​Tips for Keeping Teeth Healthy in St. John’s

Your child's first teeth erupt around 6 months old. To prevent dental problems, we recommend your child should visit the dentist at 1 year of age. This first visit will help your child to become acquainted with our office and develop a relationship with the dentist and staff while giving us a chance to help educate you on how to properly care for your child's teeth.

Scheduling teeth cleanings every 6 months is the most effective way to prevent tooth decay, plaque buildup and other dental issues. At your dental checkups you’ll also receive X-rays and screenings for certain conditions to ensure your overall oral health is at optimum levels.

During your first checkup with us, we’ll conduct an initial exam. We’ll be looking for any signs of health issues as they can relate to your overall oral health. Your dentist will also look for gum disease, cavities, failing restorations, tooth fractures, and oral infections. They are trained to catch small problems well before they become big ones. Often, a problem can be treated right away.

Your checkup may include:

• Dental and medical history update – we will ask about any oral or general health problems you have

• Examinations and sometimes treatment

• Dental x-rays

• Cleaning – a cleaning makes your teeth and fillings smooth, which makes it more difficult for plaque to build up. Plaque is a clear and sticky substance that forms on your teeth every day. If it is left on your teeth, it will harden in tartar (calculus). The only way to remove tartar is a dental cleaning – your toothbrush cannot remove it. If it is not removed, it can help cause gum disease. A cleaning can also remove stains so your teeth will look better.

Make sure you bring your insurance card, if applicable, and a list of any medications you are on.

For children 12 and under, the MCP covers:

• Examinations at 6-month intervals

• Cleanings at 12-month intervals

• Fluoride applications for children ages 6-12 at 12 month intervals

• X-rays

• Routine fillings and extractions

• Sealants

Coverage for children ages 13-17 in families receiving income support, or eligible families with low incomes who present us with their eligibility letter (with the correct date range) and their MCP card can receive:

• Examinations every 24 months

• Limited x-rays (once every two years)

• Routine fillings and extractions coverage

• Dollar cap of $300 per calendar year (April 1st-March 31st)

For adult recipients of income support, access plan, or 65+ senior plan that present us with their eligibility letter or MCP monthly stub (with the correct date range) and their MCP card can receive:

• Routine fillings

• Extractions (not impacted teeth)

• Exams (every 3 years)

• Limited x-rays (once every 3 years)

Cleanings are not covered. There is a dollar cap of $300 per calendar year (April 1st-March 31st).

Unfortunately, we do not. We maintain a large database of patients with over 50 different insurance policies, so the only information we get on coverage and benefits is from you directly. We do not have contact with benefits carriers about coverages or maximums, so if you coverage does change, you will need to bring in that information to your next appointment.

If you are curious about the coverage for a recommended procedure, we can create an estimate to send to your insurance company. If you have any concerns about exceeding your benefits allowed during the year, please contact your carrier before your appointment to determine if you have enough benefits for your treatment.

With most insurance companies, we can do direct billing. However, in order for us to submit a claim to your insurance carrier, we will need you to provide us with your insurance card with your policy and certificate number before your appointment. There are some insurance policies that do not allow direct billing. In those cases, you will be required to pay the entire amount, and we can give you a claim form that you can bring into your insurance for reimbursement.

CAD/CAM stands for computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing. Cowan Heights Dental is proud to be the first dental office in Newfoundland to make this amazing piece of technology available for our patients in 2004.

The common mercury filling was becoming too controversial and it was a material that we did not feel comfortable placing in our patients’ mouths anymore. It became very important to us that we should be able to offer the very best type of restoration, strengthen a tooth, and provide this superior restoration in a single visit.

This search led us to ceramic restorations made with CAD/CAM. It is the dental industry's closest attempt so far to duplicating natural tooth enamel.

Once we began using CAD/CAM, we quickly discovered that we could not only provide the advantage of a stronger restoration, but also conserve tooth structure for our patients, extending the life of their teeth.

CAD/CAM reduces a normal three-visit appointment down to one easy visit, and it’s really cool to watch. The steps are simple: Once the tooth is anaesthetized, the old mercury filling is removed or the broken tooth is reshaped, then a highly specialized camera is used to take a picture of the tooth. Once this is done, the computer generates a 3D image – now sit back and watch us design a new ceramic restoration designed specifically for you. Within a few minutes your dentist will send the design to our newest milling unit that will cut your restoration out of a solid block of ceramic.

Finally, the restoration is verified for fit, then baked at 790 degrees, cooled, bonded in place, and ready to use – all in one visit.