Kootenay Smile Studio is located at 2220 Columbia Avenue in Castlegar, BC - the Smile Capital of Canada. Columbia Ave is the main street in Castlegar and we are located in the south end of the city, on the west side of the road, between 21st and 23rd Streets.

Yes, we have ample FREE Parking in our lot.

It is not uncommon for our guests, once they have completed the treatment, to cry with joy, hug their dentist, or even kiss them all the while smiling their biggest smile! Guests tell us they are filled with self confidence, they feel more outgoing, and they simply can't stop smiling!

Shy patients become more confident. Professionals tell us of greater career successes they've had. Brides and grooms love their close-up photos. Baby boomers look and feel decades younger. Think about how a new or improved smile would change your life.

Your Smile Consultation is about you. It's about how you want to smile and how you want your smile to look. Be sure to ask us questions about the procedures and the technologies we can use and how they will improve your smile.

Be sure to ask about our qualifications - you want the most qualified people to work on your new smile.

Be sure to ask us questions about the length of time the procedures take so you know when to start if you have a special day or event coming up. Be sure to ask us about payment plans and discuss any insurance coverage with us.

In addition to your questions, take a look at the surroundings and offices. How do you feel when you are in the offices? Are you comfortable? Are you offered warm towels? Are you pampered?

And be sure to pay attention to how you are feeling when you are talking with the team members. Do you have our undivided attention? Are we paying attention to you or are we juggling other patients and procedures? You want a team that is as dedicated to you and your new smile as you are.

Absolutely. When it comes to Smile dentistry, one of the most important questions to ask is What type of advanced cosmetic or aesthetic or smile dentistry training have you and your staff taken?

You may have heard of the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI). This world renown program for dentists and their teams provides extensive postgraduate training (more than 200 hours) in the latest advances in aesthetic, reconstructive, neuromuscular and Smile dentistry.

LVI grads have additional training in a wide range of procedures and treatments from tooth whitening, crowns, porcelain veneers, fixing gaps between teeth, gum re-contouring, teeth repositioning, bonding, and smile rejuvenation to neuro-muscular dentistry to help your jaw, teeth and smile all work together.

We welcome guests from anywhere in Canada or the world and you don't need a referral. If you're coming to Castlegar or the West Kootenay region on business or to visit family and friends we can structure your appointments around your visits.

For those who want to combine a Smile Vacation with a new smile, we have more details about Smile Tourism and Smile Vacations.

We highly recommend that you stay with your existing dentist for all your regular appointments. Once you have your new Smile, your regular dentist is the best person to look after cleaning, check for cavities and do all the regular dental work.

The teams at Kootenay Smile Studio specialize in Smiles; we want you to see your regular dentist for your regular checkups!

Ready to take the first step? Visit our Smile Consultation page and tell us what you feel would help you smile more! We'll contact you and make arrangements to visit our offices where we can both talk about a happy ending for your Smile Story.

Teeth change colour for many reasons. The most common include aging, consumption of staining substances (coffee, tea, cola's, tobacco), trauma, staining, nerve degeneration, and old fillings. If you've had tetracycline or excessive fluoride they too may also cause tooth discoloration.

Take a look here for details on what you can do to whiten your teeth.

Porcelain veneers are a long-term solution to restoring many years of natural wear, stained, chipped, crooked or missing teeth. These veneers are also becoming a popular whitening alternative to bleaching.

Often referred to as "instant orthodontics", porcelain veneers are thin, strong and natural-looking, allowing us to restore the size, shape, colour and position of your teeth. Porcelain veneers are bonded directly to your tooth. Once completed your veneers will look and feel just like natural teeth. Porcelain veneers are a remarkable way of re-energizing your smile and reproducing what nature intended.

Sore jaws and facial pain can be the result of an improper bite. Your bite (the technical term is occlusion), is the way your upper and lower teeth fit together when your teeth are together. An improper bite can also lead to a chin-forward position for your head which in turn pulls your neck forward which in turn changes your posture.

