Patient Testimonials

I think we’re just real people that understand people’s needs and can relate to fears that people might have in coming in. We want to just treat them like we would want to be treated, in a professional environment. We just love our clientele. We’ve got a great rapport with all of our patients.

About a year ago I had six veneers placed on my front teeth. I had some teeth that were a little crooked and was starting to really notice them more in pictures than before. I guess, through the years, things tend to move a little more. So, I decided to do it and I’m really pleased with the results. Even if we work in a dental office, we still get a little anxious. After the procedure you think, “What the heck was I worried about? This went really well.” There was no pain. It was easy.

Others who have come in and who are thinking about having the procedure done, I’ll show them my teeth and they’ll go, “Oh my gosh. That looks so natural.” So, I give them a little bit of insight on what the appointments are like and the length of time and how happy I am with the outcome. Just things to expect and it helps to alleviate some of their concerns because it is a big change.

It’s just like going for a haircut and you want to go for a change and you’re so worried about it. With something like this, it is permanent, with a haircut it grows back. So, that’s one of the things, especially with women, we’re so self conscience and our appearance. I think that’s the biggest concern, but once we have a couple of consultations with them, we do show them what their teeth will look like and they can take their time in making their decision. I know all of them have been so happy that they’ve made the decision. It’s just taken them a little bit of time to make that final decision to do it.

We’ve got a lot of hygienists, so you don’t have to wait too long to get in. It’s just a good place to come. We do really good work here.

Lakewood Dental Center is very welcoming and I like to receive my dental care from here. Before having braces I had four teeth extracted, two on the top, two on the bottom. That was just to help with crowding because my mouth is pretty crowded.
I mean everything went smoothly. It wasn’t a super long process. Then I also had recently, just about a month ago I had my wisdom teeth extracted, three of them, that was by Rose and that’s when I had the nitro and that went really good.

The nitro helps a lot, it just kind of calms you down, kind of forget about what’s going on and just kind of keep you relaxed, so that was nice how they offer that here as well. Rose, when she was doing it she had froze me once and I’ve had a couple extractions so they kind of know that the one freezing doesn’t really go through with me, I need to kind of have another one just because I can still feel it. She was always making sure, since she had known that, that I wasn’t feeling anything and that if I needed some more that she would add some more. Just kind of making sure that I was always not feeling any discomfort or anything like that.

I get quite a few comments saying, “Oh you have a really great smile.” It’s a good feeling to know that you have a good smile.

I love coming here. Well, first of all, I’ve been coming here for over 35 years, and it’s a very family-oriented dental center. Everybody here is warm and extremely accommodating is what I like to say. Extremely accommodating, and very willing to help and go that extra mile to help anybody who needs it. When I was 13 I had a really traumatic dental experience. We didn’t have much money in our family, got to the go the dentist very rarely. So when I was 13 I went, and I was given the news that I had eight teeth that needed to be filled. It was excruciating. It was the most unpleasant experience, and that’s where I ended up with the fear of dentists and whatnot. So you know, the white knuckle in the chair. That’s me.

And so being able to come here and have him look after me, that’s been wonderful. Then, of course, you entrust your children, the next generation, to him and so on. I find that he takes the time to talk to you and explain everything thoroughly so that you know what you’re up against. Then he says, “Don’t worry. We’ll look after you.” That’s about it. I can’t say enough for what he’s done for us emotionally, financially, and, of course, the teeth that you end up with, which is important.

I started coming here approximately 20 years ago under a referral from a colleague of mine. I had moved into the neighborhood, was looking for a new dental practice. I absolutely fell in love with the clinic pretty much the first time I came in. I felt it met all the criteria that I was looking for in a dental practice. There are other things such as just the pleasantness of the clinic and everybody here that really made it, I thought it would be a very rewarding experience for me. It certainly has been.

Well, I’ve had several procedures done here, from fillings to crowns to root canal, and I have to say that with all of the experiences I’ve had here, I have never had any issues, any problems, no pain, and anything happen that was minor I was able to of course speak to Doug about it. I feel that they have really enhanced my oral health a great deal here and because a focus of theirs here at Lakewood Dental is family dentistry, I think that’s probably the case for most people who become patients here.

