About Dr. Matthew Anderson
October 20, 2017
Midwest Dental is welcoming Dr. Matthew Anderson to their office. Dr. Anderson joined the team at the Midwest Dental office located on Strathmoor Drive in Rockford in July 2017.
Dr. Anderson is no stranger to the community – born and raised in Rockford, he couldn’t wait to come back home and raise his family here. The Rockford roots run deep for Dr. Anderson. His parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and his brother all call Rockford home as well.
“It’s been really easy to come back to where I’m from and connect with the people here and get to know them,” he said. “I always knew I wanted to end up here.”
He loves everything about his bustling hometown. In his free time when he’s not spending time with his family, Dr. Anderson enjoys running 5Ks or golfing. People can often catch him at Sandy Hollow Golf Course, which he considers his home course. “Golf is one of the best things in Rockford,” he said.
Being back to enjoy the things he loves is especially great after spending several years away. After graduating from Boylan Catholic High School, Dr. Anderson attended Loras College in Dubuque, IA and received his Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry. It was there that he met his now wife Mary, who is from Chicago, during a class trip to Greece. They married while Dr. Anderson was in dental school and have two young children, a son and a daughter.
Dr. Anderson always knew he wanted to work in the medical field and after shadowing his childhood dentist, he knew he’d found his calling. “I found that the dentists I talked to were so positive about their work and their experiences,” he said. “Taking care of teeth was a good choice for me.”
He earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) degree from University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry. After dental school, Dr. Anderson completed a one-year General Practice Residency at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. The intensity of this residency equated to three years of experience in a dental practice.
“It’s sort of a sink or swim experience,” he said. “You’re thrown into it and you have to figure everything out. But the experiences I had from my residency were invaluable as I continued my career here in Rockford.”
Now providing care in his hometown, Dr. Anderson prides himself on connecting with patients and changing their perception of visiting the dentist.
“I try to be a calming presence for my patients,” he said. “I know a lot of people get anxious or nervous but I hope that the extra time I take to get to know patients and make sure they are comfortable will leave them with a different experience than they may have had in the past.”
Midwest Dental Rockford Northeast is open Monday through Friday with evening appointments available after 5:00 p.m. Dr. Anderson and the Midwest Dental team are now accepting new patients of all ages. They can be reached at (815) 226-0400 or online at midwest-dental.com/rockfordnortheast.