Dental FAQ's

Although people can experience pain with their teeth and gums for numerous reasons, the term Emergency in Dentistry is reserved for trauma cases where bleeding and/or pain is uncontrolled. Click here to learn more, or call us at (519)400-6771.

Urgent Dental Care is treatment provided to repair damage to the teeth and gums. It is performed for the Patient as soon as safely possible, with the intention of halting the damage, and trying to prevent future issues, such as infection, pain, and suffering. Fractures can happen and not hurt, and although it may not technically be a Dental Emergency, we know it may be extremely important for you to have it dealt with. In addition to Emergencies, Gordon Street Dental can usually accommodate Urgent Dental Care requests same day.
Call us at (519)400-6771, or Book an Appointment

The term “cavity” can be very misleading. This lazy word just means a hole, or breakdown in the tooth’s outer shell (Enamel). It can also refer to a broken area adjacent to a dental filling (Dental Restoration). Although usually going unnoticed initially, once established, this hole can enlarge slowly, or quickly, depending on several factors.
Bacteria that exist in almost all cavities will thrive and continue to decay and threaten our tooth’s structure,
as well as the tooth’s vital nerve tissue that connects to our circulatory system.

Yes! Provided we have had the opportunity in advance, (with your assistance), to confirm that your insurance coverage is unused, and in place. Please contact your insurance provider for your own benefit, and feel free to reach out to us for assistance. We will be happy to help you! Direct Billing Insurance for your Dental Treatment in Guelph.

In addition to our 3-D scan technology, and an Oral exam upon initial examination, x-ray imaging is necessary to confirm the absence of damage in the tooth, gums, and jawbones. Although we rely more heavily on our ongoing clinical examinations to track a patient’s progress after initial imaging, it is also oftentimes necessary at periodic intervals in the future. Without this essential technology, conditions of tooth roots, the presence of unerupted teeth, impacted teeth, lesions and other malformations are unknown. We at Gordon Street Dental, use the safest technology (digital imaging) to produce our x-ray imaging, with a prescriptive approach, in order to customize the care and treatment of all our Patients.

No. If you wish to see a new Dentist, you can simply sign a request form with the new Dentist’s Office you wish to attend. They will facilitate the transfer of any/all pertinent records that will help you to continue your care seamlessly.
Contact us today if you have any questions!

Gordon Street Dental Office can’t write off the differences that your Insurance Company is declining to pay for some very important reasons.

1. We have determined fees by considering the professional guidelines set out by the ODA. In the interest of fairness, these fees must be the same for all patients, regardless of insurance.
2. We have set our fee guidelines in line with the current ODA fee guidelines, however, as the ODA guidelines are heavily dependent upon last year’s material costs, providing safe quality materials in this current year, when our actual material costs are much higher, has already been challenging for us economically. Unfortunately, writing off differences in fees isn’t an economically viable option for us. If we could afford to do this, we would provide this to all our patients.
3. An individual’s Insurance Plan requires the patient to legally be liable for their portion of the fee, and any writing off, or adjustment automatically requires the Insurance Company to assume responsibility for a higher percentage than what is in their contract. The Insurance Companies consider this to be fraudulent.
   The simple fact is that amounts provided in benefits in Dental Insurances paid out by the Insurance Companies have only increased a very small percentage over the last few decades, and they have never come close to mirroring the inflationary costs we have seen in every aspect of our lives.

Please note we are always happy to send estimates, and we do so daily for many of our Patients. We are experts at providing requests for pre-determinations, and pre-authorizations on your behalf for any/all of the treatment that has been recommended. Our staff is excellent at helping guide you through these processes.
The current reality is that there are privacy laws in the province of Ontario governing Dental Practice and Insurance provision and as it stands, Insurance companies don’t have any legal obligation to provide us with thorough or accurate information about a patient’s coverage. We are considered a third party, and as such, any information we receive from Insurance Companies is provided in general terms, and as a courtesy. The patient is the actual policy holder, and the only one that will actually receive verified information that the Insurance company will be held accountable for.

No. They are very different. A post is a tiny metal building rod that is placed within a broken tooth to help build back the tooth and retain filling material when there is limited healthy tooth.

In contrast, an Implant is a biocompatible material, in the form of a screw, or post, that is surgically implanted into the gum and bone where a tooth was lost. Once healed, a ceramic crown, in place of a tooth crown, can be attached to this implant.

We provide four additional payment options in addition to our Direct Insurance Billing Option, with Insurance companies that do participate. Check out all the details at Convenient Payment Options.