Downtown Dental Centre ★9.9

Bonding by hand, from the dentist who teaches it

A porcelain veneer begins by grinding healthy enamel away; composite bonding does not. The dentist builds the tooth up in layers of resin, by hand, in one sitting, and it can be undone. That craft is concentrated here: Dr. Paul Custoreri, known in the trade as the composite bonding guru, teaches it to other general dentists as a clinical instructor on University of Toronto continuing education courses. The practice has stood in the shopping concourse of a tower on the avenue of Toronto’s teaching hospitals since the mid-eighties, under the same partners.

The five-point first visit

New patients are examined in five parts rather than glanced over: oral cancer screening under VELscope blue light; a tooth-by-tooth chart of decay, failing fillings and bite damage; periodontal measurement of gum and bone; a jaw-joint assessment; a cosmetic review of shape, colour and alignment. The ideal plan and every alternative are set out; the choice is left to the patient.

Treatments

Bonded fillings matched to tooth colour, crowns, bridges, porcelain inlays and onlays, root canals, dentures, wisdom tooth removal. Gum care runs from non-surgical scaling and root planing to periodontal surgery and implants. Cosmetic work covers bonding, veneers, whitening and smile restorations. Also Invisalign and MTM aligners, night and sports guards, TMJ therapy including botulinum injections into an overworked jaw muscle, and halitosis treatment. Digital radiographs; scanning, not putty trays.

The dentists

Four, and a century of practice between them. Dr. Robert Feeley qualified at Western and trained on hospital operating room and emergency rotations. Dr. Custoreri, a University of Toronto graduate, has been a partner since 1987. Dr. Arick Faibish, here since 2013, takes aesthetic and restorative cases, Invisalign and implant crowns. Dr. Sepehr Torabi, a certified specialist in periodontics and implant surgery and a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada, coordinates implants for the graduate periodontics program at the University of British Columbia; guided placement and gum plastic surgery are his.

Who it suits

Office and hospital staff with only an hour to spare; anyone wanting chipped or worn front teeth repaired without cutting into enamel; patients with advanced gum disease or a failing implant.

Frequently asked questions

Can bonding replace veneers? Often, yes — layered composite closes chips, gaps and worn edges in one visit, leaving the natural tooth intact.

What happens at a first appointment? The five-point exam: cancer screening, tooth-by-tooth chart, gum and bone measurement, bite and jaw-joint check, cosmetic review.

Is there a specialist for gum surgery and implants? Yes, a certified periodontist practises here, so surgery and the crown on top stay in one place.

Which languages does the team work in? English, plus Hebrew, Portuguese and Spanish.

Opening hours