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Free treatments at 8th annual Dental Care Day at Headwaters Dental Centre

July 25, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Baker

Orangeville dentist Dr. Raj Khanuja is once again getting ready to “do some good” in his community. 

Operating out of Headwaters Dental Centre on Lakeview Court, Dr. Khanuja is preparing for his eighth annual Dental Care Day, where he opens his doors to some of the community’s most vulnerable residents. Taking place tomorrow (Friday, July 26), as many as 30 local residents will receive free dental treatment, on a first-come, first-served basis. 

“This is something that is very close to my heart,” Dr. Khanuja told the Citizen.

Since introducing Dental Care Day back in 2012, the program has served close to 150 area residents, with more than $65,000 of in-kind dentistry work carried out in Orangeville. While the initiative originated here, Dental Care Day has spread to other areas in recent years, with Dr. Khanuja introducing the program to his other dental centres in Brampton, Stoney Creek and Fergus. 

When asked what is was that inspired him to “do some good in his backyard” as Dr. Khanuja himself puts it, he recalled a time when, while working overseas, his perspective on community involvement and engagement changed completely. 

“I had an opportunity a number of years ago to travel to a developing country to help people and offer oral healthcare services to those that need them. Upon my return, I started to realize that a significant number of people who come into the office here with a spouse, or with children, often forego their oral health because of their commitment to their family and other things,” Dr. Khanuja explained.

“So I decided to launch this project right here in Orangeville in an effort to help those that need it. So far, it’s been a huge success,” he added.

Tomorrow, the clinic will be open to anyone in the community in need of dental treatment. Registration opens at 9 a.m. with patients accepted on a first-come first-served basis. Locals will be able to choose one of three procedures offered over the course of the day – a full dental cleaning, a tooth coloured filling, limited to one tooth per patient, or a simple tooth extraction, again limited to one tooth per patient. Registration will close at 10 a.m., with all treatments taking place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

“We are excited, as we are every year. This is a great program, and being able to see the difference we’re making, the people we’re able to help, it’s great,” Dr. Khanuja said. “We get a fantastic response each and every year.”

While Dental Care Day isn’t going anywhere under Dr. Khanuja’s watch, he admits to harbouring dreams of developing a regular monthly program that local residents could use to get the dental help they need on a more regular basis.

“That’s my dream – having a facility with regular hours where people can go to get the assistance they need, but can’t always afford,” Dr. Khanuja said. 

Headwaters Dental Centre is located at 170 Lakeview Court, Unit 3B. 

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