Current Special Offers:

Free Custom Tray Bleaching or Custom Sports Guard for every new patient!
Stonegate Dental would like to give you a gift of either custom tray bleaching or a custom sports guard after a complete oral exam with xrays and a cleaning.
Just our little way of welcoming you to Stonegate Dental!

25% Discount for all university students!
We understand and appreciate the rigors of student life and the financial difficulties during this period. Therefore, if you are a University of Guelph student, or any other university or college student with a valid ID card, Stonegate Dental is pleased to inform you that we offer you a 25% discount on all preventitive care and fillings. This is addition to any student dental plan. Please contact us if you have any questions!

We accept all plans including CINOT (Children In Need Of Treatment), ODSP (Ontario Disability Services Plan), OW (Ontario Welfare), and NIHB (Non-Insured Health Benefits).

Individualized payment plans can also be offered if you provide us with a credit card with an adequate deposit and personal information.

Complete Oral Examination

When you come for your first visit at Stonegate Dental or it is time to update your treatment records, a complete examination is performed in order for us to give you an accurate updated diagnosis and a treatment plan that is best suited for you. The examination includes oral cancer screening, facial and temporomandibular (jaw) joint exam, intraoral tissue exam, teeth exam, cavity detection, and periodontal (gum) exam. A full set of digital x-rays and intraoral photos are taken to completely evaluate how your oral health is progressing. Only checkup xrays are taken annually. D igital X-rays can reveal hidden cavities in between your teeth, any silent cysts or abscesses, abnormalities and/or bone loss due to periodontal disease in your mouth. Early detection of abnormalities in x-rays can prevent the need for more invasive and expensive treatment and possibly losing teeth.

Emergency

Whether you are already a Stonegate Dental Patient or a walk-in, we will guarantee to make the time to speak and listen to you, diagnose, and get you out of the emergency situation as soon as possible. If you have an emergency and our office is closed, please contact Dr. Wat directly at drwat@stonegatedental.ca and provide her with a phone number and/or email and she will respond as soon as she can. If Dr. Wat is unavailable and your emergency can not wait, you can visit the Guelph General Hospital Emergency Department and they will direct you to see a dentist that is on call 24/7.

Custom Tray Bleaching

Bleaching is a fantastic way to whiten teeth that are discoloured from extrinsic types of staining such as smoking, coffee and certain foods. Dr. Wat highly recommends these safe custom bleaching trays that will not damage your enamel if used properly. First step is to schedule an appointment for consultation and accurate alginate impressions of your teeth. These impressions are taken to make stone models of your teeth in order to make the plastic trays that fit only you. During your second appointment, instructions are given and you will be shown how to properly wear the trays and place the bleaching solution. Your shade is noted prior to bleaching so we can monitor the progress of the treatment. Please speak to Dr. Wat or our hygienists if you are a candidate for great bleaching results!

Implants

Dental implants can be used to replace a single missing tooth, multiple missing teeth, support a denture or restore an entire mouth. An implant is a metal post made of titanium placed surgically in to the jawbone. Once placed the post integrates with the patient’s bone. Titanium is very strong and unlike other metals is not rejected by the body. The titanium implant then supports an esthetic prosthetic crown (artificial tooth).

To be a candidate for a dental implant, your gum tissue should be healthy overall and there must be enough bone present to support the implant. Following the extraction of a tooth, the supporting bone begins to shrink both in height and width. Excessive bone shrinkage over time can make it challenging to place a successful implant. However, a specialist at this point may still be able to grow back the lost bone using regenerative procedures.

After an initial consultaton with Dr. Wat and a specialist to make sure all your questions are answered, the specialist will first place the titanium post with a healing cap on top. Your gums and bone need time to biologically integrate the post and heal around it. This may take up to a few months. If you are missing teeth in your smile zone, you may choose to wear a “flipper” (read more information on Flippers in Dentures section). When everything is healed, Dr. Wat will need to take an accurate impression of your mouth for the lab to fabricate the prosthetic crown. Your final appointment will include cementing the crown and ensuring you are happy with the results!

Porcelain Veneers

Often times veneers can reshape, fix chipped, gapped, stained, discolored, aged or misaligned teeth. Porcelain veneers are ultra-thin, custom made restorations that are bonded on the front surface of your teeth. They are the most natural looking restoration available. The treatment plan is as follows:

1. To discuss what you are unhappy with about your smile and then discussion of your treatment options.
2. If porcelain veneers is the answer, photo taking and impressions of your teeth will be taken to make study models. These study models are used to further study the esthetics, bite and function of your teeth to ensure a successful outcome.
3. Depending on how many teeth are treated, we may decide to have the lab wax up a mock up sample of the veneers to show us what your teeth could look like.
4. A thin layer of enamel will then be removed and your teeth are prepared to make room for the porcelain veneers. Accurate impressions are taken and temporary veneers are fabricated and bonded to your teeth.
5. During your final appointment, the porcelain veneers are cemented permanently and the bite is adjusted.