I think overall it’s just a very pleasant experience. There is no anxiety, at least that has not been my experience. I very much, it’s okay to come to the dentist. My suggestion would be just go into the clinic and have them take you on a tour of the clinic, meet all of the people here including the dentists, and get some information about the clinic, the type of services that they provide. Give it a try and I don’t think they would be disappointed at all.

We’ve been coming to see Rose for about 15 years. She was referred by a family friend and we just love her. Our whole family comes to see her. She’s just been amazing. I grew up in Quebec and we didn’t have a local dentist, so at a very young age I had quite a few teeth extracted. Went my whole adult life right up until my last bridge was about two weeks ago. Now I have a full compliment of teeth thanks to Dr. Rose.

It’s amazing. It’s amazing what she can do. I had probably about five missing teeth, mostly at the back so it wasn’t like it was really obvious or anything, but it was always something that I was very subconscious about and just having that after 30 plus years of not having those teeth, it’s just amazing. I can’t tell you how that feels. It’s pretty good.

Now I can eat better. I eat all the foods that I enjoy. I don’t have to worry about certain types of foods I might not be able to chew. It’s just a wonderful experience. I’ve had a few people say you’re smiling more and your teeth look great. I would just say the people are so professional. Everybody’s very helpful just from our experiences alone. I definitely recommend them highly.

Dr. Doug is always been very good chair side manner, I guess if you will. Gives you options as far as how far you have to go with the procedure or when you have to get it done. I had my wisdom teeth, I guess, and he’s filled those over time. You don’t need your wisdom teeth. He doesn’t just keep filling them. He kinda indicated we’ll do them once or twice or whatever and then we’ll pull them, basically. Which is more cost effective. Some dentists may try to keep filling them or whatever whereas Doug thinks about the economy of things and you don’t really need the tooth so let’s get rid of it. Then you won’t have to worry about it anymore. Very well known in the dental community as far as keeping up with new and innovative procedures and stuff like that. I know he’s always upgrading himself though seminars and what not and talking to him, I know he has patients come from literally across the border, I think, to see him from time to time. That says a lot about the practice, I think.

I had some cosmetic work done. I think it was about eight or nine years ago. It was such a good job and I’ve been so happy with it that I trust them here. Before I came here, there were a lot of old fillings, a lot of silver, a lot of brown spots, and my teeth were protruding a bit. Capping the front eight, which is basically the cosmetic work I had done, that’s what I came here for. I’ve continued to come for all my other dental care. In doing that, I found my whole smile changed. I smile way bigger now and I smile all the time. It’s really nice because my mouth is a big feature in my face and if you can’t smile, if you’re really self conscious about your smile, it’s not a very fun thing. Anyway, that’s what brought me here.

My family also really noticed how real these look. A lot of times when people have cosmetic work done, they look like Chiclet Gum. They’re real white and they hit you right in the face. Mine look actually like real teeth. I do not regret one cent, let’s put it that way. Money well spent for me. Dr. McDermid is also very funny. He relaxes you. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to anybody, and I have too.

I’ve been coming here for 20-25 years and every experience has been great. I’ve never had any kind of issues. Pain free experience, every time that I’ve been here. My family, my kids come here as well. They’re now 19 and 21, and they’ve had their braces here and stuff like that. We’ve never had a … Everything’s been positive here. It’s been very positive.

Way back in my days in high school I got my front teeth knocked out. So, they put implants at that time. I was having difficulty with them, so I was actually referred to Dr. Doug from one of my wife’s co-workers. So, we were new to Winnipeg and came here and haven’t looked back.

From day one he’s taught me how to care and to keep your teeth yours. Even from my last procedure, which was last March or April, he replaced my front six teeth. There too, he told me exactly what was going to happen and he said I’d be in the chair for two and a half to three hours. Which I was. I couldn’t be happier. You could pick the shade that you want. You can go with the bright, Hollywood white to natural. So, I love it.

I don’t think, other than my family, people really don’t know that the teeth had ever been replaced. The only thing my family notices, maybe, is like when you’re having family pictures or Christmas done, whatever the case is, when you smell it used to be just dull. Like that, right, but now it’s not. You smile and you show your teeth. You’re not embarrassed. So, no, my family definitely notices, for sure.

