Archive

Local dentist recognized for donating over $100,000 of free dental care

February 16, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

For someone who needed dental care but simply couldn’t afford it, a series of free dental care days, sponsored by Dr. Raj Khanuja of Headwaters Dental, provided some much-needed help.

Dr. Raj ran a day of free care at each of the eight dental clinics he operates in southern Ontario. At the end of the sessions, he and his staff had provided $104,000 worth of dental care. In the Orangeville clinic, free dental care day took place on Dec. 6.

The concept of doing a day of dental care started several years ago when Dr. Raj had a client who had to choose between getting her teeth fixed and buying hockey equipment for her son.

While he has colleagues who have donated time in foreign countries, Dr. Raj thought he could do some good by helping people who live in the same towns where he practices.

The free dental clinics do not require an application or proof that clients cannot pay. Anyone who has a need can receive dental care.

“We started doing this in 2012,” Dr. Raj explained. “We started doing it at one clinic at a time. If they need it, they come in. We don’t ask questions. For some people, the situation creates hardship for them. They can come in, no questions.”

Dr. Raj freely admits that he has been in the position that some of his clients are currently experiencing.

When he was a student in the U.S., he was down to his last few hundred dollars and living in his car while still going to classes.

“There was a time when I had only $200 on me, when I was studying in the States,” Dr. Raj explained. “I had a car that I was able to buy for under $1000, and I had one month before I was going to start my summer job. There was no other place to go, but to sleep in the car for a month. I was taking showers at the YMCA. It’s easy to get stuck in that kind of situation. It teaches you humility and not to judge others. Different things can happen for different reasons to different people. People shouldn’t have to choose between dental care and sports equipment.”

Since becoming a successful dentist, Dr. Raj has made an effort to help others who may be struggling or need some help. He said residents in Orangeville have embraced him and his clinic, and he wants to give back.

During the recent free dental day, he was able to help a family that was forced to leave their home in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion.

Arsen Bahdasarian, arrived in Canada in June of 2022. He had been working in Moscow in construction when the war broke out. Thankfully, his family, still living in Ukraine, are on the western side of the nation, away from the battlefront. However, their lives are still being interrupted by power shortages and other inconveniences.

When the invasion happened, he quickly made the decision to leave Moscow.

“When the war started, me and my family were very worried about the situation and we decided to leave Russia, and we did, in just a couple of days,” Arsen explained. “I just couldn’t work there. In my mind, how could I build houses for Russian people when they were destroying houses in Ukraine. My father and two older brothers are still there.”

Many of his co-workers were also from Ukraine, and had to leave Russia and their jobs behind.

Getting established in a new country, especially one you never thought you’d be going to, is difficult.

The free dental care is a way of helping those who have been suddenly displaced and find themselves in a new environment.

The free dental days provided a service to people who otherwise may not have been able to access proper dental care.

Readers Comments (0)