Helping Our Seniors Community: McMurray Denture Clinic

The Centre provides complete and partial denture services and other products, such as custom mouthguards and anti-snoring appliances. Housed with a staff of five, Cunningham said he’s proud of the work he’s done in the last twenty years and gives credit to the Centre’s success due to his dedicated staff.

“We are like a family,” he said. “My team works hard in ensuring we meet the needs of our clients and we make sure our clients are 100 per cent satisfied with their results.”

Fred Quaedvlieg is one of those clients with a brighter smile. When he started having trouble with his top denture, Cunningham was quick to get the proper prosthetics set in place.

“A couple of months ago, my dad’s denture started to fall out when he was talking or eating,” said Quaedvlieg’s daughter Krystle Fields. “So, I looked online and got in touch with Jason.”

Quaedvlieg is an 87-year-old, double amputee resident in the Continuing Care Unit at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre. Due to various health conditions, he moved into the hospital in July 2015.

Fields explained it’s not a quick trip to take her father out of the hospital because he needs a wheelchair accessible vehicle. She was happy Cunningham was able to come to do a free consultation.

“I asked Jason if he could come to the hospital to see my dad and he was able to come within a week and he was back again in two days to do the impressions,” she said.

Free consultations and in-town visits are some of the many services available at the Centre. Cunningham and his team also visit seniors at the Rotary House. Patients can further request late evening and weekend appointments.

“I feel it’s a convenient service for my patients. I also give out my personal phone number,” Cunningham said. “We try to be as accessible as possible because some patients are unable to drive or they may be restricted due to health reasons.”

As for Quaedvlieg’s dental health, oral complications started in his youth and he received his first top denture in 1954 while residing in British Columbia.

Fields explained her father was diagnosed with Rubella (also known as German measles) when he was eight-years-old. The side effects resulted in dental problems and when he was 24-years-old, he had to have his top teeth removed. Then in 1975, he survived a car accident and lost the majority of his bottom teeth and never had them replaced.

Cunningham was able to provide Quaedvlieg with a new full set of Bifunctional Prosthetic System Dentures (BPS Dentures).

 “Jason was very patient with my dad and listened to him share his stories and he had a very friendly demeanour. He answered all my questions and I had a lot of them. He was also thorough in explaining the process to me,” Fields said.

The process for BPS Dentures is a state-of-the-art procedure. The dentures are made from layers of acrylic that are made to look like natural teeth. They are designed in the clinic after impressions are taken from the client using high-tech instruments that measure their facial characteristics and mouth structure.

Cunningham explained he takes pride in providing people with dentures because it helps increase their chewing efficiency and their quality of life.

“A lot of people take the ability to eat food for granted. And though dentures only allow someone to chew 15 percent as effective as regular teeth, it provides them with the right nutrition,” he said.

He further advises his clients to have their dentures cleaned and checked regularly, which are other free services the Centre provides.

“Some denture wearers wait until there’s a problem. As dentures wear down, they may not realize that they have problems, so we offer free cleanings and checkups to see if there are any underlying issues. We recommend having your dentures checked every two years,” he said. “This way we can look at the oral cavity and tissues to make sure everything is healthy.”

On average, it takes five to six appointments to complete a full set of dentures, but Cunningham says he does his best to complete the out-of-office cases in as few appointments as possible, as there is an additional charge for visits.

The cost for additional visits is $101.50 and can often be covered by the clients’ dental plan. Seniors are also offered a discount depending on their procedure and needs. The Alberta Dental Services Corporation has special dental coverage for seniors dependent on their income. Clients can call 1-800-232-1997 to see if they qualify.

To learn more dentistry services available at the McMurray Denture Centre, please go to www.mcmurraydentures.com or contact the Centre directly by calling 780-791-9940 to book an appointment.

Photos:

Jason Cunningham at his dentistry clinic -the McMurray Denture Centre - located at B-10018 Franklin Avenue on February 26. (Photo by Dawn Booth, YMM Magazine).

Fred Quaedvlieg shows off his new set of dentures at his home in the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre on February 23. (Supplied Photo).