FAQS: Teeth Scaling, Polishing & Dental Cleaning Explained

Welcome! We’re pleased that you’re interested in becoming a patient at Urbanview Dental Clinic. We often recommend first-time patients schedule a full comprehensive oral examination, including x-rays, with one of our dentists. Typically, the comprehensive dental exam is only about an hour. At this appointment, the dentist assesses the overall health of your teeth and gums. At this time, they’ll recommend any potential necessary treatments. They’ll also make recommendations about professional cleaning frequency. We value transparency – your dentist will take their time explaining the rationale behind any treatment recommendations. 

What if my previous dentist recently gave me a comprehensive dental exam? 
That’s not a problem! But, since our clinic is unfamiliar with your oral and dental history, we require a new patient exam to confirm the state of your oral health and if treatment is necessary. Do you have dental insurance? If so, you should check with your provider to find out if you are covered for our new patient examination before your scheduled appointment. 

What if I’m concerned with only a specific tooth?
If you are coming to us for a very specific dental issue, such as a toothache or a broken tooth, you can schedule an appointment for that particular examination only. This kind of exam will focus entirely on the specific area or tooth of concern. This exam may require an x-ray to determine more information about the tooth – its inner health or the tooth’s status below the gum line.

Does an Urbanview Dental new patient exam include a cleaning?
Unless you have booked the new patient exam and the cleaning back-to-back – a  2-hour appointment for both – a new patient exam by one of our dentists will not include a cleaning by a hygienist. It’s important to us that we book exactly the appointment you need when you contact us. Please don’t hesitate to ask us any questions if you need more information about what your appointment will cover. 

Can I forward or bring the x-rays taken at my last clinic?
We invite you to transfer to us any x-rays taken at your previous clinic in preparation for your first Urbanview exam. It’s important to know that x-rays older than 9 months may not provide us with as accurate a representation of your teeth and bone as we need. The state of your mouth and teeth changes over time. In order to give the dentist the most recent information and view, your Urbanview dentist might take new x-rays to keep your records current. 

Being afraid – anxious, and stressed – going to the dentist is quite common. And we understand! This is a big part of the reason why we go above and beyond to provide you with the friendliest and most empathetic staff and dentists. We will do our very best to make every aspect of your appointment, from reception to your appointment, as easy, stress-free, and comfortable as we can. 

Let us help you feel less anxious! We encourage you to schedule a free consultation in advance of your appointment. Here, you can talk to us about the Urbanview Dental experience, including what you can expect in your appointment with the dentist or hygienist. This is a good opportunity to get a feel for the clinic – feel free to ask questions about our office and our procedures! 

For a little extra help, read how to manage dental anxiety and fear. If you have questions, give us a call or send us a message through our website!

Generally speaking, our dental cleanings take one hour. You can expect the typical cleaning appointment to include scaling, polishing, and/or a fluoride application. If it’s been a long while between cleanings (a year or more, for example), it might require more than one cleaning visit for your hygienist to do the most thorough job. 

As one of our returning patients, there may be a check-up or x-rays at your cleaning appointment. As a new patient, it will be the cleaning only – the check-up is separate from your appointment for cleaning. Unless, of course, you have booked a 2-hour back-to-back appointment that includes your new patient exam.

We sure do! Our on-staff periodontal specialist – Dr. Michael Landzberg – works select days of the month from our Urbanview clinic. Conveniently, our group of offices also has an oral surgeon working from this location. 

This is such an advantage for our patients as your treatment is customized to your unique needs. Additionally, your records are stored in only one place, better facilitating proper treatment and smooth coordination between your dentist and the specialist. 

After assessing your teeth, if the dentist recommends you need the treatment of a specialist, they’ll organise the referral for you.

Yes, we do! We are one of only a few clinics in downtown Toronto that direct bill your provider.

If your dental coverage is based in Canada, tell our receptionists before your appointment so we can do the direct billing when you’re done. 

If you have a plan that allows ‘assignment of benefits’, we can still direct bill your insurance but they’ll cover your treatment at your eligible coverage amount, you will pay the remainder. If your plan doesn’t allow the assignment of benefits, you have to pay the total amount that day. We’ll help submit your claim for you, to ensure you get reimbursed directly by your provider. Avoid any unpleasant surprises! Understand your dental coverage BEFORE you come in.

For more details, read about dental insurance.

I’m not a patient – can you submit a dental estimate for me?
Due to reasons of privacy, if you aren’t a patient at Urbanview, we’re unable to submit a dental estimate. But, we can provide you with the procedure codes we use for some of our dental treatments (ie. new patient exams, teeth cleaning, x-rays). With these codes, you can check your coverage with your dental insurance provider. 

If you’d like to become a patient of Urbanview Dental, but want to check your insurance coverage first, give us a call and we’ll give you a few procedure codes to get started!

If you have secondary coverage, in addition to your primary plan,tell our receptionists when you check in for your appointment. To bill your secondary provider successfully, we need: The carrier name, group/plan number, ID/subscriber number, and the full name and date of birth of the secondary policyholder.

What is secondary insurance?
Your secondary dental insurance is a play that covers any amount that wasn’t paid by your primary provider. 

For example, your primary dental plan covers 80% of treatment, your secondary covers the remainder.

If you have secondary dental insurance, it’s possible to get listed under a parent or spouses insurance plan, or even a second plan in your own name.