Porcelain veneers are like porcelain dishes and care must be taken in order for you to enjoy them for a long time. Sometimes grinding appliances are recommended for you to wear at night to prevent the porcelain from chipping. Like natural teeth, veneers can chip as well so please be careful with biting into really hard objects! Porcelain veneers are very esthetic because the lab can incorporate a lot more characteristics to the veneer that is impossible with filling material or some types of crowns. Porcelain veneers are also very difficult to stain.

Resin Composite Veneers a.k.a. "Bonding"

Resin composite veneers, also known as “bonding” can be done in one appointment. It involves sculpting different shades of tooth colored filling material onto your teeth and hardening it with a cure light. What is great about bonding is in many cases, removal of tooth structure is minimal and sometimes none is required. For instance, if you have a front gap that you want to get rid of and hate the idea of braces, Dr. Wat can do some sculpting and bonding right onto the enamel to decrease or close completely the gap without drilling! However, unlike porcelain veneers, resin composite ones are more prone to staining and may require replacement in a few years.

White Fillings

For many decades silver amalgam (mercury) fillings have been used. Teeth that have been restored with silver fillings often give the appearance of darkened or gray tooth. Stonegate Dental provides patients with tooth coloured resin fillings as an alternative to these silver fillings. In order to make the silver fillings retentive, the dentist must remove enough tooth structure in order to create enough space to pack the filling in properly. Resin composite fillings however minimize the removal of tooth structure because they are strongly bonded to the tooth after all the decay is removed. Resin composites come in many shades to match your teeth, giving you a brighter and more natural smile!

Crowns

Crowns, also known as "caps" are like helmets for your teeth because they can protect teeth by covering them completely with strong materials. They also improve the appearance of teeth. Crowns are highly advised for teeth that have been weakened by root canals, big restorations and/or fractures. If weakened teeth are not protected, they can further break leading to pain and possibly not enough tooth structure left to save the tooth. During the first appointment, your tooth will be prepared and reshaped to allow the crown to fit. A temporary crown will be fabricated for you to wear until your new crown is permanently cemented and adjusted. Crowns can be gold, porcelain fused to an internal precious metal layer, or completely porcelain. The type of crown is dependent on where it is going to be located, your bite and how your teeth come together.

Bridges

A bridge can be a permanent solution for missing teeth. Treatment for spaces in your mouth is important because it can prevent shifting of teeth, upper teeth from falling out (if space is on the bottom) and can definitely improve your smile if you are missing a front tooth! A bridge is made up of prosthetic teeth that are attached to crowns that fit on the teeth adjacent to the space. Bridges can be gold, metal, porcelain fused to precious internal metal layer or all porcelain. The type for you is dependent on location, bite and how your teeth come together. During the first appointment, your teeth beside the space will be prepared and reshaped to allow the bridge to fit. A temporary bridge will be fabricated for you to wear until your new bridge is ready to be permanently cemented and adjusted.

Inlays and Onlays

If you are unhappy with your old silver or resin fillings in your mouth, other options are porcelain and gold restorations. They are placed on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. An inlay fits within the confines of the teeth and an onlay covers the entire chewing surface of the tooth. The procedure involves the removal of decay, old filling, preparation of the tooth cavity, and then taking an accurate impression of the tooth to fabricate a custom fit restoration. These restorations are then permanently cemented during your appointment.

Removable Dentures

A denture is ideal for the replacement of a single tooth, multiple teeth, or all of your teeth. It fills out your smile and can help chew your food properly, a difficult task when you are missing teeth. In addition, a denture may improve speech and prevent a sagging face by providing support for lips and cheeks. The number of appointments and time necessary depends on the type of denture and status of your teeth and gums.

What choices of partial dentures do I have?

Temporary Acrylic Removable Partial Denture "Flipper"

Also known as the “Flipper”, this is the least expensive alternative to replacing missing teeth. Some flippers have wire clasps to help attach an acrylic tissue colored base to the teeth, while some do not have any clasps. The biggest benefit of this type of denture is that it can be made before any teeth are removed and delivered the same day as the extractions are done, so the patient does not have to go toothless after the extraction. Unfortunately, these flippers can break frequently, may be more difficult to become accustomed to and tend to not be as retentive or stable as the other kinds of partials retained by clasps around the teeth. This is why the flipper is used more for a temporary while the extraction site heals for an implant or other treatments.

