be met with simple dental treatments.

Remember that fillings are versatile; they last for a long time and are fairly inexpensive. If you have a chipped or decayed tooth, don’t leave it too long or a simple filling may not be possible. Early restoration helps keep the costs down.

Everyone needs teeth cleanings (build-up on the teeth eventually leads to painful, infected gums), but cleaning can be expensive. You may only need us to clean your teeth really well once, and thereafter, with some tips from us, future cleanings will cost you less. UofA and NAIT also offer dental hygiene services to the public for reduced rates, but the treatments take a long time.

Another point to remember: many people live quite comfortably with less than a full set of teeth. It is certainly unorthodox for dentists to advocate living with missing teeth but, honestly, sometimes the best plan is to remove a bad tooth and focus your attention and resources on the fixable ones.

Remember that nothing is more important than keeping your teeth clean at home, but when more is needed, we can help.

+ "Why do I need to have my wisdom teeth taken out?"

Perhaps you don’t need your wisdom teeth out. We all have wisdom teeth when we are young, and nearly none of us have them when we are old. Why do dentists insist on removing wisdom teeth? There are four main reasons.

Infections: When you have wisdom teeth impacted (our fancy way of saying ‘stuck awkwardly’) at a weird angle with a small part of the tooth sticking out of the gums, you can get a painful infection in the area.

Tooth decay: When the impacted wisdom tooth is angled strangely in the gums, you can’t keep it clean. Eventually these wisdom teeth will decay and abscess causing pain and you will need the tooth to come out.

More tooth decay: Impacted wisdom teeth will hold plaque against nearby teeth causing them to become decayed. Wisdom teeth which may cause this sort of problem should be removed BEFORE decay is detected on the adjacent teeth.

Bone loss: Each tooth in your mouth is completely surrounded by bone – this is important - an impacted wisdom tooth ‘stuck awkwardly’ against the root of the adjacent tooth does not allow room for bone to grow between those teeth. There may be an advantage in removing the wisdom tooth while the patient is young so that bone will grow back into the area during healing. The older you are, the less bone will grow into such areas.

The non-reason: People think that wisdom teeth push and crowd the other teeth in the mouth. The wisdom teeth do not cause such crowding. All teeth drift toward midline because of how we bite them together (aka Mesial Drift). Mesial Drift occurs whether the wisdom teeth are in or not.

If you have nicely aligned wisdom teeth (aka third molars) and you can keep them clean we suggest that you leave them alone. If, however, any of the 4 reasons above describe your wisdom teeth, you may want to consider having them out.

+ "Which toothpaste should I use?"

With so much aggressive dental product marketing how can you know which toothpaste is best for you?

In our opinion, there is no product available that produces better results than effective cleaning habits at home. Your best defense against tartar build-up, oral bacteria, tooth sensitivity, staining, bad breath, bleeding gums, and weakened enamel is very careful flossing followed by brushing with nearly any fluoride toothpaste.

In our opinion, for adults, the only thing that really matters is that the toothpaste contains fluoride; the more the better. We like the enamel strengthening toothpastes for that reason. You can read the side of the package to compare fluoride amounts.

For children, make sure that they are properly spitting the toothpaste out, and if they are not, choose toothpaste with little or no fluoride.

We don’t believe that whitening toothpastes are very effective (whitening strips, or custom made systems are needed for proper whitening). We have yet to notice reduced tartar build-up in patients who use the so called “tartar fighting” toothpastes. The sensitivity toothpastes work well if they are gently polished onto the sensitive area frequently.

+ "Which floss should I choose?"

Flossing is something that people consider to be inconvenient and difficult. The problem, however, is that NOTHING cleans between your teeth except dental floss.

Most of the dental work that we perform is a direct result of the patient’s habit of brushing without also flossing. So if everyone needs to floss, and nobody does – what is the solution? Creatively designed tools combined with a new habit.

Whatever you choose, conventional floss, or one of the new flosser designs on a handle, start by flossing carefully every other day (before you brush) and ease your way into a daily flossing habit.

+ "I hate flossing. Can I use the Waterpik instead?"

Waterpik is a tooth-care product that some people use as a replacement for brushing and flossing. Can the Waterpik clean between your teeth as well as dental floss? No, we don’t think it can, but Waterpik is a great addition to dental floss.

When we see patients who use the Waterpik as a replacement for dental floss they always, always, have dental plaque stuck on their teeth afterward. The Waterpik is very useful for removing food debris, which is certainly helpful, but you need to brush and floss to finish the job.

Dental plaque causes teeth to decay. If you remove the food debris, but you leave the dental plaque behind, you are at risk for developing dental decay around your current dental work (crowns, bridges, fillings, and orthodontic brackets). Dental plaque collecting on the teeth also leads to the formation of dental tartar (we call it calculus) which causes gum disease and (later) tooth loss. You have to get the plaque off. We suggest that Waterpik is a great tool for people with limited hand movement, and anyone who has dental bridge work, or orthodontic braces. Waterpik alone does not seem to finish the tooth-cleaning task effectively.

