Meet the Team
Thanks to a superb staff of dental assistants, hygienists and office support, Dr. Timothy Drake is privileged to serve your dental care needs. Together we stand ready to assist you in maintaining dental wholeness and health. Members of our dental team are selected for their training, dental experience, skills, and ability to be considerate care givers. We individualize our care to each patient’s specific needs and all participate in extensive continuing education to provide our patients with the ethical quality care!
BERKLEIGH - Registered Dental Assistant
Berkleigh is Dr. Drake's Lead Dental Assistant, and is celebrating her one year anniversary since joining our outstanding dental team. She started during the height of COVID-19 in June of 2020. Berkleigh has been an invaluable member of our team, and we're all so proud of her dedication to excellence and maintaining a COVID-19 safe environment for all of our patients, even those who are most vulnerable. She has a contagious smile, and really loves making sure everyone is relaxed, comfortable, and feel like you're with family.
Berkleigh's interest in becoming a dental assisting as a career was inspired by her extensive orthodontic treatment as a child. She had an impacted canine which required spending a lot of time at the dental clinic in order to try to get her teeth perfect. Throughout those years, she had some good and some not as pleasant experiences. Those experiences led her to follow the career path of a Dental Assistant so that she can help people feel relaxed and comfortable during their visits to the dental office. Berkleigh grew up here in Mitchell, and went to school for Dental Assisting in Watertown, South Dakota at Lake Area Technical Institute. Her overall goal is to help make patients feel at ease and their smiles brighter and healthier! In her spare time, Berkleigh enjoys relaxing outside and spending time with her family, friends and of course her fur-babies as well! She is looking forward to helping you achieve the smile of your dreams! We are ecstatic to have Berkleigh as an integral member of our dental team, and know that you will enjoy her bubbly personality and smile.
DR. TIMOTHY M. DRAKE - Doctor of Dental Surgery, Master Academy of General Dentistry
Dr. Drake is a native of Mitchell, South Dakota and a graduate of Mitchell Senior High. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of South Dakota with a major in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Philosophy. In 1981, Dr. Drake received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Loyola University School of Dentistry in Chicago. At Loyola, Dr. Drake participated in the Senior Honors program to receive extended training in Endodontics and Periodontal Surgery. Upon graduation, Dr. Drake established his practice in Mitchell and has been serving Mitchell and the surrounding areas for over 38 years.
Dr. Drake is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). Dr. Drake completed the requirements of the AGD to become a Master and received his Mastership Award from the Academy of General Dentistry at the AGD meeting in 2006. In order to accomplish this, Dr. Drake at that point, had completed 1100 hours of approved quality continuing education, and taken many written examinations as well. He is one of four dentists in the state of South Dakota to achieve this level of accreditation and one of 3000 dentists nationwide. Dr. Drake is also proud to be a member of the American Association of Endodontics, the American Dental Association, and the South Dakota Dental Association. He is also very proud to be the very first dentist to have ever completed more than 500 hours of continuing dental education at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. He is certified in Invisalign Orthodontic Treatment and ERA Implant placement and restoration.
Dr. Drake received his “Extreme Makeover Training,” at the University of Minnesota being the first dentist from South Dakota to complete the University’s Esthetic Dentistry Program Levels I and II and numerous Level III Modules. He has also received “Extreme Makeover Training,” at the School of Dental Medicine, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and the Medical University of South Carolina Dental School in Charlestown.
Beyond dentistry, Dr. enjoys spending time with his family, photography, snow skiing, snowboarding, waterskiing, motorcycles, trials bikes, playing with his dogs, and traveling, especially on his motorcycles. You can often find Dr. Drake out riding or volunteering his time while doing maintenance on the 'mountain' bike trails around Lake Mitchell. Dr. Drake spends a lot of time on the trails mowing, weed-eating, and removing fallen trees or debris to help keep the trails open so everyone can enjoy them.
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