Now the Good News The treatment of periodontal (gum) disease, in all its stages from mild to severe, is typically covered by most dental insurance plans. Non-surgical care combined with improved dental hygiene has often proven effective in slowing or even stopping the spread of the disease. However, in more severe cases, treatment may still include surgery. Vista Dental Care      Chad Aitken, DMD 280-5201 43 St. Red Deer, AB T4N 1C7 (855) 636-9223    VistaDentalCare.ca

A Lifetime of Good Dental Habits! Dr. Aitken shares your goals for maintaining and bettering your child’s oral health. Helping them learn the correct way from the beginning builds a lifetime foundation of strong dental habits. Keep in mind that many factors contribute to your child’s teeth being susceptible to cavities when they’re young. Children don’t have the necessary coordination to brush properly on their own. Because of this, it is vital for parents to assist in their child’s daily hygiene. This encourages both thorough cleaning and the instilling of proper dental habits. Poor cleaning can increase the risk that teeth will develop decay when subjected to food and juice acids. Little kids often “graze,” eating frequently throughout the day. This produces an extended exposure to food acids, which may also generate more cavities. The good news is that recognizing poor dietary and hygiene habits, along with applying a fluoride varnish to the mineralizing teeth, can lessen the odds...

The Cleanest Your Teeth Can Be We use a Piezo Scaler™ to assist in removing deposits of plaque and calculus (tartar) from your teeth, especially below the gumline. This hand tool uses high-frequency vibrations to permit us to take deposits off your teeth quicker than with regular scaling instruments. This device even works in the deep pockets that occur in your gums around your teeth, making it effective for the treatment of gum disease. Your teeth have never felt so clean! Vista Dental Care      Chad Aitken, DMD 280-5201 43 St. Red Deer, AB T4N 1C7 (855) 636-9223   VistaDentalCare.ca

No More Goopy Impressions! With the Cadent iTero™ digital impression system, you can skip the funky taste of a squishy putty tray impression to be fitted with a crown or a bridge. Using 3-D technology, Dr. Aitken can make a detailed digital impression that makes this initial step for crowns, bridges, and even Invisalign treatment comfortable and precise. Vista Dental Care      Chad Aitken, DMD 280-5201 43 St. Red Deer, AB T4N 1C7 (855) 636-9223   VistaDentalCare.ca

Have You Been Told You Need Gum Surgery? At Vista Dental Care, we use laser technology for the non-surgical treatment of gum disease. Used in place of scalpels and sutures, lasers offer precisely placed incisions and reduced bleeding, with a goal of reduced discomfort and improved healing. The laser can also be employed for other soft tissue procedures, such as treating oral lesions or reducing the look of a “gummy” smile. Ask us about this at your next visit! Vista Dental Care      Chad Aitken, DMD   280-5201 43 St.  Red Deer, AB  T4N 1C7  (855) 636-9223   VistaDentalCare.ca

Senior Dental Care is Different Our teeth and gums age just like the rest of our bodies. Even our prior dental work may fracture or grow loose with time. Our team is mindful of the dental concerns that challenge our senior patients. We’re alert for gum infection, which increases in potential risk as we age. So, we check our patients for the indicators – red, swollen, or bleeding gums when brushing or flossing, and loose teeth. Plaque is more likely to concentrate on the surface of older teeth and lead to decay. We focus on removing it before it develops into tartar and a larger issue.  After years of consuming caffeine or tobacco, teeth can grow dull and need professional whitening to bring back their original luster. We can help. Some of your medications will reduce the necessary flow of saliva through your mouth, and we have products that will ease this complication. We advocate good nutrition, daily hygiene, and routine check-ups to help your smile stay white and keep your nat...

A Simple Way to Prevent Child Tooth Decay Dental sealants help compensate for a child’s inability to brush properly. Even though they try hard, they're still learning, and their hand-to-eye coordination isn't fully developed. Even with meticulous brushing, it is possible that the deep grooves in the back teeth may be missed. These hard-to-reach brushing areas even elude adults.  Poorly cleaned teeth can permit the accumulation of bacteria, acids, and plaque, which will later cause decay. And once a tooth has decay, it is damaged forever and will likely need a filling or a crown.  A dental sealant procedure is done as follows: The tooth (or teeth) is cleansed and sterilized. A white or clear plastic coating is lightly brushed on their tooth enamel. A curing light is focused on the sealant to bond it into place. In very little time, without shots or drills, the entire process is finished. The application of dental sealants is harmless and one of the best things both ch...

