Sydneysiders with a sweet tooth flock to Five Dockâs patisseries and cremerias, but now people with no cash to spare are going to a surgery on Ramsay St where smiles are fixed for free.
Dr Robert Aslan, 61, has done more than $250,000 worth of volunteer dental work for some of Sydneyâs most disadvantaged people since launching his St Anthony Dental practice on the saintâs feast day in June last year.
Each week refugees, domestic violence survivors, and people in rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addictions come through the Ramsay St doors to be welcomed by Dr Aslan and his caring team.
After close to four decades in the profession and feeling âextremely blessedâ in life, the father of three says St Anthony, the medieval Franciscan friar and patron saint of lost things, pestered him to follow a life-long calling to help the poor.
âI was making quite good money, and when I discussed it with my wife she said, âYou know youâll have to forgo that now, but if you feel driven to do this, then thatâs what you must do,ââ Dr Aslan explained.
âIt was a calling. I kept seeing St Anthony repeatedly, I would see him when I prayed and I felt he was saying stop and go out on your own. I never gave him much thought before this.
âAbout two weeks after I stopped work, my wife was diagnosed with a serious illness and I managed to have a year just to support her.
âSheâs cured now, and I believe itâs through St Anthony that I was able to be there for my wife at the time of her trials.â
Dr Robert says 40-50 per cent of his work is now dedicated to helping people who have acute and chronic oral disease, injury, pain or discomfort and canât afford dental treatment.
Heâd like to do more but needs donations and paying patients in order to make more volunteer work possible.
âIâm already losing money to run the surgery for my charity work but I donât mind that, Iâm happy just to earn my daily bread and I wonât ever stop,â he said.
âI really believe that money is the root of all evil and I donât want to store up all my treasure on Earth.
âJesus warns against in Matthewâs Gospel in the story about the rich farmer who decided to tear down his barns to build bigger ones for all his surplus food and things.
âIt gives me great satisfaction and itâs such a blessing to help people who really need it without mentioning money to them, especially when I hear their stories I think, âMy goodness, I canât imagine what I would be like going through that.â
âI used to go to Mass occasionally, sometimes confession. Iâd be happy to go to Mass every day now because itâs brought me closer to God and my faith has increased a million times since I started doing this.â
Dr Aslan takes referrals from the Australian Dental Health Foundation, the Rebuilding Smiles program for domestic violence survivors, the St Vincent de Paul Foundation and the Australian Dental Associationâs Filling the Gap program.
Kristy Greenhalgh, 43, was referred to Dr Robert through Rebuilding Smiles and will receive major treatment and a full top denture made for her for free.
She is so self-conscious about her many missing or damaged teeth that she hasnât smiled for a photo for years, including at her daughterâs engagement party.
âItâs been like this for 20 years and itâs just getting worse,â Ms Greenhalgh said.
âHalf of my teeth were knocked out of my face, and then because Iâm a smoker Iâm getting gum disease and more problems with them as I get older.
âMy daughter asked me why I never smile, why Iâm not the bubbly happy person in photos that I normally am.
âI just feel very awkward about it. Having this now sorted out will build up my self-esteem so much.
âDr Robert is awesome, he really is, with a great sense of humour. He makes me feel so comfortable and reassured that everythingâs going to be ok.â
Dr Aslan and his team plan to celebrate the first anniversary of their surgery with a feast day Mass and lunch at All Hallowsâ church on 13 June.
