The Office

Our office is located in downtown Winnipeg in the Medical Arts Building. The office has been around for a long time and came under the ownership of Jeffery Schau Dental Corporation in the summer of 2007. The office will be undergoing numerous upgrades over the next couple of years to better serve you, some of which you will find mentioned below.

MERCURY FREE

Our office is a mercury free office.  This means we no longer place amalgam fillings (silver in color, mix of mercury, copper, nickel, and other metals).  

Why have we done this?  As you are likely aware mercury is a know toxin to humans. Mercury is also a key component to silver fillings. Once one of these silver fillings is set (hardened), the mercury is bound in the filling and only released with heavy grinding or drilling.  This means that unless you have a severe mercury allergy (roughly 1 person in 1 million have this) this will have little to no effect on you. However, with the manufacturing of this product, its placement and removal from teeth, and when people are cremated, this mercury is released into the environment.  This is where our major concern comes from and why we have banned the use of mercury fillings from our office.

LATEX FREE

As the number of people  with Latex allergies and sensitivities increases we have decided to become one of the few dental offices in Winnipeg to do away with Latex altogether. As of August 30' 2007 our office became 100% Latex free. To do this we have switched all our gloves and other Latex products to materials such as Vinyl and Nitrile. These products are highly effective and don't pose the same health and safety risks associated with commonly used Latex products.

For those with Latex allergies this will bring great relief. No more having to remind the staff that you have a latex allergy as we will always be using a non Latex product.

Additionally, I have found over the years that some individuals are hypersensitive to latex and would end up with cold sores after their dental visits. With switching to Latex free gloves, many of these patients have found relief.

SCENT 'FREE'

Due to the increase number of people with allergies to perfumes and other scented products, our office is scent 'free'. At no time will any of our staff be wearing perfume or cologne. However, staff will still be wearing deodorant, and in some cases these may contain various mild perfumes. If this is a concern for you, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.

It should be noted we have limited control over what scented products our patients, and patients of other offices in the building may be wearing. If this is of concern we can help accommodate by making sure your appointments are the first of the day, minimizing possible interaction with others who may be wearing strong scents.

COMPUTERIZATION

Each room is fully computerized allowing us to upgrade your old paper charts to electronic charts. The software we use is from The Bridge Network and allows for comprehensive visual charting, scheduling, and record keeping.  So what does this mean for you?

Improved financial records:  With all transactions electronically linked throughout the office there is less chance for communication errors to occur. These records also permit easy future reference for patient income tax purposes, communicating with insurance companies, "warranty" type issues, etc...

Improved claims submission:  The majority of insurance companies accept electronic submission of claims. This allows for quicker submission of claims as well as an improved way of tracking claims once they have been submitted. With this process we often receive a real time response from the insurance provider informing us immediately what the benefit coverage is for the submitted claim. For patients set up with direct deposit with their insurance provider, and want the insurance cheque to be sent directly to them, it has happened where the funds are deposited directly into the patients account the same day the claim was submitted.

Improved dental history and treatment planning:  With the use of photos, digital x-rays, and advanced computer charting a comprehensive record of your oral health and treatment is maintained.  Treatment plans are created and can be printed off along with educational materials so patients know exactly what their treatment will involve. This also aids in communication with specialists as records can be printed or electronically transferred to the specialist without loss of the originals.

DIGITAL X-RAY

Our office employs the use of Direct Digital x-ray technology. Digital x-rays provide high quality images, ease of reproducibility for consultations and dealing with insurance companies, and increased accessibility to previous x-rays. Unlike Analog Digital x-rays, Direct Digital x-rays are taken using sensors that are connected directly to the computer network. This allows for faster, more consistent images and improved image quality over other forms of digital x-rays.

We have a direct digital Panoramic x-ray unit that allows us to see more with less. The panoramic x-ray allows us to see your entire jaw with the same amount of radiation as 2 conventional films that would only show a couple of teeth. The digital panoramic x-ray only takes seconds to take and is on the computer screen ready for viewing in under 30 seconds. Have you seen your digital panoramic x-ray yet?

Available January 7th, 2008, direct digital intraoral x-rays. This completes our upgrade to full digital x-rays and will increase our effectiveness in treating you as well as better managing your time. Rather than waiting 7 minutes for us to be able to analyze the x-ray, we will have it up on our computer screen in under 10 seconds. Say hello to less radiation, and goodbye to waiting.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of Digital X-rays, please visit our FAQ page.

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