NSW Dentist | Issue 2 2026 |
Filling the Gap volunteer Dr Hany Gerges is one of the many hard working faces at the dental charity, and giving back part is part of his DNA.
The notion of helping others has been ingrained in Sydney dentist Dr Hany Gerges from a young age.
“The concept of charity and giving has been instilled in me by my parents and my church since childhood,” Dr Gerges said. “It was natural to continue this throughout my career.”
Dr Gerges is a dentist at The Dental Touch in West Pennant Hills. He attended the Filling the Gap clinics at ADA NSW in St Leonards a few times annually, sometimes with his dental assistant. Due to scheduling conflicts, they now prefer to adopt a patient and treat them at his dental clinic.
“I feel that us dentists are in a great position to make lasting positive changes to members of the community who have dental disease and cannot afford to have dental treatment,” he said.
“Volunteering not only makes a huge positive impact for the patients we’re helping, it also brings a sense of joy and accomplishment on the volunteers themselves.”
Dr Gerges graduated from The University of Sydney in 1996. He has been in private practice since then apart from a small stint in 2018 where he was a clinical educator for third year postgraduate dental students at The University of Sydney. He has owned his own practice for 25 years now.
Within Australia, Dr Gerges has been involved mainly with the Filling The Gap program and the Australian Dental Health Foundation (ADHF).
Occasionally, he would take on a patient from other charities, such as St Vincent de Paul society or the local churches.
Dr Gerges has completed a range of clinical treatment whilst he has been volunteering.
“Dental treatments that have been performed include restorative, extractions, dentures, endodontics, and on a couple of occasions crown and bridge,” he said.
“I remember a young man who was a refugee, he had four over-contoured anterior crowns performed overseas, causing him a lot of gum pain and bleeding.
“The only way to fix his issue was to replace the inadequate crowns and perform some necessary gingival surgery. This was probably the most complex of any of the pro bono treatments we have performed.”
He offers this advice for any other dentists considering becoming a volunteer for the profession.
“Volunteering your time and expertise will have huge benefits not only on those you are helping, but also on your mental wellbeing in addition to making great social and professional connections along the way.”
“So yes, just do it.”