I’m in the people business as well. If you don’t do a good job you know they’re not coming back. Here I would have no problem referring anybody here at all. I guarantee that they wouldn’t go elsewhere once they were here.

Right from day one, I always felt comfortable coming here. They make you feel so welcome, so at ease. At one point before coming here, I was always afraid to go to the dentist. I was actually quite terrified of it. Since coming here from day one, never a problem. They made you feel welcome, at ease. They answer any questions that you have, any concerns that you have. If you’re nervous, they address that and they really just look after you like they’re part of the family. I had a procedure done which is called All-on-4 and basically what it is, my entire top teeth were pulled and four implants were put in and then a denture is permanently attached that.

It’s like having a denture but it’s permanently attached. I don’t have to worry about taking it in, out cleaning it, that sort of thing. Basically I had gum disease, bone loss, which part was hereditary, part was from smoking. Smoked many, many years and so got to the point where the teeth were starting to get loose. I was going to be losing them at one point or another anyway and it was like okay, what do we do. Doug presented me with all the options that were available to us at that time and I choose this method rather than just going with a straight denture. I’m very happy with it, no regrets. They explained everything to me. They showed me pictures, gave me literature to read.

It was just really a good, good process that I was kept informed through the whole thing from what it would cost, how long it should take, all aspects of it. I feel so much more confident. I can smile. I don’t have to worry about having … I had really crooked teeth and they were discolored and now I’m happy to smile. If somebody ask me oh, I love your teeth, I tell them right away, “Go to Lakewood Dental.”

There’s a lot of dentistry out there but this one makes you feel, I wouldn’t say home but just makes you feel comfortable and like a community, like a nice little community. When you walk in from the receptionist always saying “Good morning. How you doing?” They make you feel like friendly and like they do care for each client that they have. Right from the giving you, like what’s going to happen, the steps towards what’s happening for your day proceedings. It’s just very well professional, friendly, they make it a friendly, fun environment where you can joke around and they seem very caring towards the patients.

So every time I go for a cleaning they’d notice my enamels are kind of … You know I’m grinding and stuff so they had mentioned about trying this new type of night guard. So that has decreased the pain and thee sensitivity towards my teeth, having something to block me from grinding and chip away at the enamel has helped and it’s actually … I sleep very well with them. I thought … I was a little worried that if I wasn’t going to sleep with these properly. I put them in but no, I sleep very well at night. I don’t feel as sensitive when I drink my cold juices so it’s good.

I just think for anyone who is looking for something different or a different dentist or a place to try I would really recommend this place. From entering to leaving, it just makes you feel, they make you feel really important.

Dr. Rose is a professional in every aspect. She gives me the pros and cons of all procedures and explains in detail the procedures that will take place and the results expected. Before I had implants done, basically what had happened was a bridge had gone and tooth decay on the bottom left side was, there were no teeth left on the bottom left side. We had talked about different aspects of implants, the pros and the cons, the long term reliability of implants. Once I made the decision, the difference was day and night. It was a long process and the communication between the front desk, myself, and Dr. Rose and her associates was excellent. I had no worries or qualms about any problems that may arise because I knew they’d be taken care of. Implants are dear. They’re expensive, but for myself and the results you get with them is unbelievable. It’s just like having normal teeth. Eating is no problem at all now. Smiling, yeah, at my age it’s okay. I have nothing but glowing praise for the entire practice.

I didn’t really think I needed braces and I thought that my teeth were straight and everything and then Dr. Doug when I was 15 told me that I would need them and I wasn’t too happy about that, but after the two years of having them and I see the before and after pictures, I realized how much I needed them and I’m really glad that he convinced me to get them because it was definitely worth it. Dr. Doug always told me what was going on, when they were tightening stuff, what was happening, and always told me about his decisions to do something differently. Then once I had them off, I just took a lot of pictures and I smiled a lot more I think. It was just really amazing to see how much my teeth had changed and how much straighter they were and the gaps were all filled in and everything.

