Windsor Body Issue 83: FEATURE

By Alyssa Leonard

Wishing you had your old smile back? Then look no further! Bardgett Smile Center, located at 600 Tecumseh Rd. E. in Windsor, will not only give you back your smile but your confidence as well. Awarded the #1 Denture Clinic in Windsor, they have everything you need for your one-stop dental needs with their state-of-the-art technology and unique partnership with 600 Tecumseh Dental. With several dental providers providing many procedures under one roof, the patients truly win when they come to Bardgett Smile Center.

We sat down with Founder, Denturist and Dental Technician Thomas Bardgett (DD, RDT) of Bardgett Denture and Dr. Jaz Takhar (B.Sc. Hons, D.D.S.), owner of 600 Tecumseh Dental, to learn more about Bardgett Smile Center and what makes their facility so distinctive.

Q. What makes the Bardgett Smile Center stand out from other denture and dental offices?

Tom Bardgett: The Bardgett Smile Center is such a unique place. Not only in Windsor but in all of Ontario as there is no other facility like this. We focus on denture and dental implant treatment and can do so all under oneroof. We are able to take my 40 plus years of experience as a denturist and dental technician and combine it with on-site dentistry through 600 Tecumseh Dental to ensure patients have access to all of the services they need to optimize their oral health.

To deliver the best dental care possible, I had to ensure we had multiple providers with multidisciplinary skill sets working together, and I feel that we have assembled a phenomenal team that accomplishes this goal.

We have had the privilege to work with Charles Lim (DD) for the past 10 years. He is a skilled denturist and is very experienced in offering complete dentures, immediate and partial dentures, as well as implant denture options. Charles has an incredible eye for detail and will ensure the aesthetics match a patient’s facial characteristics to have a natural-looking smile.

We have an in-house lab with talented assistant and technicians that allows us to complete same-day denture repairs, faster turnaround time and, ultimately, a more hands-on approach for all of our cases. This allows Charles and I to be involved in each step of the process, with great attention to detail without sacrificing efficiency for our patients.

Through our partnership with Dr. Takhar and Dr. Sherghin, owners of 600 Tecumseh Dental, we are able to offer our patients consultations for oral health assessment and all of the services provided by a general family dental office in addition to sedation and implant dentistry.

Dr. Takhar, originally from Windsor, graduated with distinction from the University of Western Ontario and received additional training in implant and sedation dentistry at the Ohio State University. He is extremely passionate about the procedures he performs and the care that he delivers to his patients.

We are fortunate to have Dr. Byron Larsen as a member of our team as well. He is an experienced clinician with 20 years of experience who has received advanced education in full mouth rehabilitation. In addition, he has postdoctoral master’s degrees in orofacial pain and oral medicine from the University of Southern California and a fellowship in implantology. He was also the official team dentist of the Arizona Coyotes of the NHL, Arizona Cardinals of the NFL and the Arizona Diamondbacks of MLB — how cool is that?

Combining these very capable dental providers with our outstanding team of office managers, front desk staff, assistants, lab technicians, and hygienists allows us to educate our patients and deliver an unmatched experience from start to finish. This is what I feel truly makes Bardgett Smile Center a one-of-a-kind treatment facility.

Dr. Takhar: We are privileged to partner with Tom Bardgett and be a part of his vision of one-stop dental care. As dentists, having access to experienced denturists such as Tom and Charles, who are well versed in denture implant solutions combined with an on-site laboratory, is truly priceless. After a thorough consultation, we can offer our patients a variety of teeth replacement options, all without them having to leave our office. Whether it is removable implant dentures or permanently fixed solutions, having this experience down the hall allows us to collaborate and develop patient-specific treatment options based on the patient’s needs and goals.

In addition to this, 600 Tecumseh Dental is a full-service family dental clinic offering our patients everything from hygiene, restorative, crowns, veneers, zoom whitening, dental implant, wisdom teeth removal and sedation dentistry. We are always accepting new patients and offer same-day treatment for dental emergencies.