If you have any questions regarding your dental insurance coverage, we recommend you get in touch with your insurance provider.

No. We are unable to direct bill to health spending accounts, travel insurance, or insurance companies based outside of Canada.

We require payment in full upfront on the day of treatment. We’ll provide you with a receipt to submit to get reimbursed.

As it’s a cosmetic procedure, whitening treatments are not covered by insurance. You can confirm this with a call to your insurance provider. 

What is the cause of tooth discolouration?
Tooth discolouration occurs in two ways: extrinsic (staining on the exterior of the tooth) and intrinsic (a tooth is discoloured from inside).

When the exterior of the tooth is stained, it’s often due to substances that come in contact with your teeth – drinks and food such as wine, coffee, tee, or tobacco. Staining from the inside reflects the condition of the tooth, itself. Intrinsic staining can occur as a result of using certain antibiotics or from different dental procedures such as excessive amounts of fluoride (fluorosis).

Whitening solutions can help discolouration depend on the type and degree. Other discolouration requires more involved, restorative treatments such as veneers, bonding, and others. If you have teeth staining or discolouration and want to learn about the best treatment for you, make an appointment with us.

Read more about whitening HERE.

The general recommendation is that you visit the dentist at least twice a year. This should include check-ups and cleanings, though depending on your case, your dentist or hygienist may recommend more frequent visits.

To ensure the care of teeth and gums and to prevent dental problems, regular dental exams and cleanings are critical. Along with checking for cavities and teeth cleanings, our Urbanview dentists perform other important steps to maintain healthy teeth and gums, including:

• Review your medical history: To ensure the proper attention to your dental health, our dentists will keep up to date on the status of your overall health – current medical conditions, new medications, etc.

• Examine diagnostic x-rays: To detect tooth decay, bone loss, tumours, and cysts, x-rays are essential. They can also help determine tooth and root positions.

• Assess for gum disease: For signs of peridontal disease, we examine the gums and the bone that surrounds your teeth.

• Look for tooth decay: We use specialized dental instruments to check all of the tooth surfaces for decay. 

• Remove plaque: A sticky, almost invisible film that forms on the teeth, plaque is made up from saliva, food debris, and living bacteria. These bacteria grows continuously and produces toxins that can cause inflammation in the gums eventually leading to periodontal disease.

• Remove tartar: Plaque left on a tooth’s surface long enough to attach firmly and become hard is called tartar (or calculus). It forms above and below the gum line. We remove tartar with specialized dental instruments. 

• Teeth polishing: Our dentists help remove stains and plaque that don’t get removed during teeth brushing and scaling.

• Oral cancer screening: Our dentists check your face, neck, lips, tongue, gums, throat, and tissues for any signs of oral cancer.

• Examine existing restorations: We check the status of your fillings, crowns, bridges, etc.

• Offer recommendations for oral hygiene: We’ll review with you the oral hygiene aids available and recommend those we believe are best for your situation (eg. electric toothbrushes, rinses, special cleaning aids, fluorides, etc.)

• Review your dietary habits: We stress the strong connection between eating habits and dental health. We help you to make the best dietary choices to promote your specific dental health.

Clearly, we do a lot more during your visit with us than just polish your teeth and check for cavities. We recommend that you schedule regular check-ups to ensure we can provide you with the best care possible!

We follow the current Ontario Dental Association fee guide. We strive to provide you with exceptional, yet affordable, dental care.

We want you to ask questions about your dental treatment and how it’s priced, so that you know what to expect now and as your care continues. 

We want to stress that looking for a bargain for dental treatment can be dangerous. The first considerations as a patient should always be a dentist’s expertise, knowledge, and technological capabilities. When it comes to your teeth and mouth, it’s always quality over cost. 

Don’t take any chances on your dental care! Feel free to visit our practice and experience for yourself, first-hand, what sets us head and shoulders above the rest! 

We offer several choices for payment – Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Debit, and cash.

If you are a patient wanting to pay an outstanding balance, feel free to come to the office or pay by phone. Note: phone payments are credit card only.

Yes we do! We offer a discount for our patients who are aged 65 and over.

When you come in for an appointment at Urbanview Dental, we do our best to meet, if not exceed your expectations. That means that your scheduled appointment time is for you, and you alone. In return, we ask that you provide us with at least two (2) business days notice if you need to make a change or need to cancel. Giving us this time lets us accommodate other patients who are waiting for appointments in a timely manner. We thank you for your understanding and appreciate your cooperation.

If left untreated, dental problems can cause you great discomfort if not real pain. That’s why we offer extended evening and Saturday office hours – so we attend to your your dental emergency as fast as possible. Typically, within only an hour of your call.

Whether you’re visiting from out of town, on vacation, are a new patient, or are a regular patient, call or message us if you have an emergency during office hours. We will do what we can to give you same-day service, if not within an hour of your phone call. If we cannot see you at Urbanview, we will triage you to one of our sister locations – Waterview Dental, Parkview Dental, Cityview Dental, or The Richmond Dental Centre.

Don’t have time to talk with us? Quickly message us through our website! Click the little blue button at the bottom right of your screen and send us a message. It’s instantly sent to our receptionists during office hours.

If you’re already one of our patients and have an emergency after office hours, leave a message on our emergency hotline. The dentist on call will return your call, often within only 30 minutes.

We make a commitment to you – if you have a dental emergency, we’ll take good care of you at Urbanview Dental. 

Read more about what to do if in a dental emergency.