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(Continued from page 1) recently elected to represent Haltonâ€" Peel on the Royal College of Dental Surgeons, the provincial licensing body. “'Mac” has been practicing den- tistry in this town since his gradua- tion from U. of T. in 1963. “One of these day, I’m going to have to stop practicing â€" and get down to business,” he said, tongue planted finnly in clieek. He’s had three different offices here in town; the first was on Sheddon Street in a then-new mediâ€" cal building near the hospital. That was a big year for the Etobicoke native â€" he graduated, set-up a solo practice, and married his high school sweetheart in one fell swoop. Though his dad was a dentist, and his sister became a dentist too, Mac was hesitant as a boy to get into the profession. He was mechanical- ly-minded, and he enjoyed tinkering in his father’s dental lab, but he had some serious doubts about his own intellectual powers. Still, when the opportunity came along to enter the dentistry program, he decided to give it a shot - found he had the smarts, after all. “It’s not necessarily the brainy ones who do well in this profession- al,” the modest Balfour quipped. Naturally, a dentist must have a certain amount of manual dexterity, he added, but interpersonal skills are probably the most crucial elements to Success. “Dentistry is very much a people business, requiring all the people skills. Good communications are key,” he pointed out. Plenty has changed in dentistry in his 32-year career, he explained patiently, “Materials have improved dramatically, anesthetics are better, needles are thinner and smaller. We have lots of things to help people 1 with anxiety.” (You don’t say?) “Reallyf’ he said, “it’s not that bad going to the dentist anymore.” When Balfour came to Oakville in the 603, it was a golden era in dentistry; the world was his oyster. Oakville has been good to him. With his wife, Mac has raised three chil- dren, sailed, and acquired a cottage up north â€" all this on a four-day work week. (He is, however, the first dentist I’ve met who does not golfl I digress.) “Nearly everyone in my graduat- ing class went into solo practice,” the seasoned dentist said. “Only a few partnered up.” It’s a lot tougher for young den- tists to get set-up these days and build up a clientele. Balfour admitâ€" ted to an “over-supply” in his pro- fession, so that’s pan of the probâ€" lem. Expense is another obstacle. “Unless you can buy an existing practice, it’s almost impossible for a young dentist to setâ€"up solo. Too expensive. And there is no guarantee people will come through the door.” n This explains why most graduat- ing dentists form partnerships and associations in setting up their first practice. And why there is so much more advertising and promotion going on. Dentists walk the fine line between small business people and healthcare professionals, said Balfour. For his own part, he has been CANADA’S SLEEP GALLERY - YOUR ONE-STOP SIMMONS HEADQUARTERS active in voluntary professional groups almost since his graduation. In 1977, he was president of the Haltonâ€"Peel Dental Association; in 1978 to 1981, he presided over the Oakville Dental Society. He was heavily involved at Oakvilleâ€" Trafalgar Memorial Hospital in the early 1980s, setting up the dental room there, and acting as head of the service from 1981 to 1984. Balfour was president of the Ontario Dental Association in 1989/90, as part of a four-year com- mitment to upper management. He is proud of the work he did in Mano 2230.. 0505 mmgmmz 5.2302 OIczOIFr % $88 Or“ UCZU>m EMTâ€".20 >=AmZIm>Qm MON, THU, FRI 10-9 TUE-WED revamping the ‘mission statement’ and philosophical direction of the Association. From 1986 to 1993, the local dentist was actively involved as a governor on the Canadian Dental Association. Most recently, he was elected to the Royal College of Dental Surgeons, the provincial licensing body. In short, he has donated a great deal of time and energy. The obvious question, why? “I always felt,” he said, “it was kinda nice to give something back to the organization â€" for the opportuni- ty of being involved in the profes- sion. I think the benefit to me has 10-7 SATURDAY HOURS SUNDAY 1 1-5 DUNDA 1862 DUNDAS ST. SOUTH SIDE OF DUNDAS ST‘ BETWEEN 427 8‘ DIXIE iQUEENSWAY been the people I’ve met, the fraterâ€" nity that develops from these associâ€" ations.” “When you work in the kind of environmentl do,” he continued, “it’s fairly isolated â€" unlike physi- cians who meet at the hospital and talk over cases. Getting involved with the ODA and the CDA gave me an opportunity to rub shoulders with my confreres and keep up-toâ€" date with professional develop- ments.” So he’s never regretted his choice of career and he’d recommend it to anybody. VISA INTERAC DIRECT PAYMENT