For anyone who white-knuckles the sides of the dental chair amid the buzzing and whirring in their mouth, Dr. Brent Weinhandl of Brook Trout Dental has some good news: Today’s dentists are more patient-focused than ever — and they’re committed to helping people manage dental anxiety and fear.
Better yet, thanks to modern tools and technology, procedures that used to be painful are now so much more comfortable, providing a more relaxed experience for the patient. And, for patients at Brook Trout Dental, an affordable one at that.
“For anyone who comes to my office, I try to treat people as if I was the patient who came in for treatment,” said Dr. Weinhandl, founder and owner of Brook Trout. “I assure them they won’t be hurt in my chair or even after at the front desk when they have to pay.”
Putting patients at ease is extremely important to Dr. Weinhandl. After completing dental school at the University of Alberta, he completed a one-year general practice residency at Denver Health Medical Center. At this Level I Trauma facility, he worked in the ER unit, completing 24-hour shifts every fourth night.
After meeting and marrying his wife, Melody, while in Denver, he returned to Alberta to practice for five years. After paying student loans and taxes, it was time to return to the country that educated him and set up his dream practice of living and working in the United States. Dr. Weinhandl and his wife found Casper to offer everything they were seeking and he opened his new practice of Brook Trout Dental here in July 2004. For the couple, Casper has the beauty of Alberta, minus the cold.
“Casper is exactly what I was hoping for when I wanted to open an office,” he said. “It’s small enough to meet friends at the grocery store and visit others frequently throughout the community with ease. That’s something I’ve really enjoyed here for the past 21 years.”
And he carries that friendly, communicative spirit with him at the office.
“I just enjoy visiting with my patients while they are here,” he said. “For those who still have a fear of dentistry, I find it important to initiate conversations with them. If they can tell me something about themselves, it goes a long way to helping both me and them talk their fears out. I mean, if you share stories with people, they become more comfortable in the chair and with our relationship. Our clients are not just a bunch of names in our appointment book.”
Dr. Weinhandl and his team create a personalized treatment plan for each patient. Whether it’s for a routine dental exam or extensive restorative or cosmetic dental care, everyone who comes to Brook Trout Dental receives in-depth information about every step of their care, from the beginning through completion.
According to Dr. Weinhandl, technical advances continue to reshape how problems are diagnosed and treated. From AI-enhanced software and computer-aided design/manufacturing technologies to dental lasers and cancer screening tools, patients benefit tremendously in terms of cost and time spent in the dentist's chair.
“Dentistry has completely changed in the last five years because of these advancements,” Dr. Weinhandl said. “I’m sure most people remember having to use those awful trays when we needed impressions of the teeth, for example. That uncomfortable procedure has completely switched over to 3D scans now. Patients have the opportunity to review the scans moments later before we send them to the lab. On the same day, we can have that new crown or denture being prepared in the lab by dental technicians, and we get a much better fit. Before, it might take multiple adjustments, extended time in the chair and higher bills to achieve what can be done in one sitting today.”
To make an appointment or to find out more about Brook Trout Dental, please visit brooktroutdental.com.
