New clinic aims to save your molars, money
Students in need of a quick dental checkup, routine cleaning or oral hygiene consultation have a new option located in
Photo by James Paton. Dental hygienist Joelle Pickles works at the Bright Dental Health Clinic.
the basement of Wyckham House.
Under the direction of registered dental hygienist Joelle Pickles, who previously worked with students on-campus once a week out of the EnCana Wellness Centre, the Students’ Association has unveiled the Bright Dental Health Centre, Mount Royal’s first full-time dental care facilitiy.
“Typically I see that people had good care when they were younger, they have always had their parents take them for checkups and cleanings once a year,” said Pickles, who has worked as a contractor in Calgary for the past 10 years. “When they leave that environment and they’re under a lot of stress and have less time to care for themselves, their nutrition might not be as good as it was and they’re sleeping less. That has an impact on their general health, they get more flus, they get more colds. In the mouth that change doesn’t occur so rapidly but over time it does start to fall apart.”
Pickles’ practice, which officially began seeing students Sept. 22, currently offers cleanings, digital X-rays, laser teeth-whitening, sensitive teeth treatments and options for reversing soft-tissue disease and early-stage tooth decay. She explained that early assessment and reversal of oral diseases can save students loads of money in the future.
“Anytime you alter the tooth structure with a filling — whether it’s a mercury filling or a white filling — that material will usually break down and for most people it will last about 10 years,” Pickles said. “So eventually there is so little left that you have to put in a cap and a cap is $1,000. That lasts about 13 years and then you have go for an extraction and implant and that usually runs about $3,500.”
Beyond this, the Bright Dental Health Centre is also offering and students under the university’s health plan an initial checkup and assessment for free and a 20 percent discount on all future treatments. They will also offer referrals to other clinics in town should you require a tooth extraction or filling.
“I have been really lucky because I have created a lot of really great relationships and I know which practices are doing what services really well,” Pickles said. “We are your partner, that’s what we have set our mission statement to be. We want to give you as much information as we know so you can make decisions about your treatment.”
Attempting to create a comfortable environment for clients, the centre has added features like massaging chairs, a soundproof reception area and cable TV. Pickles said they are also currently in talks to bring a dentist on board and hopes to have that in place by the end of September.
The Bright Dental Health Centre is currently open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday to Friday. Appointments are currently being booked into October and can be made online at brightdentalhealth.com or by phone at (403) 685-3210.
