Dental Care for Children

What Dental Care for Children does

Dental Care for Children is a privately held pediatric dental and orthodontic practice operating two clinics in Calgary, Alberta. Founded in 1972 by Dr. Leonard Smith as Calgary's first pediatric dental practice, the business was acquired by Dr. Farida Saher in approximately 2007 and now operates under her ownership. The practice serves infants, children, teens, and young adults with preventive care, restorative treatments, orthodontics (braces and Invisalign), sedation services, emergency care, and specialized care for children with special needs. Its two locations — Southport (10601 Southport Rd SW) and Sunridge (3363 26 Ave NE) — collectively house 18 dental chairs and 25 staff, including six board-certified pediatric dentists and orthodontists with advanced training from Harvard, Columbia, UCSF, Boston University, and the University of Alberta.

The practice's core technology stack centers on standard modern dental clinical equipment: iTero 3D digital scanners for orthodontic treatment planning, digital X-ray radiography, and self-ligating braces systems. The distinguishing technical asset is the on-site surgical suite at the Southport clinic — the only pediatric dental office in Alberta with a dedicated general anesthesia facility — staffed by medical anesthesiologists and nurses from Alberta Children's Hospital. This enables in-house oral rehabilitation under general anesthesia for medically complex, anxious, or special-needs pediatric patients, a service otherwise requiring hospital referral.

Revenue is generated through fee-for-service professional charges across pediatric dental and orthodontic services, supplemented by affiliate referral income from the iFinance patient financing partnership. The practice bills direct to insurance, accepts the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) and Alberta Child Health Benefit, and offers in-house payment plans, pay-in-full discounts, and bank draft subscriptions. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct patient acquisition, general dentist referral network, and community outreach, serving a base of 8,000+ active patients and earning 1,000+ five-star Google reviews.

Name

Dental Care for Children

Legal name

Dental Care for Children

Website

https://dentalcareforchildren.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dental Care for Children is a Calgary-based pediatric dental and orthodontic practice operating two clinics with 25 staff, serving 8,000+ active patients from infancy through adolescence with preventive, restorative, orthodontic, sedation, and special-needs dental care since 1972.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Dentistry

NAICS

Offices of Dentists (621210)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Pediatric Dentistry Group Practices (HLABAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Preventive & Wellness Pediatric Dentistry (Cleanings/Fluoride/Sealants) (HLABAGAA), Pediatric Sedation & Anesthesia Dentistry (HLABAGAC), Pediatric Dental Trauma & Emergency Care (HLABAGAF)

Keywords

• Pediatric dentistry
• Children dental care
• Orthodontic treatment
• Preventive dental services
• Sedation dentistry

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Pediatric Dental Services: Fee-for-service pediatric dental examinations, cleanings, preventive care, restorative treatments, and sedation services for infants, children, and teens
2. Orthodontic Services: Orthodontic treatments including braces and Invisalign for children and young adults, with flexible payment plans available
3. Financing Services: Partnership with iFinance for patient financing options, allowing families to spread payments over time

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dental Care for Children is a pediatric dental practice in Calgary providing specialized dental and orthodontic care for infants, children, teens, and individuals with special needs. Services span preventive care, restorative dentistry, sedation, general anesthesia, and orthodontics, delivered by board-certified pediatric dentists and a certified orthodontic specialist across two Calgary clinic locations.