Framework Partial Dentures

These are partial dentures which have a cast metal framework supporting gum colored acrylic and teeth. These partials are mainly tooth supported with clasps and are therefore extremely stable. The teeth may need to be altered slightly so that the clasps and framework can allow the patient to bring their teeth together. The metal framework is made extremely thin, making it quick and easy for patients to adapt. In comparison to acrylic dentures, the cast metal framework is also very strong and less likely to break, and since the metal does not rest on tissue, but on teeth, these partials do not sink below the level of the teeth. Finally, since there is little contact with the soft tissue, sore spots are not much of a problem.

Flexible Framework Partial Dentures

The newest types of partial dentures are made from a nylon-like material called Valplast (the most common) or Flexite. This material replaces the metal and acrylic of the standard partial denture. The clasps that hold the partial to the teeth are made of the same pink material, and are generally indistinguishable from the gums, a very nice esthetic advantage. The material is also nearly unbreakable so it can be made quite thin, a distinct advantage over the acrylic framework partials. One disadvantage to these partials is that they are tissue supported so they are more likely to develop sore spots. They generally take more time to adjust for these sore spots, and their flexibility can be a liability in patients with heavy function.

Combination Metal Framework with Flexible Pink Clasp Partials
For the patient with high esthetic demands who also needs the most stable framework possible, we are now able to make a metal framework with clasps made of the pink material used in Valplast or Flexite partials. This allows us to hide the clasps while alleviating many of the sore spot problems associated with flexible frameworks.

Complete Dentures

Complete dentures can be either "conventional" or "immediate." Immediate dentures are ready to wear after the teeth have been removed and a conventional denture is ready for placement in the mouth about 8 to 12 weeks after the teeth have been removed.

Unlike conventional dentures, immediate dentures are made in advance and can be positioned same day as the extractions. As a result, the wearer does not have to be without teeth during the healing period. However, bones and gums shrink over time, especially during the healing period following tooth removal. Therefore a disadvantage of immediate dentures compared with conventional dentures is that they require more adjustments to fit properly during the healing process and generally should only be considered a temporary solution until conventional dentures can be made.

Root Canal

For many years and still in many countries, teeth that are infected had to be extracted. Now we can save many of these cases with root canal treatment given that there is good surrounding bone and enough tooth structure left to place a restoration. At Stonegate Dental, we believe in trying to save teeth instead of removing them so that you have a happier, healthier, natural smile for a lifetime.

Root canal is required if:

• The decay has reached the pulp
• There is infection inside the tooth or at the root tip, leading to abscesses and destruction of bone
• Severe trauma to the tooth
• There is not enough tooth structure to hold a restoration and need a post
• Possibly for crown and bridge treatment

Signs and symptoms for possible root canal therapy:

• An abscess (or pimple) on the gums
• Swelling or tenderness
• Sensitivity to hot and/or cold
• Severe toothache pain
• Sometimes no symptoms are present because the infection has made the tooth non-vital and have "killed the nerves"

The procedure involves first the removal of the nerves, bacteria, and any decay. The resulting space in the root system is then filled with special, medicated, dental materials, which restore the tooth to its full function.

Root canal treatment is the final attempt to save an infected tooth. Sometimes infections can come back after a root canal and thus removing the old root canal material and retreating.

Extractions

Dr. Wat likes to book plenty of time for extractions because she wants to make sure the patient has time to relax and that the extraction area is completely numb first to ensure maximum comfort. Dental anesthesia prevents discomfort during the extraction, but does not take away pressure and the sensation of the doctor pushing on the tooth. Dr. Wat is very patient and will stop immediately if you feel any bit of discomfort. Sometimes bone removal is required if the crown breaks off and the roots are stuck in the gum.

Sealants

A sealant is a thin coating applied to the chewing surface of molars, premolars and any deep grooves (called pits and fissures) of teeth. More than 75% of dental decay begins in these deep grooves because it is difficult for toothbrush bristles to reach these tight spots. A sealant helps by protecting the tooth by sealing the deep grooves, creating a smooth, easy to clean surface. Sealants do not mean you do not need to brush and floss because bacteria can still create cavities on the teeth surfaces, including in between your teeth!

