Southwest Dental
Maggie Mandell of Wedgeport, Nova Scotia has reasons to smile. After years of hiding bad teeth behind her hand, she now feels free to smile at everyone she meets. And she is grateful to Dr. Michel Comeau of SouthWest Dental Surgeons in Yarmouth for her brilliant new smile.
Mandell did not have her teeth professionally whitened – she had them professionally replaced. An artist now in her 60s, Mandell describes how, in the ‘bad old days,’ it was common to extract cavity-ridden teeth, rather than fill them. “I was only in my 30s when all of my upper teeth, and most of my lower teeth, were pulled,” she says. A poorly fitted top denture affected her speech and, combined with a partial plate on the bottom, made it difficult for her to chew.
Thanks to Dr. Comeau and his associate, oral surgeon Dr. Marco Chiarot, Mandell has a complete set of dental implants in her lower jaw, and a new, properly fitted denture in her upper jaw.
“Drs. Comeau and Chiarot were so kind and showed such craftsmanship… they would adjust and adjust until everything was perfect,” says Mandell. “I can speak clearly and eat anything now, and the stomach problems that used to plague me have gone away.”
Mandell’s story shows the tremendous impact that our teeth have on our mental, social and physical health.
“Health starts in the mouth,” says Dr. Comeau. “You can’t get adequate nutrition unless you have healthy teeth to chew and digest fibrous foods.” He adds that mouth bacteria are linked not just to tooth decay but to cardiovascular disease and other health problems. “Your quality of life and self-esteem can be severely affected by the state of your teeth and gums… you have to do whatever you can to save your teeth.”
Dr. Comeau established SouthWest Dental in Yarmouth in 1998, after graduating from Dalhousie University’s dentistry program. Since graduation he has continued his education, attaining two fellowships in the areas of general dentistry and implant dentistry. Now an associate faculty member at The Dawson Academy, a premiere dental training institute in Florida, he continually advances his knowledge and skills by attending seminars around the world, but he is always happiest at home.
“My family roots are deep in this part of Nova Scotia,” says Dr. Comeau, who grew up in Meteghan, an Acadian community 40 kilometres north of Yarmouth. “I set up my practice here because I wanted to raise my family in a safe, bilingual part of the country where you know your neighbours.”
Dr. Comeau finds great satisfaction in providing a high level of dental diagnosis and treatment in his community. To accommodate a steadily growing number of patients, he and his wife and business partner, Beth Misner, purchased a rambling Victorian home on Second Street in 2004. The renovated building now houses a thriving practice with two associate dentists, two oral surgeons, a periodontist, four hygienists, four dental assistants and four administrative assistants.
Many SouthWest Dental services are so specialized that, without this comprehensive clinic in their community, people would have to travel to Halifax. In addition to standard dental care services, like cleanings, sealants, root canals and restorations, SouthWest Dental offers a wide range of cosmetic treatments, such as whitening, veneers, crowns, inlays and implants. By involving other specialists in the practice, Dr. Comeau ensures that his patients have access to periodontal care, and mouth, face and jaw surgeries.
As Dr. Comeau notes, there’s more to oral health than good teeth. “We check for potential cancerous lesions inside the mouth, of course, we also do complete head and neck physicals,” he says. “We look for potentially cancerous lumps in the neck and check the jaw and neck muscles for tension that can be caused by teeth clenching or grinding and which can lead to headaches, and, ultimately, degeneration of the jaw bones and cartilage.”
Advanced technology puts SouthWest Dental on the cutting edge of dental diagnosis in Nova Scotia. For example, the clinicians use an onsite Doppler ultrasound device to help assess the health of the jaw joints.
In many cases of jaw dysfunction (temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder), Dr. Comeau fits patients with a custom bite plate that relieves tension and pain and protects the teeth and jaws from further damage. In severe cases, he refers them to surgery.
Just recently, SouthWest Dental acquired a VELscope oral cancer screening system. According to the VELscope website, only a handful of dental clinics in the Maritimes have this equipment, which uses fluorescence to detect abnormal cells. “Pre-cancerous and cancerous cells show up in different colours,” explains Dr. Comeau. “This technology enables us to detect oral cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages.”
By protecting and improving the health of people’s teeth, gums, mouth, and jaws, SouthWest Dental is giving lots of Nova Scotians something to smile about.
“My wife and I are very happy with SouthWest Dental,” says Desire Boudreau, a patient since 1998. “I recently got an implant and we’ve both had our front teeth capped. On top of doing high-quality work, everyone on staff is warm and friendly and makes you comfortable. It doesn’t even feel like going to the dentist.”
To learn more about SouthWest Dental, visit: www.southwestnovasmiles.com or call (902) 742-0191.