I think a lot of people said the same thing that I did, like they didn’t think I needed them, but then when they saw the difference, that it was really incredible. I couldn’t imagine if I hadn’t gotten them, if I had my teeth the way they were for when I was 14 or whatever when I got them on. It’s really nice to have it within the neighborhood and to have it where it’s such a nice friendly atmosphere and where you’ll end up knowing the people who you are dealing with when they call you on the phone to remind you of an appointment. They know who you are and you remember them and everything. They ask how you are. It’s just good to have that friendly atmosphere and to also have really good professional work done on your teeth and you know that they’re always doing a good job.

My background, I’m English. So the dentist … I came from England … The dentists in my family were just taboo. You didn’t have to enjoy going there. In fact, I had to be terrified. So, it was a strange thing for me … Well, my family … Because when I actually found out about Dr. Rose, it was through Davin, because she took dental assistant with my daughter. So Davin told me about Dr. Rose and the practice and everything, and it was just … I’m glad I came. That’s for sure.

My actual original crown fell out, so Dr. Rose had to do another root canal. Put some posts in. She’ll bring the actual x-ray, and she’ll show you and talk to you about exactly what she’s going to be doing. So there’s no doubt in your mind when you sit in that chair. You know you’re going to be looked after.

She doesn’t rush through anything, and she always makes sure that you understand before you’re leaving the chair, what kind of procedures are going to be done, or … She’s just wonderful.

There’s a strong genetic characteristic in my family for crooked teeth on the bottom. And so consequently we knew that I had to get braces because of that. I wanted those teeth straightened, but then I also got temporal movement, so both things kind of happened at the same time. With the temporal jaw movement, it would put me right out. I would have to lay down in the bed. I couldn’t cope. I couldn’t go to work everyday. So it had to get looked after. We had the braces on. We tried to take them off, but my temporal jaw movement was still acting up. So therefore we put them back until my muscles could get stronger that it could hold my jaw on its own without having to go through the process of breaking the jaw, doing that. I have to say Doug was really good. I got all colored braces so that I could have each color for each season or whatever occasion came up, even colored wax.

Again, how good Doug is is that I have a metal splint in the bottom of my mouth, and it came loose, and so this is at 11 o’clock, and I’m leaving at 1 o’clock to go on a holiday. I phoned Doug, “Doug, can you fix me up?” He says, “I’ll meet you at the office at 11:30.” He meets me at the office, fixes up the piece that needs to be fixed, and away I go. He’s the best dentist there is. Again, just because we feel comfortable, we feel that he’s up to date on processes. He’s kept himself up to date. He’s very professional. He works on the preventative side. Just all those points are just the reason that I would suggest people to come.

I’ve been coming to Lakewood Dental Center for about 16 years. I find the staff very professional. Everyone is very friendly. It’s just a warm, inviting atmosphere. Dr. Rose is very professional. She’s an absolute perfectionist in her work and so everything she does, she does with absolute high standard. Lakewood Dental Center replaced all my mercury fillings with composite fillings. I did a taste in my mouth prior to that and I don’t have any taste in my mouth so I’m very happy with that. The staff are always very accommodating and if there’s any issues, they’re right there to answer your concerns or to take care of any problems that you might have. Lakewood Dental Center is a very professional practice. The staff are all very friendly and accommodating and I would highly recommend Lakewood Dental Center.

Can’t say I love coming to the dentist. My history is that it was actually very much phobic, but what I do … The reason I come to the dentist is, of course, to keep my teeth in good condition, but what Dr. Doug gives for me is a sense of confidence and a comfort level that I’ve never had before with any dentist.

I was sick and tired of having the pain. I was sick and tired of a number of other things and I could not even pick up a phone to make a call to a dentist. I got to get something done. It had been 30 years since I’d been to a dentist. I got to do something. I would have anxiety attacks. I would get the shakes. Just by people, just listening to people talk about dentistry. It was that bad.
When I started getting here, Dr. Doug gave me a comfort level with humor and a feeling of empowerment. I could actually leave at any time that I wanted to. A feeling of, I was in control of what was going on. For me, that was a very powerful thing to keep me here.

