a 5,000 square foot facility which houses three dentists and seven dental hygienists. Our neighbours operate a 2,000 square foot Medi Spa and while we’re separate tenants, we collaborate where we can.”
Dr. Makkar’s neighbourly duty goes beyond next door. His “Next Town Over” story is truly touching.
“The first time I went to the Dentist was in grade 11,” Dr. Makkar chuckled. “And I may have had one or two cavities,” he broke out in laughter. “It was in Bible Hill, a community just outside Truro, at Dr. Robert Rix’s Practice. He was very influential to me. He’s the one who told me, ‘Hey, you should do this; you’d enjoy this!’ and really got me thinking about dentistry. About six years ago, he actually passed away in an ATV accident. It was a real ‘Wow’ moment for everyone in the community. I remember going by his office and thinking, ‘This is where it all started for me because of that man.’ So we visited his wife and told her, ‘We want to buy this Practice.’ That’s our second Practice now. We’re carrying on his Dental legacy at Bible Hill Dental Practice. Every time I’m in there, it takes me back to grade 11. And the patients there are incredible – awesome, really. They’re an older crowd and they love to tell stories about Dr. Rix, Rob Rix, and how amazing he was. It always puts a smile on my face.” Several Victoria Court Dental employees split their time between the 510 Prince Street, Truro location and the 336 Pictou Road, Bible Hill location. “It’s only a 10 minute drive between locations and it’s a beautiful country around here,” Dr. Makkar proudly pointed out. “Dr. Yasser Issa is our full-time associate at the Bible Hill practice and he’s world class.”
the Practice. They’re always friendly and some of them have become like family. I’ve now been a practising dentist for about 26 years and I’ve practised my entire career in Truro, so you can understand how close my ties are to this community and its people.” “The people here are very innovative. They’re very open to the concept of collaboration here. Part of it is that we’re a small town, so everyone knows that their business is going to benefit in some way. But another part is that we like to reach out in this community. It’s part of our spirit.” Like a growing family, Dr. Makkar’s Practice has done its fair share of moving. He originally started a small Practice – just shy of 1200 square feet – in the TruroMall in 1989. “I was there for 10 years and then from1999 to 2005, I was in a place called Victoria Court, which is a strip mall in Downtown Truro. That location was around 1,400 square feet. In 2005, I developed
If you’ve up to this point formed the opinion that Dr.
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2017
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