Dr Archer

Hi. My name is Dr. Natalie Archer and I just want to tell you a little bit about myself.

I’m actually from Peterborough, Ontario and I did my dentistry at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

After dental school I actually completed a little specialty program in i.v. conscious sedation for patients and so I actually started my dental career, probably treating the most fearful or anxious patients.

I think that has been a great background or great start in terms of the dentistry I do today here in our office in downtown Toronto.

In terms of the different roles I play: first and foremost I am a dentist. I absolutely LOVE being a dentist. I sort of feel that right now I am doing 2 different types of dentistry if you will.

One is for the family practice or a general, private downtown dental office in Toronto.

The other clinic is actually quite different. Our focus and mandate is Access to Care with a special focus group on the geriatric population and patients that have any impairments that would inhibit them to obtain access to private dental care.

Aside from that, I am heavily involved in organized dentistry and have been for a couple of years now. So I actually sit on Board for the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario. I sit on various different committees.

As of January 2011, I am very honoured to have been elected by my peers for the Vice Presidency position and heavily involved in Toronto West with our community work there.

I think those roles are so important to give back, especially coming as a younger professional. I think volunteer work is very important, giving back to the profession, giving back to the community.

I think to be honest it is part of my professional mandate to do that and a duty. I do it with pride and I do it because I want to and it is needed and it is really appreciated and it also inspires other people to do that.

My uncle was actually my dentist and I simply loved going to the dentist. I was perhaps only one of the very few people in my class that loved going to the dentist.

I did some observation in the dental office and I was very good with my hands and I did lots of crafts and fine tuning of many different things and I saw it as a great opportunity to combine medicine, art and dealing with people which I just love to do.

I am a real people person. It was just a mirage of all of those 3 aspects that brought me to dentistry and it was the best thing I’ve ever done.