If you have difficulty handling tooth brushes and floss maybe we can help you. Some of our patients come in for frequent (sometimes monthly) “mini-cleanings”. Most of the mini-cleaning patients learn so much from us that after a few sessions, they don’t need to come in as frequently.

+ "My tooth is in bad shape, will a crown save it?"

Crowns are great dental inventions that slip over the whole tooth to hold it together. They are best used for teeth that are weakened by big fillings or root canals. They are great for teeth that have cracks or have fractured. If you choose to have a crown placed, how long the crown will last is largely up to you.

When a dentist prepares your tooth to receive a crown, he/she has to remove natural tooth structure to do so. Therefore, I feel that both the dentist and the patient need to be quite discerning when planning to place a crown.

Here are our thoughts regarding crowns:

1) Only have a crown placed when you are convinced that the tooth needs to be reinforced. Examples of such teeth: a back tooth with a previous root canal treatment; a cracked tooth; a tooth with a large filling; or a broken tooth.

2) Consider alternatives to crowns on front teeth for cosmetic treatments. Sometimes crowns are absolutely necessary for such treatments but think about these suggestions: consider straightening your teeth with braces; try whitening; or think about more conservative treatments like braces in combination with veneers, or white fillings.

3) If you need a crown, have it placed and then treat it like it is the most important tooth in your mouth. Brush it diligently and never, ever, forget to floss around the edges of the crown TO MAKE IT LAST AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

People who care for crowns as we have described can make them last for decades, but a crown that is never flossed may not last 10 years.

+ "Do electric toothbrushes clean teeth better than regular toothbrushes?"

For most people: Yes. As we see patients year after year, we can sometimes tell if they have purchased an electric toothbrush since their last visit.

Electric toothbrushes are efficient cleaning tools because of the movement of the bristles but there are many other benefits as well. Here are a few:

1) The toothbrush head is often small in size which is especially helpful when cleaning your child’s teeth;

2) Many models have a timer. It is ideal to brush your teeth for about 2 minutes, and this feature is like having your mother in the bathroom to keep you honest;

3) The additional “work” that the toothbrush does is a benefit to those with limited dexterity;

4) People with braces should have an electric toothbrush because they need all the help they can get (if you have braces, you know what I mean). There are often special electric toothbrush heads available for patients with braces;

5) Most models have interchangeable toothbrush heads so that more than one person can share the motor.

+ "Do children NEED to come to the dentist every six months?"

No.

Some children have heavy dental plaque and tartar buildup on their teeth. These children need to be seen every 6 months so that the dental staff can help improve their brushing habits, and the dentist can keep ahead of their tooth decay.

Some children “brush like a dentist” and still struggle with cavities in spite of diligent effort. Bring these kids in every 6 months.

Some children “brush like a dentist” and really only need to come in once every year for check-ups and cleaning touch-ups.

We find it interesting that many families have each of the above children in their household.

The dental visit frequency for each person must be based on some tangible factor (frequency of cavity formation, plaque build-up, etc.) that the patient can clearly understand.

As with so many other things, dental recall frequency is unique for each person.

+ "Does my child need braces?"

Of course it is impossible to make a blanket statement about braces for your child (or maybe you are considering braces for yourself), but it is possible to teach you some broader concepts that you can think about when considering Dental Orthodontics (braces).

First, ask your dentist if he/she recommends braces to you for improved function or only for improved esthetics. In our opinion, if you need braces to improve function and do not have them placed you are MORE likely to experience the following four things in your lifetime: more cavities; more periodontal disease; more fractured teeth; and more TMJ (jaw joint) problems.

Increased risk of cavities: If your teeth are tilted/turned they are less likely to “self-clean” while you chew food. A tilted tooth will shelter plaque under the recess caused by the tipping and that plaque will eventually cause the tooth to decay. Of course, teeth that are tipped/turned are more difficult for you to clean also.

Increased risk of periodontal disease: Periodontal disease is a process of gum and bone inflammation which will lead eventually to the loss of your tooth. A tooth that is tipped/turned will not deflect food properly and that food will drive hard against the gums and injure them (while chewing). The sheltered plaque I mentioned before causes gum/bone inflammation too. Also, a tipped/turned tooth will not line up properly when you bite down which results in uneven loading of teeth during function. Overloading of the teeth will also advance gum/bone inflammation.

Increased risk of tooth fracture: Tipped/turned teeth will often hit the opposing teeth unevenly during function. Teeth that hit against each other too hard will slowly crack and eventually break (especially if they have had a few fillings on them over the years).

Increased TMJ problems: If the teeth do not meet ideally, the jaw joint has to move awkwardly during function. Over years, this leads to jaw joint injury which can be painful and hard to treat.

+ "How do you floss kids teeth?"

Here is a fun and easy way to floss a child’s teeth effectively:

First: Buy a Reach Access Flosser. These are available in three colors and they have a toothbrush handle.

Next: Have your child lay down on a bed, face up, with their head extending slightly off the edge of the bed. They should look up (head extended slightly) and mouth wide open.

