Department of Dentistry

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre provides specialized dentistry services for those who require procedures that can only take place in an acute care setting. These include very young patients who require extensive dental work, special needs children and adults, and those with certain medical conditions.

Appointments are booked by the staff dentist, paedodontist, periodontists, or endodontist through their respective offices, not through the Health Sciences Centre. Most services provided by the Health Sciences Centre (anaesthesia, services connected with the operating room, etc.) are covered by OHIP through the patient’s Health Card, while the actual dental procedures are not covered under OHIP and are the responsibility of the patient/guardian. For further information, please contact your dental office. (Please note: the Department of Dentistry is not a dental office and provides specialty dentistry services only.)

The Department of Dentistry provides oral health consultation services to patients at the request of other health professionals at the Health Sciences Centre. There is strong evidence to support links between oral health and diabetes and oral health and cardiac disease. Further, treatment of disease may be affected by poor oral health. Establishing good oral health prior to cancer treatment, cardiac surgery, and joint replacement is important to prevent post-surgical complications.

Oral and maxillofacial surgery is the specialty under the Department of Dentistry. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons diagnose and treat diseases, injuries including trauma, and defects involving the hard and soft tissue of the mouth and face, helping improve both function and cosmetics.