The Primary Cause of Lost Teeth Gum disease accounts for more tooth loss than direct decay, but the symptoms of gum disease may go unrecognized until you begin to lose your teeth. You should see a dentist if you’re experiencing bleeding gums when you brush or floss or if you have loose or shifting teeth. If you’ve been informed that you may require gum surgery, you will be pleased to know that there are also several non-surgical methods available for the control of gum disease. Vista Dental Care      Chad Aitken, DMD   280-5201 43 St.  Red Deer, AB  T4N 1C7  (855) 636-9223    VistaDentalCare.ca

Digital X-ray Options Digital X-rays generate viewing options that are not possible with conventional film systems. A digital sensor takes either individual images or a single panoramic image of the inside of your mouth and displays these on a monitor. Without altering the original data, images can be enhanced, rotated, or colourized. With digital files, new images can be superimposed over older images to expose changes in your dental health. With digital X-rays, there is no delay while images are being developed, and no chemicals used in developing. Vista Dental Care      Chad Aitken, DMD   280-5201 43 St.  Red Deer, AB  T4N 1C7  (855) 636-9223  VistaDentalCare.ca

No More ‘Fat Lips’ or Numbness After Treatment! There are times after routine dental treatments that patients experience “numbness” for up to 5 hours. It’s difficult to talk or eat, and the face and lips feel “fat.” What if that didn’t have to occur? We are pleased to offer our patients OraVerse™. This product reverses the anaesthetic after your treatment is completed. In approximately 15 minutes a patient feels back to normal. So, if the idea of being numb for hours after your procedure makes you uncomfortable – we can take care of that for you! Vista Dental Care      Chad Aitken, DMD    280-5201 43 St.   Red Deer, AB   T4N 1C7   (855) 636-9223   VistaDentalCare.ca

Three-Dimensional Dentistry We are proud to be one of the practices in our area to use 3-D cone beam CT digital imaging technology. Think of this as a three-dimensional X-ray that produces a highly detailed image of your dental structures. This is helpful when Dr. Aitken is diagnosing patients and evaluating treatment options. He can clearly see each patient’s anatomy in 3-D, instead of a flat, two-dimensional image. This is beneficial for dental implant procedures and more! Vista Dental Care      Chad Aitken, DMD      280-5201 43 St.     Red Deer, AB     T4N 1C7     (855) 636-9223     VistaDentalCare.ca

TMJ/TMD – Proper Bite Alignment Treatment Reduces Strain and Pain Improper bite alignment can cause you pain, and not just in your mouth. Dental malocclusion (i.e. bad bite) is sometimes the cause of frequent headaches, aching or popping jaws, and even shoulder and neck pain. If your teeth have worn down over the years or been lost due to accident or dental disease, your jaw won’t be able to relax.  This additional tension in the muscles of your jaw can lead to a variety of body pains. Pain you may have grown accustomed to and even attributed to other sources. By restoring your dental occlusion, your jaw can settle into the position that nature intended. Don’t live with the pain a moment longer! We invite you to discover the benefits that treatment may bring to your quality of life. Vista Dental Care      Chad Aitken, DMD      280-5201 43 St.     Red Deer, AB     T4N 1C7     (855) 636-9223   ...

What’s So Bad About Losing a Tooth? No matter how you lose a tooth, leaving the gap will cause other problems to develop over time. You may notice that your other teeth begin to shift, which will alter your ability to chew your food properly. Losing teeth changes your dental occlusion (your bite), causing your remaining teeth, gums, jaw muscles, and jaw joints to experience additional stresses, and this can produce mild to severe pain.  Dental implants represent a reasonable choice for replacing a missing tooth or even multiple teeth. Implants simulate the look of natural teeth because they’re placed below your gum line, unlike a bridge or dentures, which rest upon your gums. The materials used to create modern implants can be dyed/stained to blend with the look of your natural teeth. Vista Dental Care      Chad Aitken, DMD      280-5201 43 St.     Red Deer, AB     T4N 1C7     (855) 636-9223 ...