Then: The parent doing the flossing should kneel by the bed, near the child’s head - floss away!

Make a game of it! Take advantage of this quality time with your child.

Flossing is critical in the effort to avoid cavities in kids. Most of the cavities I see in children start between the teeth – areas that cannot be reached with a toothbrush alone.

Floss first, then play with your child for awhile, then brush – good for dental and mental health.

+ "What is a root canal?"

Dental root canal treatments, delivered with skill and experience, do not have to be negative experiences.

Some background is needed to understand Root Canal Therapy. All teeth are hollow. Each hollow tooth chamber contains living tissue. Living tissue needs blood nourishment to survive. The blood vessels which supply the tooth are very, very small.

Cavities and trauma injure teeth. Large cavities, and severe trauma injure teeth more than small cavities and minor trauma. Injured teeth often die (sometimes with great pain; sometimes with no pain at all).

Root Canal Treatment: a procedure to clean out, disinfect, and fill the hollow tooth chamber.

Root Canal Treatment is tricky and some dentists have a real knack for it. Some dentists are so good at root canals that they pursue specialized training and do ONLY root canals. Please remember that if your dentist recommends referring your root canal treatment to a specialist, it is for your benefit.

Root canals can become re-infected though it is our experience that re-infections are rare.

Teeth are prone to fracture after a root canal treatment so it is wise to place a crown on the tooth after a root canal.

+ "When should I consider Root Canal Therapy (RCT)?"

Root canal therapy is the procedure we follow to clean infection out of the inside of a tooth.

If you have the following symptoms, you may want to consider having RCT:

Sensitivity to “cold” that causes a lingering throbbing pain; Sensitivity to “hot” worsening day by day; Tooth pain that arises without cause; Tooth pain when you lie down; Tooth pain that wakes you out of sleep.

Be discerning. Always ask your dentist if the tooth is “strong” enough to justify the expense and inconvenience of RCT. Sometimes a tooth in need of RCT is so weakened by large fillings or deep decay that it may be better to remove the tooth. Remember, if you decide not to keep the painful tooth in your mouth and have it removed, be sure to also discuss with your dentist the options for REPLACING the tooth; you want to make an informed decision.

You do not necessarily need RCT if you experience the following:

Sensitivity to “cold” without lingering pain; Sensitivity to sweet; Sensitivity when you bite down.

Noted above are common problems that dentists can often address without RCT.

Many patients think they need RCT prior to receiving a crown. Crown treatment is provided to strengthen weak teeth. Be aware that teeth are weakened by RCT and therefore crowns are recommended after RCT. Note that cracked and broken teeth also need crowns and often we can place the crown on such teeth “as is” (no prior RCT).

+ "Do I need a root canal...?"

We find that many people are confused about when they need a root canal.

First, remember that root canal treatments are complex treatments that are highly successful but because of their complexity, they can sometimes fail. The main failure I encounter are these: 1) the tooth can break after a root canal; 2) The root canal treatment can become re-infected after the root canal as been successful for many years; 3) the root canal treatment can be started but the ideal final result cannot be achieved – meaning that the root canal treatment proves to be impossible.

When do we recommend a root canal treatment? When the tooth is sensitive to cold with a throbbing that lasts for a considerable time after the cold stimulus is removed. When the tooth hurts if you tap on it (use a spoon handle). When a tooth throbs for no reason at all. When a tooth wakes you at night. If you have one or more of the above symptoms, you need a root canal if you want to keep the tooth. You can always remove it if you want to.

When do you not need a root canal? When a tooth is sensitive to cold or sweet or sour things but does not have a lingering pain afterward. When you are planning to have a crown placed on the tooth; you to not need a root canal as a matter of course prior to a crown.

+ "My mother needs a root canal..."

Sometime people ask us about questions about treatment pertaining to family members. Here is one we heard recently. “My mother is retired and on a fixed income. Her dentist says she needs a root canal, followed by a crown, and the bill will be about $3000. She has no pain. What should she do?”

Here is how we considered this question:

#1: Examination and Diagnosis – It is important to note that Diagnosis MUST precede Treatment Recommendations. In this case the dentist needs to say: “The examination reveals that you have a dental abscess”; and he must identify the specific tooth. It would be incorrect to simply say: “You need a root canal”; Where? Why?

#2: Discussion of all TREATEMENT OPTIONS with associated Risks and Benefits of each option – so, (briefly) in this case:

Option #1: Do nothing – Risk: Dental Abscesses can make you very sick, and even threaten your life; Benefit: The tooth isn’t a bother right now. Option #2: Remove the abscessed tooth: Risk: injury from the procedure; Benefit: low cost procedure to eliminate the problem. Option #3: Root canal procedure: Risk: the procedure may be ineffective, and it is an expensive process (the tooth will need a crown after the root canal); Benefit: you will likely get to keep your tooth.

We encourage people to press their doctors for a definitive diagnosis prior to any treatment (even a prescription) so that they can completely understand their treatment alternatives. Once you have heard the options, the choice is up to you.