What Pickering Dental Patients Actually Ask: Four Years of Real Inquiry Data
Between November 2022 and June 2026, people sent 398 messages through this website — 106 of them genuine patient inquiries (the full filtering method is at the bottom of the page). This page publishes what they asked — alongside 16 months of search-interest data, our 31 Google reviews, and verified public figures on dental coverage in Ontario (Canadian Dental Care Plan, Statistics Canada, Ontario programs).
Published by Ivory Dental, 1300 Kingston Road, Pickering · Dr. Claudia Wood · what patients ask us, not clinical advice — every figure states its source and date.
What patients write in about
Every message below is a genuine inquiry sent through this website between November 2022 and June 2026 — classified by topic, with anything identifying removed and no category published below a 5-count floor. The everyday needs dominate:
A handful of topics people search heavily (root canals, crowns, cosmetic work, implants) each appeared fewer than 5 times in writing and are not broken out — see the search-interest contrast below.
What they ask for
| Request type | Count | Share of 106 |
|---|---|---|
| Book or change an appointment | 75 | 70.8% |
| Cost / insurance question | 12 | 11.3% |
| Records, hours & admin | 10 | 9.4% |
| Other | 9 | 8.5% |
24 of 106 writers (22.6%) identify themselves as new patients or new to the area — consistent with Pickering's growth: the city's population reached 99,186 in the 2021 census, up 8.1% from 2016 (faster than Ontario's 5.8% and Canada's 5.2%).
Sources: this site's contact-form submissions (drop chain in the methodology section); Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Focus on Geography — Pickering (City). Retrieved Jul 13, 2026.
What people research vs. what they write in about
Over 16 months (March 2025 – June 2026), queries reaching our site split into five classes totalling 142,144 impressions — with brand searches and scraper noise excluded:
The contrast is the finding: root canals alone drew 31,987 search impressions, yet root-canal questions almost never appear among our 106 written inquiries (below our 5-count floor). People research the scary procedures at length — then write to a dentist about cleanings and appointments. Research topics and booking topics are different things.
Interest in holistic & biological dentistry doubled
The holistic/biological class grew from 1,688 monthly impressions in March 2025 to 3,359 in June 2026 (+99%) — the largest class over the full period (35,810 impressions, 25%). Dr. Wood's practice focuses on minimally invasive, whole-health dentistry — the same theme this audience is searching for.
Monthly data table
| Month | Holistic/biological impressions |
|---|---|
| 2025-03 | 1,688 |
| 2025-04 | 1,842 |
| 2025-05 | 2,376 |
| 2025-06 | 2,117 |
| 2025-07 | 2,012 |
| 2025-08 | 2,262 |
| 2025-09 | 2,754 |
| 2025-10 | 1,906 |
| 2025-11 | 1,310 |
| 2025-12 | 1,647 |
| 2026-01 | 1,991 |
| 2026-02 | 1,979 |
| 2026-03 | 2,221 |
| 2026-04 | 3,064 |
| 2026-05 | 3,282 |
| 2026-06 | 3,359 |
Source: Google Search Console for ivorydentalpickering.ca, Mar 1 2025 – Jun 30 2026. Impressions measure how often our pages appeared in Google results per query class — search interest reaching one clinic's site, not regional search volume.
The cost questions have context: dental coverage in Ontario, 2026
About one written inquiry in five to our clinic is a cost, insurance or billing question (22 of 106). The public data explains why money is on people's minds:
Cost keeps Canadians away from the dentist. Statistics Canada's Canadian Oral Health Survey (2023/2024) found 24% of Canadians aged 12+ avoided an oral health professional at least once because of cost — and among those without dental insurance it was 45%, versus 12% with public and/or private coverage.
The Canadian Dental Care Plan is now a major factor. As of May 31, 2026, 2,707,785 Ontarians were approved CDCP applicants and 1,678,031 Ontarians had received care under the plan in the 2025–26 benefit year. Health Canada reports members save on average $900 per year (April 2026).
| CDCP co-payment (by adjusted family net income) | Plan covers | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| Under $70,000 | 100% of CDCP fees | 0% |
| $70,000 – $79,999 | 60% | 40% |
| $80,000 – $89,999 | 40% | 60% |
Important caveat, in the plan's own words: “The CDCP fees may not be the same as what providers charge. You may have to pay fees in addition to the potential co-payment.” Ask any clinic — including us — how they handle CDCP billing before your visit.
Ontario's own programs
• Healthy Smiles Ontario — free dental care for kids 17 and under in lower-income households (thresholds as of Jul 1, 2026: $29,065 with one child; $31,265 with two; $33,465 with three).
• Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program — for residents 65+ with income of $25,000 or less (single) / $41,500 (couple); on August 1, 2026 those thresholds rise to $25,480 and $42,290.
