Kingsgate Dental ★10

A mall-level family clinic, not a downtown tower

Most clinics topping Vancouver’s lists sit in glass towers by the water. Kingsgate Dental works from the lower level of Kingsgate Mall in Mount Pleasant, and it shows in who comes through the door: children, parents and seniors from the surrounding blocks, booked patients and walk-ins alike. It is owned and run by Dr. Tam Do and Dr. Largani with associates, several of whom have taught as part-time clinical instructors at UBC’s Faculty of Dentistry.

Treatments

Family and cosmetic dentistry end to end: hygiene and prevention, tooth-coloured composite fillings, crowns, bridges, partial dentures, root canal treatment, extractions including wisdom teeth, and dental implants. Whitening and Invisalign clear aligners cover the cosmetic side, for adults who would rather not wear brackets to the office. Children’s dentistry is a declared direction here, not an add-on, and emergencies are taken: pain under control first, then the cracked tooth or lost crown behind it.

The room itself

Rebuilt in 2010 around how a visit feels: the ceilings carry Skyfactory illuminated sky panels, so a patient lying back looks at a lit canopy rather than an operating lamp, and every chair has its own television. People who describe years of dental anxiety keep naming the same two things — that ceiling, and that nobody hurries the appointment.

The dentists

Dr. Tam Do graduated from UBC’s Faculty of Dentistry in 2004 with the oral medicine and oral pathology award, and belongs to the Canadian Dental Association, the British Columbia Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry; family and children’s work is where he is strongest. Dr. Largani qualified twice — six years at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, then a UBC doctorate in 2009 with a place on the Dean’s list and faculty awards for clinical practice and orthodontics.

Who it suits

Families wanting one clinic for a five-year-old and a grandparent. People who would rather not organize a whole day around a downtown appointment. Anxious adults. Anyone whose tooth broke this morning.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to book ahead? Booked patients come first, but the clinic states it welcomes walk-ins.

Will they see my child? Yes — pediatric dentistry is a declared focus, and Dr. Do’s work centres on families.

Straight teeth without braces? Yes, with Invisalign trays, which come out for eating and brushing.

What happens in an emergency? Pain relief first, then the cause; an extraction, a repaired filling or a root canal follows.

Is there parking? Yes, outside the clinic on the mall side.

Opening hours