Q. From dentures to dental, now an all-in-one centre, what inspired this decision?
Tom Bardgett: Honestly, it was putting myself in our patients’ shoes and realizing how inconvenient the whole process was for them. They would have to go to another dental office to have dental surgeries, such as extractions or implants completed under sedation, and then would have to wake up and leave to come over to my office. They would arrive still groggy from having sedation and would need someone to drive them to me. I felt that this was an unpleasant experience for patients and knew there had to be a way to improve it.

So, when I was ready to expand just over five years ago, I decided that I would build an office that would allow me to partner with a dental clinic and design a one-of-a-kind facility that would provide the ultimate patient experience. I started with a beautifully laid out 5,000 sq. foot (450 sq. metre) facility that incorporates a full lab, eight operatories in individual wings, a large surgical suite, recovery room, consultation room, state of the art sterilization center, two separate entrances and a waiting room with ample space.

Now, when we perform implant and denture treatment, as soon as the surgical procedure is done, the patient can stay in the same room, and either Charles or I can come in and deliver their new teeth, all without them having to move!

Q. You mentioned you offer sedation dentistry earlier. What are the benefits of it?
Dr. Takhar: Our entire team has a passion for providing our patients with a stress-free dental experience. We understand that for many people, past negative dental experiences have led to anxiety or even a “dental-phobia” when visiting the dentist. This can prevent patients from receiving the necessary routine dental care, which can compromise their oral health.

Sedation dentistry is used to provide a relaxing and anxietyfree dental experience for our patients. We offer different forms of conscious sedation that include nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, oral sedation, and IV sedation. After a detailed consultation addressing a patient’s specific concerns, we can determine the best form of sedation for them. Whether it is a single filling or having wisdom teeth removed, we ensure the comfort of our patients.

Sedation is not the only way we make sure our patients are relaxed during their visit.

We offer a comfort menu where you can pick your favourite show to watch on Netflix, a pillow and a weighted blanket, to name a few of the offerings. We take having an anxiety free environment very seriously.

Q. What is the latest technology you’ve introduced here at Bardgett Smile Center?
Tom Bardgett: Recently, we started implementing digital technology to ensure our patients receive state-of-the-art care as new technologies become available. We started with a digital scanner and a 3D printer to gear towards going digital, which we feel is the very near future of denturism. Combining the traditional analog approach with the digital gives patients the best of both worlds.

Dr. Takhar: In addition to the digital scanner and 3D printer, we added a 3D Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) machine to our facility. Compared to traditional two-dimensional pictures, we can use this new technology to construct an extremely accurate three-dimensional image of a patient’s teeth and jaws. This allows us to better diagnose and treatment-plan dental implants, wisdom teeth removal and assess cracked teeth — just to name a few of its uses. Combining the digital scanner, 3D CBCT and the 3D printer, we virtually plan all our cases, thus improving the safety, efficiency and quality of care we provide to our patients. The future is here!

Q. Can you walk us through the process of a patient getting new teeth?
Tom Bardgett: First, we make sure they have had a recent oral health assessment from their dental provider and then collaborate to come up with the best denture solution for a patient. Once we have a plan in place, we encourage patients to bring pictures of themselves from when they got married or images of someone in a magazine whose smile they love. And we’ll tell them yes, we can try and duplicate that smile for you. Next, we design the custom dentures they will wear, and the patient can see what they will look like with their new teeth. We can even show them how their teeth will come together and how they will bite. When they see it, they usually say,

“Wow, that’s it. I want it just like that.” Or they may say, “ Can you move this little tooth here and move that?” or “I always look at my picture of me when I was younger, and I had a tooth that was a little like this.” In the final stage, the patient comes in to get their new smile, and we make sure everything fits and functions correctly before they leave. We then follow up with aftercare.

Q. What else would you like people to know about the Bardgett Smile Center?
Tom Bardgett: One of our main goals is to educate patients and provide potential treatment solutions that will allow patients to not only improve their smile but also their health, confidence, and quality of life. We take a lot of pride in offering patient-focused treatment that aligns with their goals. We always go above and beyond to ensure everyone who comes to the Bardgett Smile Center has the best care and experience possible from the moment they enter the door. When you receive treatment with us, you become a member of our family. This is why our patients voted for us as the number one denture clinic in Windsor.

Schedule your free consultation today at Bardgett Smile Center by calling (519) 254-7511 or visit www.bardgettdenture.com. We can’t wait to help you love your smile again.