Impacting Dental Care in Northern Ontario

As a 2012 recipient of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Kent Floreani, DDS '92, is more than living up to the honour.

A dental practitioner and businessman in Sault Ste Marie, Dr. Floreani is known for going the extra mile for his patients, customers and the community.

The recent addition of a new cone-beam CT Scanner - a first in Northern Ontario - is one in a long line of innovations he has helped bring forward benefitting the people in his community.

Working together with a small group of five colleagues, Dr. Floreani invested in the new equipment. In the short time it has been available he has already seen a benefit to his patients and is able to better provide treatment plans. "The cone-beam CT scanner has been an eye opener for me. Treating patients for 20 years and now seeing in 3D, I am astonished," he said.

When it came time for training on the technology, Dr. Floreani returned to his alma mater for a continuing education course. A strong believer in continued education, he puts in about 90 hours of training a year. It's just one of the ways he remains connected to Schulich Dentistry since his graduation in 1992.

Encouraged by his father, Dr. Floreani came to Western to pursue Dentistry. Although several options were open to him, Western was his first choice.

After a few years in practice, he returned to Schulich Dentistry for his Master of Clinical Dentistry. A love of the outdoors and all it has to offer brought Dr. Floreani and his wife Francine back to the north, where they established his orthodontic practice.

An innovator at heart, Dr. Floreani likes the challenge that peak performance takes. His patients and employees benefit from his commitment and so does the community at large.

He currently volunteers with the Dental Society, the Searchmont Ski Association Board and his church. And when he isn't busy, he works alongside his wife on their new Honda Dealership - yet another challenge that keeps him motivated.

Spend a few minutes with Dr. Floreani, and you are sure to catch his enthusiasm. "I feel alive," he said when talking about his many endeavours!