About The Smile Guide
Published from a dental practice, on purpose.
The Smile Guide is a patient-education project from the team at Chiu Dental, a dental practice in Waterloo, Ontario. We started it because the questions patients actually ask — what does this cost, does my plan cover it, is this an emergency — are the questions most dental websites answer vaguely or not at all.
We publish costs as real Canadian dollar ranges, compiled from published Ontario practice fee pages and cross-checked across sources. They are typical ranges, not quotes, and not the Ontario Dental Association’s Suggested Fee Guide, which the ODA publishes only to its members. We explain the Canadian Dental Care Plan in plain language, including the part the government pages gloss over: what you may still pay. And we put a name on every clinical page.
Who writes and reviews this
Dr. Jody Chiu, DMD is the Guide's editor and clinical reviewer. She earned her DMD at McGill University in 2010 and has practised dentistry for more than a decade. She is registered with the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario as a general dentist (registration no. 84589), not as a specialist in any dental specialty, and leads the team at Chiu Dental in Waterloo.
Articles are drafted by the Guide’s editorial team and fact-checked against the sources cited on each page. Dr. Chiu reviews every clinical article before publication; each page shows its review status and the date it was last checked.
Our editorial rules
- Named review. Every clinical article names the dentist responsible for reviewing it and shows whether that review is complete.
- Real numbers, sourced. Price ranges are compiled from published Ontario practice fee pages, not from the ODA Suggested Fee Guide (a members-only document); program details (like the CDCP) are verified against Government of Canada sources. Sources are listed on every page.
- No ads, no sponsors, no affiliate links. The Guide is funded by Chiu Dental, and that relationship is disclosed everywhere, including here.
- We say when we don't know. Costs vary by mouth and by clinic. Where a number depends on an exam, we say so instead of pretending otherwise.
- Original photography only. Every photo on this site was taken at the actual practice. No stock.
The obvious question: isn't this just marketing?
The Guide exists because Chiu Dental benefits when patients in Waterloo Region trust it enough to call. We'd rather earn that trust with published prices and straight answers than with slogans. If an article ever helps you and you book with a dentist closer to home instead — that's a fine outcome too.
Questions, corrections, ideas?
Call the practice — or if we got something wrong, tell us and we'll fix it and note the correction.