Category: blog

Welcome Dr. Diana Wong

Posted on December 5, 2013

Dr. Diana Wong Joins Archer Dental…

It is with great pleasure that we introduce Dr. Diana Wong to all of our patients! Dr. Wong is a welcome addition to the Archer Dental team and is always wearing a big smile.  Dr. Wong has a background in pediatric dentistry and looks forward to meeting all of our “little patients”.

A little bit about Dr. Wong

Dr. Diana Wong graduated from Queen’s University, receiving her BSc. Honours in Life Sciences degree in 2008, and her DDS degree from Dalhousie University in 2012.  She was the recipient of two Nova Scotia Dental Association Prizes.

Following graduation, Dr. Wong was selected to complete a General Practice Residency through the University of Toronto at the Hospital for Sick Children and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.  She gained valuable experience in pediatric dentistry and with medically compromised patients.  Dr. Wong also has been trained in the use of nitrous oxide and oral sedation for those patients with dental anxiety.

Dr. Wong is committed to patient-centered quality care in a comfortable and friendly environment.  She believes in preventative dental interventions and spends ample time educating and empowering patients with the knowledge to have the best dental health possible.

When Dr. Wong is not practicing dentistry, she spends her time playing the harp, dancing the Argentine tango, background performing in TV shows, and playing various sports.

Voted Best Dentist in Toronto by NOW Magazine

Posted on November 7, 2013

NOW Magazine reader’s have voted Dr. Natalie Archer as Best Dentist in Toronto! In early spring 2013, NOW launched their annual Best Of Series – a campaign that seeks to find the best of the best in Toronto; including everything from Best Restaurant to Best Art Gallery to Best Dentist. The public was asked to nominate those they felt were deserving of being recognized as the best in their industry. Very kindly, supporters of Dr. Natalie Archer nominated her in the category of Best Dentist in Toronto.

In late June, NOW announced the short-list of nominees for Best Dentist which included Dr. Archer and the voting opened up to the public. Voters had until September 25th, 2013 to cast their ballot and today, November 7, 2013, it was announced that Dr. Archer won the award for Best Dentist in Toronto!

NOW Magazine Celebrates Best Of Toronto Winners with an Honourary Breakfast

Dr. Archer and her team attended a celebratory breakfast at the NOW offices in downtown Toronto on Thursday, November 7, 2013.

The team was treated to some delicious treats and presented with a beautiful plaque in honour of their win.

Thank You from Dr. Natalie Archer and Team

Dr. Archer would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who voted her Best Dentist! The Archer Dental team is so grateful to be awarded with this amazing honour. We appreciate the time each and every one of you took to cast your vote and are truly humbled to be named Best Dentist.  We are committed to advancing dental care in our changing world and will continue to provide excellent patient-centred care using a responsive approach.

Dr. Natalie Archer Continues to Work Hard for Toronto

Did you know Dr. Archer is working hard to “Take the Bite Out of Elder Abuse”? Dr. Archer will continue to serve Toronto through her Dental Elder Abuse Response (D.E.A.R.) Project which is funded by the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP). The project aims to raise awareness and ultimately prevent dental elder abuse and neglect.

The D.E.A.R. Project does the following:

  • Teaches seniors, dentists, caregivers and families to recognize dental elder abuse and neglect issues.
  • Develops educational materials and tools on the link between oral health and elder abuse and neglect.
  • Forms a network of dentists and people concerned about dental elder abuse and neglect across Canada.

Currently, Dr. Archer and the D.E.A.R. Team are working hard to develop educational materials, deliver workshops and raise awareness to fight dental elder abuse! Check back soon for more updates on the D.E.A.R. project!

The Day After Halloween: Advice from Dr. Natalie Archer

Posted on November 1, 2013

Dr. Natalie Archer on the day after Halloween….

Here we are November 1st, the day after Halloween. Our little trick-or-treaters have been door to door for their treats, gone through all their candy to find their favourite sweets and now are likely asking you at least a few times a day if they can have “just one more” sugary treat!

It’s inevitable that most all of our children love to eat their Halloween candy! But, as a Toronto Dentist, I see an influx of cavities and other oral health issues in children after this spooky time of year.

Dr. Natalie Archer explains how cavities are formed…

When your child enjoys a sugar-filled food or drink, the bacteria in the plaque on the teeth mix with the sugars in the candy to make an acid. The acid in turn attacks the tooth enamel. If the plaque is not removed daily, then the enamel gets soft and a cavity is formed. The longer and more often sugar is on the teeth, the more damage it can do to your little one’s smile.