Product overview

Dental Care for Children is a dual-location pediatric dental and orthodontic practice in Calgary, Alberta, operating since 1972. The company offers a unified suite of pediatric healthcare services centered on two core offerings: pediatric dental care (including preventive services, restorative treatments, sedation dentistry, special needs care, and emergency services) and orthodontic services (including braces, Invisalign, and various orthodontic appliances). The practice operates the only pediatric dental office in Alberta with an on-site surgical facility for general anesthesia procedures. Supplementary offerings include interactive educational games for children (Molar Bear's Big Check Up, Whack-a-Cavity), educational video content, and financing options through iFinance. The practice accepts government dental programs including the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) and Alberta Child Health Benefit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pediatric Dental Care General and specialized pediatric dental care for infants, children, and teens, including preventive, restorative, and routine dental treatments delivered by board-certified pediatric dentists across two Calgary clinic locations. Designed for families seeking age-appropriate dental care from clinicians trained in child behavior and development.
• Orthodontic Services Orthodontic treatment for children, teens, and young adults including Empower self-ligating braces with shape-memory wires and Invisalign clear aligners. Led by a certified specialist in orthodontics and supported by interest-free payment plans and a pay-in-full discount.
• Sedation and Anxiety Support Sedation services including nitrous oxide and oral/moderate sedation to help anxious, young, or special-needs pediatric patients tolerate dental treatment. Targeted at children who cannot be treated safely or comfortably in a standard dental chair setting.
• Pediatric Surgery under General Anesthesia Comprehensive dental treatment performed under general anesthesia in the practice's on-site surgical suite. Marketed as the only pediatric dental office in Alberta with this capability, eliminating the need for hospital referrals for complex pediatric dental cases.
• Preventive Dental Care Routine preventive pediatric dental services such as cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants aimed at maintaining children's oral health and preventing decay. Suitable for all pediatric age groups from infancy through adolescence.
• Emergency Dental Care Same-day or urgent pediatric dental care for children experiencing dental emergencies such as trauma, severe pain, or acute infection. Provided by the practice's pediatric dental team across its Calgary locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving Calgary families for over 50 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kindness In ActionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit charitable organization providing dental health services to under-privileged countries. Dr. Saher has participated in 11 international missions to countries including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil, Haiti, Peru, and led a team to Cambodia in 2017 treating 1,000 patients over two weeks.
• Mount Royal UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership with MRU Child Care Centre where the dental team conducts educational presentations about oral hygiene habits to children using interactive superhero-themed activities.
• Alberta Children's HospitalcoreOthersProvides medical anesthesiologists and nurses from Alberta Children's Hospital for the on-site surgical facility at the Southport clinic where general anesthesia procedures are performed.
• Alberta Dental Association & CollegecoreOthersRegulatory body whose safety protocols the practice follows, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic for PPE requirements and clinical procedures.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Western Dental & Orthodontics: Large US dental group with significant pediatric and orthodontic service lines across multiple states. Comparable as a multi-location group practice combining general, pediatric, and orthodontic offerings for similar family demographics.
• dentalcorp: Canada's largest dental support organization, supporting hundreds of practices across multiple specialties including pediatric dentistry. Relevant as a consolidator/buyer in the same Canadian dental services market and as a comparable business model (multi-location group practice).
• 123Dentist: Canadian dental support organization with a growing network of practices, primarily in British Columbia and Ontario. Comparable as a Canadian DSO competing for the same patient demographics and potentially as a future acquirer or partner for independent pediatric groups.
• Great Expressions Dental Centers: US dental support organization operating hundreds of general and specialty practices. Comparable as a multi-location group practice serving families and offering both general dentistry and orthodontic services to similar demographic segments.
• Altima Dental: Canadian dental group operating multiple general and specialty practices across Ontario and Western Canada. Comparable as a multi-location Canadian dental group with overlapping services (preventive, restorative, orthodontics) for similar family demographics.

Direct peers

• Smile Doctors: Largest orthodontic-focused DSO in the US with hundreds of locations. Directly comparable to DCFC's orthodontic service offering (braces, Invisalign, early treatment) and to the multi-clinic operating model serving pediatric and young-adult patients.
• Children's Dental Health: US-based pediatric dental specialty group practice operating multiple locations across Pennsylvania and surrounding states. Closest direct peer in pediatric-only specialty dentistry with similar service mix (preventive, restorative, orthodontics, sedation).
• Corus Orthodontists: Canadian orthodontic-focused partnership network operating multiple orthodontic clinics across Canada. Directly comparable to DCFC's orthodontic service line (braces, Invisalign, interceptive treatment) and serves a similar pediatric/young-adult patient base in the same Canadian market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dentalcareforchildren
• Instagraminstagram.com/dentalcareforchildren.ca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dental-care-for-children

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dental Care for Children