Why prices differ between clinics
The Ontario Dental Association publishes an annual Suggested Fee Guide — it is copyrighted, available only to ODA members, and it is a suggested reference, not mandatory pricing. That is why two clinics can quote different prices for the same procedure code.
Sources: Health Canada CDCP statistics (as of May 31, 2026; updated monthly) and eligibility/coverage pages; Health Canada news release Apr 17, 2026; Statistics Canada, Canadian Oral Health Survey 2023/2024 (The Daily, Feb 12, 2025); Ontario.ca program pages (updated Jul 2, 2026); oda.ca. Retrieved Jul 13, 2026.
The five most common written questions
70 of the 106 genuine inquiries contained an explicit question. Grouped into themes, the top five account for 52 of them:
| Question theme | Inquiries |
|---|---|
| New-patient acceptance & booking | 13 |
| Routine cleaning scheduling | 12 |
| Urgent or emergency issues | 11 |
| Cost or price inquiries | 8 |
| Insurance & billing questions | 8 |
“Are you accepting new patients?” is the single most common question we get in writing. (Yes.)
Where every number comes from
Written inquiries (n=106). All 398 submissions to this site's contact form, Nov 2022 – Jun 2026. 389 carried a message. We removed 25 of our own automated form-health tests, 212 URL-spam and 13 pattern-spam messages mechanically, then hand-reviewed everything left with no clear topic and removed 33 more business-solicitation messages — leaving 106 genuine patient inquiries (58% of all messages with text were mechanical spam, before the hand-removed solicitations; small clinics know this problem well). Each inquiry was classified by topic, request type and stated context; no published category count is below 5. Messages are paraphrased, never quoted; no personal information is published.
Google reviews (n=31). Every review of our Google Business Profile, Nov 2018 – May 2026: 25 with text, 6 rating-only (included in the average with no text signal). A small corpus — we present it as a trust signal, not a dataset.
Search interest. Google Search Console impressions for this domain, Mar 1 2025 – Jun 30 2026, grouped into five non-overlapping query classes; brand queries and known scraper-noise queries excluded. This measures interest reaching one clinic's site, not Durham Region search volume.
Public figures. Health Canada (CDCP statistics as of May 31, 2026 — the source page updates monthly; eligibility and coverage pages; Apr 17, 2026 news release), Statistics Canada (Canadian Oral Health Survey 2023/2024; 2021 Census), Ontario.ca program pages (updated Jul 2, 2026). Retrieved Jul 13, 2026. We cite no Ontario Dental Association fee figures: the ODA fee guide is member-only, copyrighted material.
What this page is not: clinical advice, a prevalence study, or a claim about what all Pickering patients do — it is what people wrote to one clinic, plus verified public coverage data.
Cite this page
Download the aggregated dataset (CSV)
Frequently asked questions
What do dental patients ask about most?
In our data: booking. 75 of 106 genuine written inquiries (70.8%) were appointment requests, and cleanings/checkups were the most-named topic (27 of 106). “Are you accepting new patients?” was the most common single question theme (13 of the 70 explicit questions). Separately, 24 of 106 writers identified as new patients.
Who qualifies for the Canadian Dental Care Plan?
You must have no access to private dental insurance, have filed a tax return, be a Canadian resident for tax purposes, and have adjusted family net income under $90,000. Coverage tiers: under $70,000 — 100% of CDCP fees; $70,000–79,999 — 60%; $80,000–89,999 — 40%. Note Health Canada's caveat: CDCP fees may differ from what providers charge (Canada.ca, retrieved Jul 13, 2026).
How many people actually use the CDCP in Ontario?
As of May 31, 2026: 2,707,785 Ontarians approved and 1,678,031 who received care in the 2025–26 benefit year, across 12,422 participating Ontario providers (Health Canada, updated monthly).
Do people really skip the dentist because of cost?
Yes — 24% of Canadians 12+ avoided an oral health professional at least once due to cost; among the uninsured it is 45%, versus 12% with coverage (Statistics Canada, Canadian Oral Health Survey 2023/2024).
What free dental programs exist in Ontario?
Healthy Smiles Ontario covers kids 17 and under in lower-income households ($29,065–$33,465 thresholds by family size as of Jul 1, 2026). The Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program covers 65+ with income up to $25,000 single / $41,500 couple — rising to $25,480 / $42,290 on Aug 1, 2026 (Ontario.ca).
Is interest in holistic or biological dentistry actually growing?
In our own search data, yes: monthly impressions for holistic/biological dentistry queries reaching our site grew from 1,688 (Mar 2025) to 3,359 (Jun 2026) — up 99%, the largest of our five query classes over 16 months.
Yes. Book at our Pickering or Danforth location.
Related: Teeth cleaning in Pickering · Emergency dentist · Root canals · All services