Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Booking an Appointment
Yes , we’re accepting new patients of all ages, including families. You can book online or call us at (519) 836-5110. If you’re transferring from another dental office, let us know and we’ll help request your records and recent x-rays so we’re not repeating anything unnecessarily.
Three ways: book online at any hour through our booking page, call (519) 836-5110 during office hours, or send us a message through our contact form and we’ll call you back. Online booking is the fastest option if you’re outside our hours.
For a new-patient exam and cleaning, we’re typically booking 1-2 weeks out. If you’re in pain or have a broken tooth, that’s a different conversation, call us and we’ll find you a spot the same day wherever we can.
Yes. We hold time in the schedule for same-day emergencies. Call (519) 836-5110 as early in the day as you can and describe what’s happening, a knocked-out tooth, severe or throbbing pain, facial swelling, or a lost crown or filling all count. Swelling that’s spreading toward your eye or throat, or any difficulty breathing or swallowing, is a hospital emergency: go to Guelph General.
We’re open Monday, Thursdays and Fridays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays we are open 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Early-morning and evening appointments exist specifically so you don’t have to take time off work or pull a child out of school. They book up first, so ask when you call.
We’re at 630 Scottsdale Drive, just minutes from Stone Road Mall and the University of Guelph. There’s free on-site parking, and the office is ground-level and wheelchair accessible.
Cost and Coverage
Yes. We’re a participating provider under the Canadian Dental Care Plan and we accept CDCP patients. Bring your Sun Life member card and your CDCP coverage start date to your first visit, and we’ll bill Sun Life directly on your behalf.
CDCP covers a defined list of services at set fee amounts, and those amounts don’t always match the Ontario Dental Association fee guide. Depending on your household income, the plan covers a percentage of the eligible amount and you cover the rest. Before we start any treatment, we’ll tell you what CDCP is expected to pay and what your portion will be, in writing, before you commit to anything.
Often, yes – and we’d rather tell you upfront than surprise you. Two things create a balance: your plan covering a percentage rather than the full amount, and the plan’s fee for a procedure being lower than ours. For anything beyond a routine exam and cleaning, you’ll get a written treatment plan with the estimated insurance portion and your estimated portion before we begin.
Yes, whenever your benefits provider allows it. Bring your plan details to your first visit and we’ll submit claims on your behalf, so you’re only paying your portion at the desk instead of paying in full and waiting for reimbursement.
Plenty of our patients don’t. You’ll get a written treatment plan with real numbers before anything starts, and we’ll help you sequence care so the urgent work happens first and the rest can wait until it suits you. Ask us about payment options if a larger treatment plan is a concern.
There are over 30,000 different dental plan contracts in Ontario, so we can’t tell you what yours covers without seeing it, but we can help you find out. We have a free guide that walks you through exactly what to ask your plan administrator. One thing worth remembering: your dental plan is a benefit, not a treatment plan. What you need and what your plan happens to cover aren’t always the same thing.
We ask for 48 hours’ notice to change or cancel an appointment. Shorter notice may result in a late cancellation fee. We send reminders by email and text ahead of every visit, and if something comes up, a quick phone call is all we need.
Your First Visit
At your first visit, we start by talking, and your medical and dental history, anything that’s been bothering you, and what you want out of your dental care. From there, the dentist does a full examination, we take any x-rays that are needed, and we screen for oral cancer. You’ll leave knowing where things stand and what, if anything, we’d recommend next.
Plan for about [60–90 minutes]. Arriving ten minutes early to complete your forms, or filling them out online beforehand, keeps things on schedule.
Usually, yes. Especially, if it’s been several years, or if there are signs of gum disease, the right cleaning may take longer than a standard appointment allows, and we’ll book it separately so it’s done properly rather than rushed. However, if you have been regularly going to the dentist, the cleaning can be done after an exam is done.
And to be clear: if it’s been a long time, we’re not going to lecture you. We’re just glad you came in.
Your insurance or CDCP information, a list of any medications you take, and the name of your previous dental office if you’d like us to request your records. That’s it.
Comfort and Anxiety
Tell us. It’s the single most useful thing you can do, and you’re in much better company than you’d think. Once we know, we can slow down, explain each step before it happens, and agree on a signal you can raise any time you need us to stop, and we will stop, immediately.
For patients who need more than that, we offer sedation ranging from nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to oral sedation. Many patients who start out sedated find they need less of it over time, once the office stops feeling like an unknown.
Modern freezing is very effective, and most patients are surprised by how little they feel. You’re in control the whole time: if anything is uncomfortable, raise your hand and we stop. If you’re worried about a specific procedure, tell us before we start and we’ll walk you through exactly what to expect.
Yes. We offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas) for mild relaxation and oral sedation for patients who need more. Both are safe and routinely used, and we’ll go over which is appropriate for you and what you’ll need to arrange, oral sedation means someone else drives you home.
Families and Children
Most children do well around age three, but if you ever suspect a problem with your child’s mouth, bring them in regardless of age. A good first step is to bring them along to your appointment first, watching a parent or older sibling in the chair takes most of the mystery out of it.
First visits are deliberately low-key: a ride in the chair, meeting the team, counting teeth. The goal is that they leave wanting to come back.
Yes, and we encourage it. We can often schedule siblings, or a parent and child, at the same time or consecutively so one trip covers everyone. Mention it when you book and we’ll build the schedule around it.
Yes. We see everyone from toddlers to grandparents, and we have families with three generations in the practice. That continuity is genuinely useful, we know your family’s history, not just your chart.
Still have a question?
Call us at (519) 836-5110 and ask. If it’s something we hear more than once, it’ll probably end up on this page.