Approximately 90 per cent of all facial and head pain is related to an improper bite. Your upper teeth and lower teeth don't meet properly and cause aches in your jaw or maybe your jaw 'clicks' when you open it. With a jaw in the wrong alignment other parts of your body try to compensate and you may end up with your chin forward or neck pain or even headaches as severe as a migraine.

It's a condition you could be born with or it could have resulted from an injury. This condition is called Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Syndrome or Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD).

At Kootenay Smile Studio we have methods to test your bite, techniques and treatments that will help your jaw relax and devices that you can wear to help your jaw stay in the right position. The technical term for the treatments is Neuromuscular Dentistry.

For details on the methods and procedures, please visit the Technology section of our website or ask one of our team members when you come for your consultation!

This is the hardest thing to do in Smile Dentistry - match a single front tooth. There are several options including bonding or porcelain veneers to make the tooth look more natural.

Ask a team member at Kootenay Smile Studio for more details.

Bonding is a tooth-colored, plastic (composite) resin material and is done in one visit. Porcelain veneers can mask dark stains better with less long-term chipping than bonding. They are made by a ceramist and do not stain, offering greater choice in color, shape and vitality. Veneers usually require two office visits.

Porcelain veneers are thin layers of porcelain that are permanently affixed to the front of your teeth. They are as hard or harder than your own enamel, and resist stains and abrasion far better. They can be the ultimate in a Smile make-over, because they can solve many common cosmetic problems: chipped, gapped, stained and misaligned teeth, among others. They require at least two visits to complete.

On the average, bonding lasts 3-8 years. Porcelain laminate veneers on average lasts 10-20 years or more

While every case is unique, the teams at Kootenay Smile Studio specialize in techniques that help create the most natural smile possible. A style for your smile will be determined, taking into account your lifestyle, facial proportions, gender, age, complexion, hair and even eye color.

Most often, our guest hear questions like: 'Have you changed your hair style?', or 'Have you lost weight?' Their friends know something is different - they just don't know what.

Porcelain Veneers generally require two visits, about 15 days apart for fitting and applying. In between visits you will be wearing temporary veneers that will look like your new smile.

You will be able to 'test drive' your new smile before any permanent veneers are made. If you want to change the style or colour there is time to do that. YOU make the final decision of what your teeth will look like - not the lab.

Since each person's dental needs are unique, the above time guidelines are only an estimate. During your first consultation a better schedule will be provided.

Most smile procedures, can be accomplished in as little as one to three visits (but may vary depending on the complexity).

For example, if your new smile involves placing veneers or crowns on the top 8-10 teeth, at the first appointment, you and the Smile Dentist would discuss what you want your smile to look like.

At the second appointment, the Smile Dentist would carefully prepare your teeth and place the temporaries. This appointment typically lasts 2-4 hours.

At the final appointment, your new smile will be placed, polished and adjusted. Again, the appointment will take around 2-4 hours. The total time from start to finish? Less than a month, and sooner if necessary. You'll be smiling with a renewed confidence in no time!

Certainly. Both men and women have had new smiles from Kootenay Smile Studio. Visit our Smile Makeover Gallery to see just some of our guests' beautiful smiles!

Ready to take the first step? Visit our Smile Consultation page and tell us what you feel would help you smile more! We'll contact you and make arrangements to visit our offices where we can both talk about a happy ending for your Smile Story.

Most dental insurances have a maximum annual benefit depending on your coverage. Since insurance companies are in business to make money, they allow only the least expensive possible treatment - not necessarily the treatment that is best for your dental health.

Most cosmetic dentistry treatment is considered elective and not covered by dental insurance. Kootenay Smile Studio will do everything possible to maximize your insurance benefit, but be prepared to pay for the treatment with alternate finances that we can discuss with you.

Remember that Canada Revenue Agency (CCRA) will allow you deduct medical and dental expenses from your income taxes. Check with your accountant to determine how much is deductible.