Amy Taylor’s connection to Holland Bloorview began through her experience as a foster parent. For more than 20 years, many of the children in her care accessed services at the hospital, giving her firsthand insight into the impact of family-centred care.
During this time, Amy built her career as a dental assistant while completing a diploma in child and youth work, deepening her commitment to supporting children and families.
In 2013, she began working in a residential setting with individuals with special needs, inspiring her to combine her expertise in dental care with her passion for helping children with disabilities. Since joining Holland Bloorview in 2020, Amy has brought together her clinical skills and child-centred approach to help ensure every child feels comfortable and supported.
“I’m proud to help make a really tough appointment go well, even for just one day, in hopes of better future dental visits.”
Read on to learn more about Amy:
Can you walk us through your role? What does a typical day look like?
I have a dual role as a dental assistant and administrator. As a dental assistant, I start each day with a smile and a positive attitude. I prepare the treatment room, review the schedule and assist the dentist during procedures, while ensuring each client and family has a positive experience. Behind the scenes, I make sure the dental equipment is functioning, check the inventory, coordinate client lab case arrival and bookings, and maintain standard procedures for sterilization protocol and infection control.
In my administrative role, I support the team with typical admin tasks as needed such as booking appointments, answering calls, processing payments and mailing.
Is there a particular moment that stands out when you saw the impact of your work on a client or family?
Absolutely. I remember a child’s first dental visit, where we needed to take x-rays and photographic records, which can feel very invasive. While his mother stayed close throughout the appointment, she shared that her child doesn’t usually warm up to people quickly, but he felt comfortable with me. He left smiling, and we even shared a high-five. Moments like these are incredibly meaningful.
What are some of the biggest challenges in your role, and how do you navigate them?
Balancing my responsibilities with committees while fulfilling my duties as an assistant can be challenging. I do my best to stay organized and attend meetings when possible so I can manage both aspects of my role effectively.
How do you collaborate with other teams to support clients and families?
We work closely with the Extensive Needs Service (ENS) team to support clients with more complex behavioural needs. They provide one-on-one support during first dental visits, helping clients feel comfortable entering the building and navigating the appointment.
How have innovations or new approaches transformed care in dental services?
We’ve adopted more personalized approaches to accommodate to each client’s specific needs with sensory applications and therapeutic stabilizers. We have boosters to adapt height to our machines, weighted blankets, handheld sensory items that have a fun texture or vibrate and led colour strip lightening. We also have a ceiling projector and a screen with soothing music, realistic nature sounds and naturistic pictures to help ensure clients are as comfortable as possible during visits.
Our dental department is uniquely positioned to serve children and youth with extensive developmental, medical and behavioural needs. What does this approach mean to you?
Many of the families referred to our clinic have already made significant efforts to access dental care in the community but have encountered challenges. For these families, we can be a beacon of hope to finally provide dental care to their child in a way that meets their individual needs.
Our approach is rooted in compassion and understanding. Beyond treatment, we connect families with resources and community supports to help with home care, finances and other needs.
It’s rewarding to see the sense of confidence and reassurance families gain when they realize they have found a dental home where their child’s needs are understood and accommodated. And knowing that we can help lift that burden and become a trusted part of their care journey is what makes this work so meaningful.
What do you find most rewarding about working at Holland Bloorview?
The children are the most rewarding part of my work. I get to be creative, expressive and compassionate while helping solve difficult problems that can feel overwhelming for them and their families.
How do you stay motivated and continue to grow personally and professionally?
I stay motivated through my faith, I rely on prayer and my belief. I continue to grow by listening, observing and taking courses for ongoing learning.
Outside of work, what are some of your interests or hobbies?
I enjoy staying active through sports and have a passion for food and baking. I also love expressing myself creatively through art and dance, and I’ve recently started learning how to play the drums.
Learn more about Holland Bloorview's Dental Services
