From installing new safety protocols to collaborating with a local college, one Toronto dentist is evolving with the times.
While other dentists have closed locations and scaled back operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Natalie Archer has expanded all three of her Toronto area dental clinics and has added value by installing advanced air filtration machines and new safety protocols. An online chatbot conducts COVID-19 screenings and follow-ups with patients after their appointments. At Archer Dental, frontline staff work offsite to coordinate visits for improved social distancing.
Despite the numerous disadvantages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Archer has found ways to adapt and succeed. Each operatory in every Archer Dental office across Toronto has Virus Killer air filtration devices equipped with HEPA filters — a medical-grade solution. These machines complement existing high-powered HVAC systems which have been upgraded since the outbreak. Her Rosedale clinic was recently renovated top-to-bottom and now features ‘dental pods’ — another innovation. Four brand new glass-enclosed exam rooms provide patients with expedient and exclusive dental treatments in which the chance of infection is even smaller than the virus.
Dr. Archer’s experience as a pandemic dentist has even garnered the attention of some of Canada’s foremost architects and engineers. George Brown College is getting an upgrade to its WAVE health facility which contains a dental school. The changes are expected to make the infrastructure more resilient to epidemiological threats.
Having just upgraded all her clinics, Dr. Archer was asked to visit, and consult as a subject matter expert, and from August to November 2021, she worked with architects at Diamond Schmitt and builders at Walsh Canada to help layout a new world class educational facility that will more effectively train dental students of the future.
