Q. Do you have a dentist's on-site? 

 

 A. At Heritage Dental Hygiene, we do not have a dentist on-site. Our Dental Hygienists will record any suspicious areas they may find in your mouth and tell you about them. You can give your dental hygienist consent to send a letter to your dentist updating them on our findings. If you don’t have a dentist, we work closely with a few dentists in the area and depending on your needs, we can recommend a dentist for you.

 

                        Q. How do dentists feel about Independent Dental Hygiene? 

 

A. We hope that dentists are highly educated professionals who strive to put their patients’ choices first. The majority of dentists know the rules and work with us. We work with and refer to those dentists because, if they respect us, they will respect you.  It is your right to be your advocate and choose your dental hygienist. The dentist typically does not practice dental hygiene treatment, they are busy providing dental services. The traditional dental office business model, established in the 1950s, asked the dentist to give the dental hygienist a standing order to provide dental hygiene treatment. Today, the traditional model has changed, and collaborative interdisciplinary client-centered care is the approach. Dental hygienists can receive a self- initiation designation and provide dental hygiene treatment without the standing order of a dentist. There are currently over 150 independent dental hygiene offices in Ontario.

 

Q. If I had my dental hygiene treatment done at your Independent Dental Hygiene office, what happens when I go to my appointment at my dentist's office? 

 

A. Typically, (but depending on how your dentist operates the practice) when having your dental hygiene treatment completed at our office, we ask for your consent to update your dentist on our findings. There is no need for you to be scheduled with the dental hygienist at your dentist’s office. Your dentist will review our findings and complete and intraoral examination. They may then prescribe necessary radiographs based on their observations. Most of our clients prefer this! They feel they are not being rushed by a dentist who is busy with other important procedures to examine their teeth at the end of their dental hygiene appointment. You can schedule exclusive time with your dentist to discuss and review your oral concerns one on one!

 

 

Q. I have recently moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake, and I don’t want to leave my Dentist in Toronto, what should I do? 

 

A. Our independent dental hygiene office is the perfect solution for you. Typically, in most dental practices, you are not seeing your dentist at every appointment you have with your hygienist. Our office can provide your dental hygiene needs including scaling (cleaning of the teeth), assessment and polishing. We will update your dentist as to how your oral health is doing based on dental indices or scores. If your dental work is complete, you may only need to see your dentist every 12-24 months for a check-up, and we can see you every 3-6 months for dental hygiene treatment. When you take the trip into the city, it will be to see your dentist. They can allow for extra time in their schedule to complete any dental work that they may find you need. Using our local office for your dental hygiene treatment is the ideal solution for you to keep your relationship with your existing dentist for dental work.

 

 

Q. I need a Dentist but when it comes time to see the dentist, there are so many dentist offices available, how do I choose one? 

 

A. Choosing a dentist can be difficult. The market is overwhelming. More and more dentists are graduating, and the upcoming generations need less and less restorative dental work. Reviews, price cuts, and incentives are not allowed within the RCDSO guidelines, but they are happening. How do you choose? Is it the free whitening, the nice building or the warranty on dental work that appeals to you? Do you need the procedures that that particular dentist is investing their continuing education and practice equipment dollars towards? Do you listen to a family member or friend who offers an experience they had, only to find out it did not turn out as well for you because your mouth and value system is completely different from theirs? We can help you in making that decision based on your needs.

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Schedule an appointment with Heritage Dental Hygiene and let us help you decide.

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