From day one my mouth was horrible. I had rotten teeth. I had missing fillings. All sorts of things were going on. Since then I’ve had a tooth removed and a bridge put in. I’ve had crown done. I’ve had all my fillings replaced. My whole mouth has been reworked, to the point where now I can talk, I can smile without being embarrassed of what’s inside my mouth.

My comfort level with eating and smiling and everything else has just shot right up, ever since I began this journey.

I love coming to Lakewood Dental because you walk in here, it’s a friendly environment. They’re very professional. They’re very respectful. It’s awesome. I feel at home. You walk in and you receive the biggest smile, and even when they’re very busy, you know. All the girls up front, they acknowledge you. Customer service is great for me because I have worked in retail, I have had my own construction business. And I’m telling you, when you walk into a place and they’re just … especially the Monday morning, they sit there and they’re like, ‘Oh, gosh, I have to serve her.’

Here you come in, you feel so welcomed. You feel so warm. It’s a home away from home for me. This is the first time when I go to a dentist office, I truly looking forward to go there. I enjoy being there. Like, it bites once in a while when they give you the needles. It’s not really bad. But it’s fun, you know, for me it’s pleasant. It’s not like, ‘Oh, man, I’m just now going to go to the dentist and it’s going to ruin my whole day.’ It doesn’t, it’s pleasant walking in here. The reason I want to walk in here and come here and deal with these dentist because it’s just nice. It’s nice, you feel welcome. You feel warm, you’re taken care of. You don’t have to worry about a thing. Not paperwork, nothing – it’s all done for you. So yeah, I’m a lifer here.

Dr. Dhillon is very knowledgeable, and she is an expert in what she does. I came in here with some problems on my teeth. And I’m telling you, within four weeks she adjusted it, she fixed it. Prevented me from major surgery. She’s very courageous, she’s very professional. She’s very, very good at what she does. It’s the first time I actually not like a dentist, but I love my dentist.

She is very gentle, she is very caring. She always makes sure that you are okay. She asked many times, ‘Rita, are you okay? How is it going?’ She always explain to me what she’s doing. It’s awesome because you know what to expect, and you know what’s coming. She is a professional in how she treats you, how she fixed the problems in your mouth, how she gives you the injection – it’s awesome, like I could come in here and I’m not worried – ‘Okay, oh, man, I’m going to be sitting in a dental chair,’ and, ‘Ooh, yeah, it’s going to hurt really bad.’ It doesn’t. It bites a bit once, but it’s not really bad. So she is really good at what she does. I recommend her to anybody because I hope she doesn’t go anywhere. Wherever she goes, I’m going. She’s awesome, she’s really, really awesome.

Well, years ago when I was younger, I had a very bad experience at the dentist. It was just like I was traumatized because a’when I came here, it was by accident. My son had told me about this one dentist that he sees. So, I looked it up in a phone book. He didn’t have a number for me. Or I googled it, I should say. I got to talking to Devin, and I told her my fear of coming to the dentist. She told me, she said, “When you come here, we’ll do everything we can to make you comfortable,” she said. She said, “We’ll make sure that you’re in no pain,” she said. And she said, “When would be a good time for you to come in?” I knew that I couldn’t put it off any longer. So, I made my appointment.

Before this, I used to hide my mouth when I smiled or else I’d smile with my mouth closed all the time. Now I smile and people say, “I didn’t even know you had dimples.” A lot of people didn’t even know I had dimples because I never looked directly at anybody when I was smiling. So, just coming here, it really boosted up my confidence. I thought I was confident before, but now I think I’m much more confident.

My favorite doctor would be Dr. Doug, and there are, well, there’s a long list of the reasons. But let me give you some examples that, to me, set him apart. And many people would never know this if it didn’t happen to them.

Imagine this. It’s two days after Christmas, and I am just relaxing, having a cup of tea, and I decide to just have a handful of nuts. Well, all of a sudden I realized I had more than nuts in my hand, in my mouth, or what have you. I had part of a tooth, and one of my veneers had come off.

I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness. It’s the middle of Christmas.’ I mean, Christmas to New Year’s, right? And so, you phone that panic button, or that phone call, or what have you. I phoned the office and I said, ‘I don’t know who I’m getting, but I’ve got a tooth in my hand.’

