Oral Surgery and Periodontics in Downtown Vancouver

Dental implants offer a durable, natural-looking solution for replacing missing teeth and restoring everyday function. Treatment happens in phases. First comes planning: an exam, X-rays and a careful look at your bone and gum health. Next, a small titanium post is placed in the jawbone under local anesthetic, where it acts as an artificial root. Over the following months, the bone fuses around it in a process called osseointegration, creating a rock-solid base. Finally, a custom crown, bridge or denture is attached on top. Dental implants can help preserve jawbone and replace missing teeth without relying on neighbouring teeth for support. Long-term success depends on individual oral health, treatment planning and ongoing care. Our downtown Vancouver dentists bring more than two decades of implant experience to every case.

All-on-X is designed for people who are missing most or all of their teeth in one jaw, or whose remaining teeth are failing. All-on-X treatment replaces a full arch of missing teeth using multiple dental implants, typically four to six depending on the treatment plan. Implant positioning is carefully planned based on each patient's bone structure and oral health needs. Depending on your oral health and implant stability, temporary fixed teeth may be placed shortly after surgery. Your dentist will explain the most suitable treatment timeline during your consultation. Unlike traditional dentures, All-on-X teeth do not come out at night, need no adhesive and let you bite with confidence. Ask our downtown Vancouver team whether you are a candidate.

Every house needs a solid foundation, and so does a dental implant. After a tooth is lost, the jawbone that once supported it gradually shrinks, and gum disease or years of wearing dentures can speed that loss. Bone grafting helps rebuild or preserve jawbone in areas where additional support may be needed for dental implants. Healing takes place over several months, and your dentist will assess whether the graft has developed sufficient support before proceeding. Grafting can also be done at the time of an extraction to preserve the socket and save time later. The procedure is performed under local anesthetic and most patients report only mild soreness. If you have been told you lack bone for implants, our downtown Vancouver dentists can explain your options.

Many jaw cysts are discovered by accident. A patient comes in for a routine checkup in downtown Vancouver, feels perfectly fine, and the X-ray shows a dark, rounded shadow near the root of a tooth. Cysts are fluid-filled sacs; granulomas are clusters of inflamed tissue, often linked to an old infection or an impacted tooth. Both can grow quietly for years, slowly weakening the surrounding bone or displacing nearby teeth before any swelling or discomfort appears. Treatment involves removing the lesion surgically under local anesthetic and, when needed, treating the tooth involved. Tissue may be sent to a laboratory for analysis to confirm what it is. Regular X-rays are the best way to catch these early, while they are small.

A frenum is the small fold of tissue that connects your tongue to the floor of your mouth, or your lip to your gums. When it is too short or tight, it can cause problems at any age. In infants, a tongue-tie may make breastfeeding difficult. In children, it can affect speech or keep the front teeth apart. In adults, a tight lip frenum can pull on the gums and contribute to recession, or reopen a gap after orthodontic treatment. A frenectomy gently releases or removes that tissue. The procedure takes only a few minutes under local anesthetic, and healing is usually complete within one to two weeks. Our downtown Vancouver dentists will assess whether a frenectomy would help.

Gum disease develops in stages, and the earlier it is treated, the more of your smile you keep.

• Gingivitis: red, puffy gums that bleed when you brush. At this stage, damage is fully reversible with a professional cleaning and better home care.
• Periodontitis: bacteria spread below the gumline, forming pockets and destroying the bone that anchors your teeth. Treatment focuses on stopping the infection.
• Advanced periodontitis: teeth may loosen, shift or need to be removed.

Gum disease is also associated with diabetes and heart disease, so healthy gums matter beyond your mouth. Our downtown Vancouver dentists tailor care to your stage, from deep cleaning to closer maintenance visits.

If your dentist has recommended a deep cleaning, here is what to expect. First, we numb the area so you stay comfortable throughout. Next comes scaling: using fine instruments, we remove tartar and bacteria from the pockets that have formed below your gumline. Then root planing smooths the root surfaces so bacteria have fewer places to cling and your gums can heal and reattach to the tooth. Most patients have the treatment done in one or two visits, often one side of the mouth at a time. Some tenderness for a day or two is normal. A deep cleaning is the most common and effective first treatment for gum disease at our downtown Vancouver clinic, and a follow-up visit lets us measure how well your gums have responded.

What happens when a deep cleaning isn't enough? For some patients with advanced gum disease, the pockets around their teeth remain too deep for instruments, or for a toothbrush, to reach. Periodontal surgery solves that problem. Under local anesthetic, your dentist gently lifts back the gum tissue to clean the roots thoroughly and smooth any damaged bone. The gums are then repositioned to reduce pocket depth, making the area far easier to keep clean at home. In some cases, regenerative materials are used to encourage lost bone and tissue to grow back. The goal is simple: stop the infection and help you keep your natural teeth. Our downtown Vancouver team explains every step and the recovery in advance.

Do your teeth look longer than they used to? Are certain teeth suddenly sensitive to cold, or can you see a notch near the gumline? These are common signs of gum recession, which exposes the softer root surface and leaves it vulnerable to decay and further gum loss. Recession can come from gum disease, aggressive brushing, grinding or simply genetics. A gum graft covers the exposed roots with healthy tissue, usually taken from the roof of your mouth or from a donor source. The result is a stronger, more even gumline, less sensitivity and better long-term protection for your teeth. Our downtown Vancouver dentists will measure the recession and recommend whether grafting or a gentler approach is right for you.

Crown lengthening is done for one of two reasons. The first is functional: when a tooth breaks off near the gumline or has decay below it, there may not be enough healthy tooth showing for a new crown to grip securely. Gently reshaping the gum, and sometimes a small amount of bone, exposes more tooth so the restoration can hold. The second is cosmetic: patients with a gummy smile, where the teeth look short, can have the gumline sculpted for a more balanced appearance. Either way, the procedure is performed under local anesthetic, and the gums typically need a few weeks to settle before the final crown or veneer is placed. Ask our downtown Vancouver dentists whether it suits your situation.