Building Renewal

Central to the Defy Gravity Campaign is Building Renewal. Renovations to our clinics and teaching spaces are essential. If we are to remain the number one ranked dental school in Canada, continue to teach the dental professionals of the future, and, care for the 15,000 patients the Faculty serves each year, we need to adapt and improve. We have a nearly 150-year legacy of excellence in research, education, and patient care. A key priority in the Defy Gravity Campaign is a focus on upgrading several essential spaces. Some have already been completed and others are in planning. 

If you wish to make a donation that helps support the Faculty’s infrastructure please visit our online giving page or, for gifts of $25,000 or more, please contact selina.esteves@dentistry.utoronto.ca. Opportunities to name operatories, clinics and related labs and spaces are available. 

777 Bay Street

The satellite clinic is home to DDS 3 and DDS 4 students as well as some specialty training clinics. This 15,000 square foot clinic houses 41 fully enclosed operatories, providing beautiful and modernized spaces for student training and patient care. Glass walls provide patients with greater privacy, but also allow instructors to observe if they are not required in the space.  

Pre-clinical Simulation Lab, Lab 4

The simulation lab is set up to simulate a dental operatory so first and second year DDS students can develop skills to be performed in clinic on live patients. The delivery unit is identical to those found in the dental clinics at the Faculty so there is a seamlessness to practice and learning.  

The simulator has a manikin head attached, into which fits a typodont that contains plastic teeth. The units will be self-contained, ambidextrous, have basic handpieces and suction. They will have an overhead light, computer screen and full access to the clinical management system. Associated operators stool and lab bench are also part of the set up. One training station with full overhead audio visual is part of the space to allow for demonstration purposes.

Here, students can study, practice, and repeat techniques as often as necessary in order to fine-tune their skills and optimize clinical outcomes. This allows them to build their confidence and competence before using those skills in the patient clinic in later years.  

Clinic 2

The largest of the clinics at the Faculty of Dentistry, Clinic 2 will be the heartbeat of the clinical operations at the Faculty. Plans for a mix of both open and closed operatories will ensure the continuation of study and practice.  At least 60 new operatories are planned with modern design and equipment to mirror what students will experience after graduation in private practice. Many of the 15,000 patients that come to the Faculty experience treatment in Clinic 2.  Major renovations have not taken place since the late 1950’s and upgrades, made even more urgent by the pandemic, are critical to the Faculty’s teaching and patient care mission.  

Patient Lobby

Part of the Clinic 2 renovation, a new patient reception space is envisioned to provide an accessible and welcoming entrance to the Faculty. We are the doorstep to U of T for 15,000 patients. It is only fitting that we greet them in an environment that puts them at ease, facilitates positive experiences with their doctors and our staff. Part of this project includes consultation rooms and a prevention education space. 

Auditorium

The Faculty's only auditorium hosts hundreds of events per year. It is a hub for many activities, including alumni and friends' symposiums, exams, the graduate student Research Day, lectures, Student Vendor Fairs, and various other events and celebrations. 

Research Spaces

We have re-envisioned our square footage and reinvested in our intentionally-renowned research program. This was a direct response to today's educational, clinical and research climate. The renewal of our research spaces, through the support of government, our generous donors and innovative leadership, is helping our Faculty to capitalize n its own potential and allows us to sustain excellence.