I looked, you know, like a witch; it just needed to be black. Within one hour, Doug’s wife had contacted her husband. He was in the theater with his daughter, and he said, ‘You tell her to meet me at the clinic at three o’clock. I’ll be there.’ And that was, I think, on the 27th of December.

So, at three o’clock, I arrived at the door, here at the office. It’s black inside, and there is Dr. Doug with his sweet daughter, who’s visiting from Maritimes, and an hour later my tooth was fixed. If he hadn’t done that, number one, I would have looked ridiculous, but number two, that tooth could have become damaged, which would have cost me more money in the end.

So, not only did he fix it on the spot – and I mean, maybe it wouldn’t have worked out in my favor that way, but it did that day – he was willing, right, to just like change his entire Christmas vacation to accommodate me.

That shows you the heart of this dentistry. They want to provide the service that’s needed, and in that case, I mean, it was my blessing. But I’ve heard from other customers that I’ve now become friends with, that is not abnormal for him.

So, he is my favorite. In fact, I’m sending all my friends to him, and he’ll become their favorite, too.

They’ve looked after us for 38, 39 years now and we’ve had wonderful care over those years. It’s a family atmosphere. It’s just the kind of thing you’d like with your healthcare team.

Well, I’ve had issues over the years with a number of issues. I’ve had a number of root canals done, a couple of bridges done. He’s always gone through the process with me very carefully. Really, initially I had issues every appointment that I would come in. I’d have a cavity, [inaudible 00:00:32] through his suggestions and his work, honestly over the last 10 years or so it’s been a matter of pretty much routine checkups, occasional filling, that kind of thing that comes out. It’s restorative work, as opposed to new work that’s been happening.

He’s provided excellent patient care. He’s open and knowledgeable and explains the processes really well, gives options, tells us what his recommendations for the best options are and frankly, I trust him 100%.

There’s never any hesitation. He’ll take you, he’ll find a way. I know Doug has given up days off and half-days off in order to come in and do work for myself personally. He makes a special effort to look after me and I’m sure I’m not the only one he looks after that way. I’m sure he does that for any patients that are in trouble, so I’d recommend that to new people.

Lakewood Dental Center, it’s a very friendly place. The dentists are excellent and so are the hygienists and the front desk people. Well originally my wife was a patient here. I had a different dentist and then I had an accident where I knocked out a front tooth and cracked another one in front and I couldn’t get emergency service from my previous dentist. So I phoned him and he came out on a Saturday to look at the problem. He couldn’t do anything that day but he stabilized things and the following week we looked at remedial measures. He had to do two implants, dental implants and he made sure that the bone structure in my jaw was adequate to handle the implants. He always made sure that everything was good before he proceeds. There was no rush in doing the job, it took a while but in the end it’s been very satisfactory. Since my dental implants I’ve had no problems with chewing on tough meals and even my apples are no problem at all.

Because of the extensive work I’ve gone through with just Doug, the initial work was cavities then capping. I’ve had more root canals than I think I have teeth. I was reluctant to come here. I smile because I’m just a people type of person, but I knew that my teeth weren’t where I wanted it to be. I got to the point where because I was going through so much pain, so much time spent here at the office for extended periods of time, Doug and I talked about our options. I wanted him to pull my teeth and give me dentures because I was tired of the process. The one thing I love about Doug is he gives me options; he’s gotten to know me over the years, and he knows my mouth better than I do. He knows what I’m going to be happier with, even though he knows that the extensive work I’m having done is expensive.

I am glad that he convinced me and my husband to go with the latest extensive work that I’m having done, dental implants. My top teeth have been finished, I have pearly whites, I have bridges; see how pretty they are? They’re going to be working on my bottoms, and I can say with complete confidence that people have noticed, especially the latest work that I’ve had done on my top teeth. And I agree that I’m going to have an even better smile once I’ve got my bottom teeth done. So yes, I’ve gone from a lack of confidence, even though I feel that I’m a confident person, to a person now that when I smile, they’re not going to see the spaces, they’re not going to see the yellowing. All they’re going to see is what Doug and the dental surgeon, I have to say his name, Dr. Cohen, have done and given me the confidence. And again come on down. Doug will give you what you want in the way of teeth.