It’s so very important for parents to limit their child’s candy intake and to really stick to a strict oral health routine. As a parent myself, I know it can be a challenge to get our children to brush and floss on a regular basis, so I would like to share with you some tips on how to keep those smiles healthy long after October 31st.

Dr. Natalie Archer’s Tips for a Healthy Post-Halloween Smile:

  • Limit the number of times a day your child eats sugary foods between meals. Serve snacks that will not harm your child’s teeth, such as vegetables, cheese, nuts or seeds.
  • Try to eat sugary treats at the end of mealtime while there is still plenty of saliva in the mouth. Saliva helps to wash away the sugars and acids.
  • Drink a glass of water after eating a Halloween treat, this help wash away some of the sugars and acids.
  • Avoid soft, sticky treats that get stuck between teeth and are more difficult to brush and floss away.
  • Always have your child brush and floss before going to bed and if possible, after eating a piece of candy.

For those with braces…

I often get parents of children with braces asking me if they can still eat Halloween candy? My answer is “Of course!” however, extra care must be taken. First off avoid nuts, popcorn, tortilla chips, hard candy, caramel and other chewy candies in order to keep their braces safe and intact. Usually, a plainer type of chocolate bar is okay. After enjoying a treat, be sure to pay extra special attention to those braces – brush and floss! Alternatively, you can have your child “trade-in” their candy for another something special, like going to a movie, a small toy or new book.

Following these simple tips and moderating the number of sugary treats your child consumes, should keep everyone happy, healthy and cavity-free!

*Written with reference to the Canadian Dental Association website.

Grandparents Day September 8/ 2013

Posted on September 6, 2013

In 1995, the government of Canada passed bill 273 and designated the second Sunday in September Grandparents Day. The day is supposed to acknowledge the importance of Grandparents to the structure of the family in nurturing, upbringing and education of children.

Oral health is important to your appearance and sense of well-being, but is also very important to your overall health.  Poor oral health can affect your self-esteem, it can also be linked to sleeping complications. Poor oral health can affect your ability to chew and digest food properly. Proper nutrition helps build strong teeth and gums and helps you fight diseases and promote healing.

  • Mark it on your calendars Sept 8th/2013 is National Grandparents Day?
  • Grandparents day always falls on the first Sunday after labour day.
  • The official flower of the day is the forget-me-not.
  • In the U.S. the Average age of grandparents is 48 and more than half are Baby Boomers.
  • According to a 2001 Statistics Canada Report, there are 5.67 million Grandparents in Canada and they each average 5 grandchildren.
  • Grandparents are a wealth of knowledge, and it is very important that our children understand who they are and where they come from.

What is the D.E.A.R Project?

Posted on August 15, 2013

Did you know that Dr. Archer is doing amazing groundbreaking work? Dr. Archer has put in countless hours and research and has received a federal grant from the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP)  for her work in the community based project called –  D.E.A.R. – Dental Elder Abuse Response Project.  The D.E.A.R. Project has 3 goals:

  1. To make seniors, substitute decision makers, family and supporters, dentists and clinicians think about “dental elder abuse” – often for the first time – and have both awareness raised and about the fact that they should be making practical plans about this often hidden or not-thought-of issue
  2. To support people in making advanced plans around dentistry and oral health – reducing the chance of financial elder abuse or physical neglect around dentistry in later life
  3. To bring dentists in the field of elder abuse awareness and prevention for the first time by creating a successful replicable project which can be brought to scale in other public and private clinics across Canada. This goal also includes creating a network of certified dentists concerned about elder abuse, through leveraging the National Initiative of Care of the Elderly (NICE Network’s) ability to create a new “Dental Theme Team”

The program will provide seniors and others supporting them with a better understanding and awareness of elder abuse issues, including financial abuse and will support:

  • Seniors in preventing, recognizing and responding to elder abuse
  • Seniors to develop training skills relating to elder abuse awareness
  • Caregivers, substitute decision-makers, family, friends and other persons who support seniors to recognize, report and avoid elder abuse, particularly regarding the intersection of dental health and elder abuse and neglect
  • Dentists who, as a group, have been very difficult to connect with on this issue.

This is extremely important work and once again she is leading the pack in innovative patient centered care! This project will benefit seniors in the Runnymede Clinic community and others who support seniors in various ways such as substitute decision-makers and caregivers.

Health Council of Canada named Runnymede Dental Centre an Innovative Practice

Posted on August 14, 2013

Please select the following link to visit  the Health Council of Canada website and learn more about how the Runnymede Dental Centre was awarded for innovation in dentistry by the Health Council of Canada and to read our publication: All – Access Dentistry: Specialized Geriatric Dental Services.