Boasting an impressive list of credentials, Dr. Sharon Lau’s lifelong commitment to her profession goes beyond the skill that she brings to the dental chair.

She is also an advocate for positive lifestyles.

“ ‘Healthy, beautiful smiles’ and ‘teeth for a lifetime’ are not just slogans. These are attainable goals,” Dr. Lau says.

Her mission is to help people reach these goals through regular dental visits, sharing of dental information, encouragement of effective home dental care and a healthy diet.

“It’s always rewarding to see our patients’ outlook on life improve with us re-creating their smile, their teeth, allowing them to smile with confidence,” she says.

Dr. Lau is the owner and a practising dentist at ABA Dental Clinics.

Born in Hong Kong, Dr. Lau graduated from high school in Toronto, where she earned top grades. She enrolled in the highly competitive dental surgery program at one of Canada’s top universities. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto, then a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the same institution in 2002, obtaining her licence to practice dentistry in Ontario.

Dr. Lau has been practising dentistry in Thunder Bay since 2003 and has operated under the trade name ABA Dental Clinic since 2004.

In participation with Dr. James Mao, ABA Dental Clinics has expanded to two locations: Memorial Avenue and Red River Road. They employ ten people.

ABA Dental offers fast, convenient and comprehensive dental care under one roof.

“We understand people live a busy, hectic lifestyle,” Dr. Lau says.

They provide all forms of dental care in their clinics rather than referring patients to three or four different places for various treatments.

In fact, ABA Dental provides a range of services that goes beyond the usual dental examination, diagnosis, cleaning and fillings.

They offer general dentistry and orthodontics for the entire family, Invisalign, dental extractions, implants and dentures, intravenous sedation, root canal therapy and crowns, which can be completed in one day and through one appointment. That minimizes the need for additional needles and anesthesia and taking time off from work and school.

“Patients appreciate dental treatment that have traditionally taken multiple visits, done over weeks and months, that are now being completed in one day by our clinics,” Dr. Lau says.

Like any practitioner, Dr. Lau and her team want to help patients attain and maintain a healthy lifestyle by having healthy teeth that are free of pain, discomfort, and infection. However, she admits to being surprised that people are quick to be rid of their teeth rather than trying to save them.

Her goal is to be proactive and help patients preserve their healthy teeth, through regular preventative dental care and minimally invasive treatment before these preventable dental diseases progress to a stage that requires extensive and more expensive treatment and eventual loss of teeth, which could result in further deterioration of teeth, jaw, and other physiological changes, she explains.

“As people are living longer, they will need to retain their teeth longer,” Dr. Lau says.