What makes us different
If your child is relaxed and has no treatment needed, plenty of dentists will do a fine job. The differences below show up the moment that stops being true.
Specialists in growing smilesTwo to three additional years of pediatric specialty education and clinical training after dental school
A space for every comfort levelAn open clinic for a welcoming, shared experience, with enclosed rooms for children who need a quieter setting
More availability, easier accessFive pediatric dental specialists across two clinics, open six days a week including Saturdays
The short answer
A pediatric dentist completes two to three years of specialty training after dental school, focused on children, adolescents and patients with special healthcare needs. At Children’s Dental Health Centre all five dentists are pediatric specialists, and the practice has its own day surgery centre with board-certified pediatric anesthesiologists, two Calgary clinics and Saturday appointments.
Filling a tooth is the easy bit. What is hard is a three year old who will not open their mouth, an autistic nine year old for whom the waiting room is already too much, or a child who arrives having been held down somewhere else and has decided this is never happening again.
That is what the extra training is for, and it is why we would sooner be judged on your worst appointment than your easiest one.
In Calgary specifically
Every one of these is verifiable, which is the only kind of claim worth making.
Six days
Your child’s dental health shouldn’t have to wait for a weekday appointment. With both Calgary locations open Monday through Saturday, we make specialized pediatric dental care more accessible and convenient for busy families. Whether it’s a routine checkup or dental treatment, our pediatric specialists are here six days a week to provide the care your child needs.
On site
Your child deserves timely access to expert dental care in a safe, comfortable, and familiar environment. Our very own accredited pediatric dental surgical centre allows eligible children to receive comprehensive dental treatment under general anesthesia, often in just one visit. With dedicated pediatric anesthesiologists, registered nurses, and respiratory therapists, we bring specialized surgical care together under one roof, making treatment more accessible, convenient, and reassuring for families. Children with complex medical conditions have their care coordinated with the Alberta Children’s Hospital instead.
Five
Your child deserves dental care designed specifically for them. Every dentist at Children’s Dental Health Centre is a pediatric dental specialist with an additional two to three years of advanced training beyond dental school. From your child’s very first tooth to their teenage years, our five specialists see children and nobody else.
1,500+
Choosing the right dentist for your child matters. With a 4.8-star rating and 1,500+ reviews, Children’s Dental Health Centre has earned the trust of Calgary families through compassionate care, specialized expertise, and positive dental experiences. Discover why so many parents choose us for their children’s smiles.
Side by side
General dentists are not bad at treating children, and many are excellent at it. This is about where the training differs, not about who cares more.
Training after dental school
None required to treat children. Many general dentists see children well and take continuing education in it.
Two to three additional years, specifically in children, adolescents and patients with special healthcare needs.
Behaviour and anxiety
No specific training required.
A formal part of the training. Tell-show-do, pacing and managing a frightened child are taught, not improvised.
Sedation options
No pediatric sedation training required.
Nitrous oxide, oral sedation and general anesthesia, all available in-house.
General anesthesia
No pediatric anesthesia training required.
Our own day surgery centre, accredited by the College of Dental Surgeons of Alberta and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. Direct access to a pediatric anesthesiologist and a specialized team of respiratory therapists and registered nurses to keep your child safe.
Special healthcare needs
No specific training required.
Core to the specialty. Our pediatric dentists treat children with special healthcare needs and medical complexity, including in hospital.
Growth and bite development
No specific requirement beyond general practice.
Assessed as part of routine visits from the earliest appointments, years before treatment would start.
Why families move to us
Almost nobody changes dentist because of a website. Here is what we hear instead.
A child who was held still, or rushed, or had something done before they understood it. We see a lot of these, and the first appointment here is usually about undoing that, not about treating anything.
Usually it means the last practice was not set up for that child, not that the child cannot be treated. Call us before you accept that answer.
Hospital operating room time for dental cases is scarce. Our surgical centre is our own facility, so the wait is our own schedule, not an allocation you are queuing for.
A parent who cannot take a morning off twice a year for each child eventually stops booking. Saturdays solve that.
The honest test is a first visit. Book one at either clinic and judge it yourself.
Questions
Whether it is your child’s first dental visit, a fresh start, or specialized care for a particular concern, we are here to help you feel confident about the next step.
Plenty of general dentists see children perfectly well, and if your child is relaxed, has no treatment needs and your family dentist is good with them, there is no reason to move. The difference shows up when something is harder than routine: a very young child needing extensive work, real dental anxiety, a special healthcare need, or treatment that cannot be done awake. A pediatric specialist has two to three years of training aimed at exactly those situations, and in our case the sedation, anesthesia and surgical facilities to act on it without sending you elsewhere.
Child development and behaviour guidance, growth of the jaws and face, dental care for patients with medical complexity and special healthcare needs, sedation and anesthesia for children, and management of dental trauma in growing teeth. It is a recognised dental specialty with a residency, not a weekend certificate.
Because it removes the two worst parts of a general anesthetic case: the wait and the strangers. Hospital operating room time for dental treatment is scarce and can mean months. Our centre is our own facility on our own schedule, the dentist doing the treatment is the one who assessed your child, and the anesthetic is given by a board-certified pediatric anesthesiologist.
What a visit costs depends on what is being done, not on the letters after a dentist’s name, and you get a written treatment plan with the costs on it before anything is booked. We go through your insurance coverage with you first, so the cost you see in writing is the cost you are working from. If cost is the thing standing between your child and treatment, tell us, because there are usually options worth discussing.
Yes. We welcome children through two pathways: families looking to establish ongoing dental care through our Preventive Dental Care Program, and children referred by their general dentist for specific concerns requiring specialized pediatric dental care. If your child is referred for a particular treatment or concern, we work closely with your family dentist to provide the specialized care needed. Once treatment is complete, your child can return to their regular dentist for ongoing care.
That’s exactly why we’re here. Our pediatric specialists are trained to help children feel comfortable, including those with dental anxiety, sensory sensitivities, or previous negative experiences. We take the time to build trust and offer different approaches to care, including nitrous oxide, oral sedation, and general anesthesia when appropriate.