Yes

There are many dental plan options available. Plan coverage is determined by you and/or your employer. The details of your plan are protected by the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). While your dental office can help you understand your plan, they do not know the details of your plan and/or any changes that may occur based on annual usage or employer changes. It is your responsibility to understand what your plan covers. It is important to be aware of any financial limits and changes to your plan.

Yes, we do have your information on file. However, if there are any changes with your medical health from one appointment to the next that we don’t know about, it could greatly affect our treatment for that day. Some examples of how medical changes affect you and us: certain drugs could react with local anesthetics, nursing would change the type of anesthetic we use, if someone is taking birth control and we need to prescribe antibiotics it will nullify the effects of the birth control and it’s our job to inform you. Having you review the medical history each time is a good reminder for you in case you forget to mention a new change to us.

There are a few important reasons for this photo:

1. To allow our staff to easily recognize you from the moment you walk in the door
2. For our dentists to review your patient file before your appointment and see your face to prepare for your visit
3. And, in our area, there are a lot of patients that share the same name as someone else

Yes! We are always accepting new patients.

Since every patient’s mouth is different, before getting a hygiene cleaning, it’s ideal to do a complete exam of your teeth, gums, and bone levels. It’s important for our hygienists to assess your mouth to see how in depth of a cleaning you need and what areas they need to target specifically to you. Also, at the complete exam, certain things will be documented to give us a baseline of where your teeth/gum health are at that moment. In doing that, we can check for any changes at future cleaning appointments to make sure your optimal level of teeth/gum health is maintained. Your oral cancer screening is also done at the complete exam, which is not done at routine cleanings or by your medical doctor. It is best to have your Comprehensive Oral Exam when you first begin at a new dental office and every 3-5 years after that to check current oral health versus your baseline.

Fluoride is found naturally in soil, water, foods, and several minerals. Tooth enamel is also naturally rich in Fluoride. It helps protect the teeth and strengthen them. When we polish your teeth at a cleaning appointment a slight layer of Fluoride rich enamel is removed. We make sure your teeth are protected by putting Fluoride back onto the teeth after the cleaning. Fluoride IS safe in the recommended amounts.

X-rays show us what we can’t always see by just looking in the mouth (cavities, abscesses, hairline fractures). It’s important to catch cavities before they get too large to fix with a filling. It’s also important to update the x-rays every 1-2 years as things can change quickly and we won’t be able to see this necessarily by just looking in the mouth. Also, new x-rays are needed if a tooth breaks as we need to see how close to the bone level the tooth broke to determine if the tooth can be saved. It may even determine how the tooth is removed if it can’t be saved. Or if there is an abscess present we will need to prescribe antibiotics.

Here, at Hanover Dental we take digital x-rays. This greatly reduces the amount of radiation. Research shows that taking around 12 digital x-rays is equivalent to about 30 minutes in sun exposure.

There is a lot of controversy about x-rays and pregnancy. With digital x-rays, as stated above, the radiation is greatly reduced and would most likely not harm if it even reached the baby. However, to be on the safe side it’s best to avoid taking x-rays while pregnant. If you have a dental emergency while pregnant and need an x-ray taken it is safe (especially with digital technology), but it is your decision.

The Canadian Dental Association recommends flossing at least once a day to help remove plaque from the areas between your teeth where your toothbrush can’t reach. This is important because plaque that is not removed by brushing and flossing can eventually harden into calculus or tartar.

Plaque develops when foods containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches), such as milk, soft drinks, raisins, cakes, or candy are frequently left on the teeth. Bacteria that live in the mouth thrive on these foods, producing acids as a result. Over a period of time, these acids destroy tooth enamel, resulting in tooth decay. Plaque can also develop on the tooth roots under the gum and cause breakdown of the bone supporting the tooth.

Yes we do. However, every child is different. Some children may do better at a children’s specialist or even need to be sedated if they are very anxious.

In order to prevent dental problems, your child should see a dentist between 6-9 months for a visual examination, or no later their first birthday. As soon as they have their first tooth it’s a good idea to bring them in to start getting used to coming to the dental office. Many kids are afraid of the dentist and it’s good to get them used to it as soon as possible so future cleanings and any needed treatment will be easy and anxiety free.

If baby teeth become diseased or decayed it can lead to pain and infection. It can also be difficult for children to eat a well-balanced meal with a mouth full of cavities. Untreated cavities also increase the amount of decay causing bacteria in the mouth. As permanent teeth erupt, they are at increased risk for developing cavities because of the higher bacteria count. Baby teeth also hold space in the mouth for the erupting permanent teeth. If the baby teeth become decayed or are taken out too early, the permanent teeth often become crowded and will likely need braces to straighten in the future.

Most dental problems don’t have any symptoms until they reach more advanced stages, so don’t wait for things to hurt! It is best to get a thorough dental exam, and diagnose and treat problems early. Waiting often makes problems more difficult and more expensive to fix.

Millions of teeth are treated and saved each year with root canal, or endodontic, treatment. A root canal is a treatment to repair and save a badly damaged or infected tooth. The procedure involves removing the damaged area of the tooth (the pulp), cleaning and disinfecting it and then filling and sealing it. The common causes affecting the pulp are a cracked tooth, a deep cavity, repeated dental treatment to the tooth or trauma. The term “root canal” comes from cleaning of the canals inside the tooth’s root.

Yes, we do tooth extractions. We believe in doing everything possible to save the tooth, but in certain circumstances a tooth may need to be removed. In some cases we may need to refer the patient to the oral surgeon. For some wisdom teeth that require surgery to remove them, we would refer the patient or if a patient has very high anxiety and would prefer to be sedated, the oral surgeon would do this.

When a tooth is lost, a whole series of events can begin to occur. Chewing on the affected side becomes more difficult and over time the remaining teeth can actually tilt and erupt into the open space.
Depending on the location of the missing tooth, we would most likely recommend either a dental implant, a bridge, or a partial denture. All of these options have their benefits and drawbacks. If you would like more information we can schedule a consultation to go over the specifics of your case.

Yes, we offer 3 types of teeth whitening:

1. Custom bleaching trays
2. Philips Zoom! whitening touch-up pens
3. Philips Zoom! 1-hour teeth whitening system

Call our office and we will make every effort to see you as our schedule allows and based on the treatment that you require. We do hold emergency appointments in our schedule daily but this space does fill up.

If it’s a Saturday or Sunday that we are closed, call the office anyway as we have an emergency call line that will connect you to one of our dentists. They will be able to prescribe you antibiotics and/or pain medication if needed.

Time is your enemy when an accident or any trauma dislodges a tooth. First locate the tooth, or teeth, and determine if the tooth broke or if the entire tooth and root came out in one piece. Gather together the pieces you’ve found, and with warm water gently rinse off obvious dirt or debris. Avoid touching the root as much as possible. Place and transport the tooth in milk or in some of the person’s own saliva.
Rush the injured person and tooth to the dental office. Ideally the tooth will be re-implanted. The tooth may also be splinted with a wire to the adjacent teeth for a period of time.

This is a true dental emergency. If it is after regular business hours you should still call your dentist. The more time that goes by the less likely that the re-implantation will be successful. If you cannot contact a dentist your nearest Urgent Care or Emergency Room may be able to help.