Flouride Treatment

Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in many foods and water. On a daily basis, acid from plaque and sugars attack enamel and minerals are lost (demineralization) from the enamel. Minerals from water and food such as fluoride, calcium, and phosphate are redeposited (remineralization) to the enamel layer. Cavities begin when there is too much demineralization without enough remineralization to repair the enamel layer. Fluoride helps prevent cavities and reverse early decay by speeding up remineralization as well as disrupting acid production in both children and adults.

It is certainly important for infants and children to be exposed to fluoride as this is the time where baby and adult teeth erupt. Adults benefit from fluoride to help fight decay as well.

People with certain conditions may be at increased risk of tooth decay and would therefore benefit from additional fluoride treatment. They include people with:

• Dry mouth conditions : Dry mouth can make an individual more prone to cavities because the lack of saliva makes it harder for food particles to wash away and for acids to be neutralized. Dry mouth can be caused by diseases such as Sjögren's syndrome, certain medications (allergy medications, antihistamines, anti- anxiety drugs, and high blood pressure drugs), and head and neck radiation treatment.
• Gum disease : Gum disease can expose more of your tooth and tooth roots to bacteria increasing the chance of tooth decay.
• History of frequent cavities : If you have one cavity every year, you might benefit from additional fluoride.
• Presence of crowns, bridges or braces : These treatments can put teeth at risk for decay at the point where the crown meets the underlying tooth structure or around the brackets of orthodontic appliances.

Cleaning

Periodontal (gum) disease is an infection of bone and the supporting structures of your teeth. Your gums and bone that support your teeth are extremely important and must not be taken lightly because gum disease progress silently and the result can be unexpected teeth mobility and loss. It is estimated that 80% of the adult population has gum disease to one degree or another!

Gum disease is caused by bacteria found in plaque and calculus. Plaque is a sticky, almost invisible film that forms on the teeth. It is a growing colony of living bacteria, food debris, and saliva. The bacteria produce toxins that results in inflammation of the gums. Calculus is hardened plaque that has been left on the tooth for some time and is now firmly attached to the tooth surface.

This inflammatory reaction caused by the bacteria leads to the destruction of the fibers that connect teeth to bone and can create a space called a periodontal pocket. Normal depths are 1 to 3 mm. You can keep 3 mm or less pockets clean by yourself with routine brushing and flossing. However, in situations of periodontal disease, the pockets are deeper than 3 mm and it is impossible for you to clean and maintain them. As a result, bacteria and debris exist at the bottom of the pocket which leads to chronic gum infection. As we age, we become more susceptible to periodontal bacteria. Without treatment, teeth will lose enough support to become loose and painful and eventually will be lost.

Scaling and/or Root Planning

Scaling is necessary when plaque and calculus (tartar) are detected at or below the gum line. Plaque and calculus are then scraped off the tooth's crown and root with dental instruments. Sometimes an ultrasonic vibrating tip is required to loosen the tartar and then flushed away simultaneously with water from the tip.

Medication

Antibiotics or irrigation with anti-microbials (chemical agents or mouth rinses) may also be required to help control the growth of bacteria that is creating the toxins.

Teeth polishing

Removes stain and plaque that is not otherwise removed during tooth brushing and scaling.

Night guards

This is a device used to treat the condition known as bruxism or teeth grinding. It is worn over either the top or bottom teeth to provide a cushion when you are grinding. This condition more commonly occurs at night and can cause headaches and a considerable amount of jaw pain. Unfortunately for some patients, grinding over time can lead to a lot of enamel wear, resulting in a lot of structural damage to teeth, cold sensitivity and even vertical dimension of your facial profile. Crowns and dentures to repair all this damage is very costly because grinding affects most of your teeth at once. A simple inexpensive appliance can easily prevent such invasive and undesirable treatments!

Night guards can:

• Lessen jaw stress and reduce headaches
• Protect teeth from damage caused by grinding
• Reduce chance of teeth, veneers, and crowns from chipping or loosening
• May even reduce snoring!

Sports guards

Stonegate Dental cannot stress how important it is to protect your teeth when playing sports. A lot of times, sport injuries lead to root canals and expensive dental treatment when it could have been avoided by protecting teeth with a good mouthguard. The most inexpensive mouthguards found in most sporting goods stores offers the least amount of protection. You are unable to adjust store bought mouthguard to conform to the teeth; therefore they are likely to either slip off the mouth if too big, or pinch the gingiva, causing discomfort. Custom-fit mouthguards are obtained through your dental office. Available in as little as one week, the first appointment involves taking an impression of the teeth to be sent to the dental laboratory where the mouthguard will be fabricated.