Why choose us: the criteria first, then our answers

We've published what we think predicts a good orthodontic outcome. Here is how we measure against each criterion — stated plainly so you can compare us with anyone else on the same terms.

Specialist diagnosis on every case

Every plan at our practice is designed and supervised by a certified specialist in orthodontics. Ask any clinic who diagnoses and who supervises each adjustment; our answer is the same person, every time.

Every option, honestly compared

We fit conventional and ceramic braces and the full Invisalign family, so we have no inventory reason to steer you. When the cheaper option will work just as well, we say so. When a teenager hoping for aligners needs the control of braces, we say that too.

Complete, written fees

Records, every adjustment, emergency visits, refinements where applicable, and your retainers — included, in writing, before anything is bonded. We think a quote that omits retainers is a quote with a surprise in it.

Growth first, timing second

Children are assessed around age seven. Where the jaws are developing well, we monitor — free — until comprehensive treatment makes sense. Where the pattern is skeletal, we believe in guiding growth while it's still possible: a well-timed first phase can mean fewer extractions, a simpler second phase, and no surgical conversation later. Early treatment has specific indications, and we name what it prevents before we recommend it.

Accessibility

Free consultations, monthly payment plans through our office, direct insurance billing, Saturday and early-morning appointments, and a Coquitlam Centre location with underground parking.

What patients tell us made the difference

Not the technology, though we have it. Three things recur: that we showed them their own X-rays and explained what we saw before we recommended anything; that the quote was complete, with retainers inside it, and didn't change; and that when the honest answer was "wait" or "braces would be faster" or "your dentist could handle this," we said it. Families who came from another consultation often mention that ours felt like a diagnosis rather than a pitch. That's the standard we publish on this site, and it's the one we'd like to be judged by.

Where we'll disagree with you, and why that's a feature

If you arrive wanting aligners for a bite that needs braces, we'll say so. If you'd like your seven-year-old in appliances and the jaws are developing well, we'll suggest a free recall instead. If you'd like to skip retainers, we'll be tediously insistent. A clinic that only ever agrees with you is selling; a clinic that occasionally disagrees is diagnosing. We'd rather be the second kind, even when it costs us a case.

Why a specialist practice, and why this one

A certified specialist brings two to three years of residency focused entirely on the decisions that determine your result — and, at our practice, decades of cases and a stated philosophy about growth you can read and test. We're not the only good option in the Tri-Cities, and we don't pretend to be; the choosing guides are written so you can compare us fairly with anyone. But if you want a clinic that publishes its criteria and invites you to hold it to them, that's what this is. The consultation is free.

Frequently asked questions about choosing our practice

Two things we'd rather you didn't choose us for

The lowest price — we're mid-market, and a clinic quoting well below us is usually leaving retainers or refinements out. And a promise — we don't guarantee outcomes, timelines from photographs, or cures for jaw pain, and we'd be wary of anyone who does. Choose us, if you do, for the reasoning: a diagnosis you can follow, options you can compare, and a fee you can read.

What it looks like when we say no

"Your daughter's jaws are developing well; let's see her next year." "Your case would finish faster and more predictably in braces than in aligners." "This is mild — your dentist could handle it well if you'd prefer." "I'd want a second opinion on those extractions before I did them, and I'll suggest one." "Retainers aren't optional; if you won't wear them, we shouldn't start." We say each of these regularly. They cost us cases, and they're the reason our referring dentists trust what we say when we say yes.

A closer look: the retainers-included policy, and why it matters more than it sounds

Retainers cost a few hundred dollars per arch bought separately, and a surprising number of orthodontic quotes leave them out — the family discovers the invoice on debond day, when they're least able to shop around. We include them because we think a treatment fee should cover the whole treatment, and because retention is the part that makes the result permanent. It also means the incentive is aligned: a clinic that sells retainers separately has no reason to mention them early; a clinic that includes them has every reason to make sure you wear them. Small policy, real difference.

What our referring dentists say they value

That we send findings back promptly and don't keep their patients. That we say "your patient's case is mild — you could do this well" when it's true. That we don't put every seven-year-old in an appliance. That our quotes don't change. And that when a case gets complicated, we pick up the phone. We mention this not as testimonial — we don't publish those — but because the dentists of the Tri-Cities see outcomes from every clinic, and their continued referrals are the review we care most about.

Before you go

Take the twelve questions to us and to someone else. Check both registrations on the BCCOHP register. Compare the quotes on contents. If we come out ahead, we'll be glad; if we don't, this site still did what it's for.

Misconceptions we correct most often

“Free consultation means a sales pitch.”

Ours is a diagnostic appointment with a written plan you take home. Test it.

“Included retainers are a small thing.”

They're several hundred dollars and the difference between a permanent result and a retreatment.

“A clinic that says ‘not yet’ is losing patients.”

It's earning referrals. Dentists notice.

What Coquitlam families search for, answered

“Why should I choose a specialist orthodontist in Coquitlam?”

For the diagnosis. The residency trains the decisions — timing, extractions, growth, retention — that determine whether a result lasts. Appliances are the easy part.

“What is a Sapphire Invisalign provider?”

An invitation-level tier reflecting aligner volume in roughly the top half-percent of providers worldwide. It's a signal about planning experience, not a credential.

“Do you treat children and adults?”

Both, and everyone in between. About a quarter of our patients are adults.