Dr. Stephane Lefebvre was curious about the dental profession from a young age. He asked his family dentist, Dr. Ken Clark, a lot of questions when he visited. In Grade 11, Lefebvre researched tooth decay for his high school science fair project. “Plaque Attack: The Science Behind Tooth Decay” won a “Best of Fair” award at the Lambton County Science Fair, and Lefebvre went on to represent Lambton County at the Canada-wide Science Fair. “I went all out. Dr. Clark provided me with some extracted teeth,” shares Dr. Lefebvre. “I put them in test tubes with different amounts of sugar to see how they would decay. One of my teachers helped me get high-quality images of the teeth and lab work to show the amount of bacteria on the teeth.”
Encouraged by Dr. Clark, Lefebvre attended University of Western Ontario’s School of Dentistry in London and completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery in 2003. He returned to Sarnia and began practicing dentistry alongside his mentor. “Eighteen of Dr. Clark’s patients went on to become dentists. He was passionate about what he did and that was contagious.” They worked together for several years before Lefebvre bought the practice in 2015 when Dr. Clark retired. “Dr. Clark didn’t refer much out because he knew how to do almost everything, and I was excited to learn it all. That’s my philosophy too because if we can offer everything in one place, it’s much more convenient for our clients.”
In 2018, Lefebvre decided to tear down the old wartime house, where the practice had been located since 1970. “It wasn’t uncommon for me to finish with a patient and then pop downstairs to fix a leak. The house also wasn’t accessible, so I decided to tear it down and build an accessible, state-of-the-art dentistry office.” When the contractors broke ground, they hit the water table, which required the building to be raised up. “We installed a heated wheelchair ramp to ensure accessibility and included lots of large windows throughout the office and operatories because natural light is very calming.”
Lefebvre works with patients of all ages and has the team, skills, and experience to address the specific needs they have. “We want to provide the highest level of care and services, and we use the latest technology and treatments to ensure that.” Lefebvre’s mission is to have fun and exceed patient’s expectations. “We want to surpass expectations in terms of quality of care and dental work, but we also want to be thoughtful and personal.” Lefebvre does both general and cosmetic dentistry, including dental implant surgery, surgical extractions, orthodontics, dentures, and oral sedation.
Life has come full circle, and Lefebvre is now mentoring his first young dentist. “I want to make a difference in someone’s life, whether it’s by making someone healthier or by giving them a nicer smile or by inspiring someone to study dentistry.” Lefebvre is excited for the next chapter as his practice becomes Northgate Dentistry, located at 543 Exmouth Street, which reflects their location and community.