By IVY ONG
He is hailed as the “dentist to the stars,†and he would blend in far more perfectly in his custom-made suits on the pages of a fashion magazine (rather than covered by scrubs, operating in a clinic). His dental center is also the most prestigious in the country. Still, Dr. Steve Mark Gan is so much more than that handsome face with a megawatt smile. He is a dedicated medical practitioner, one who has fought tooth and nail for his passions.
Dr. Steve Mark Gan, founder and president of the Gan Advanced Osseointegration Center (GAOC), built his practice on providing his patients with the best dental care and treatment possible. Ten years of education, training and further study in dental medicine brought him to the US and back home to the Philippines where he had always resolved to make a difference.
Upon entering the facility that is his brainchild, one would easily see that GAOC is immaculate, state-of-the-art. Its treatment facility at The Residences, Greenbelt is arguably the best dental center in the Philippines, equipped with the most advanced tools and machines for oral diagnostic procedures, oral surgery, dental implantology, jaw reconstruction and regular dental care.
GAOC follows a strict protocol of sterilization – it is the only dental treatment facility in the country that applies advanced and customized sterilization techniques for each dental tool used. The sterilization processes are performed in a dedicated room to ensure cleanliness and pre-operative sterilization procedures. Operations are held in a sterile environment.
“We’re very proud to be part of a benchmark,†he says of GAOC, which he launched in 2001. Today, a team of dentists with diverse specialties works in collaboration with Dr. Gan at GAOC.
“Our sterilization processes make sure we are germ-free. You don’t have to worry about HIV or spores or any infection or cross-contamination. People try to follow our lead and we’re very thankful because we believe in uplifting the industry, and in healthy competition. If more people are aware of dental education and progress, it’s good for everybody. Our primary focus and concern is world-class patient care.â€
Patients for life
Dr. Gan practices under one motto: patients for life. His specialty is prosthodontics, a dental specialty recognized by the American Dental Association as well as the Royal College of Dentists of Canada and the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. Prosthodontics deals with the treatment and rehabilitation of oral function, comfort, appearance and health of patients suffering from deficient teeth, or worse, disfigurement. The handsome dentist further sub-specializes in oral implantology and maxillofacial surgery, which is the only sub-specialty recognized by the American Dental Association for treating deformities in the head and neck region due to cancer, trauma or birth. To this day, he persists in undertaking continuing professional education in different parts of the world to upgrade his skillset.
Patients who have been with Dr. Gan since the beginning know the story of the old Binondo clinic with the third-hand dentist’s chair from his grandmother. He was obsessive-compulsive about sterilization, even then.
Dr. Gan clarifies all questions patiently. He will go over concerns again and again, every which way they are stated, until his patients are satisfied. You count yourself lucky to have had him personally work on you, not just because of his dental prowess, but also because he is an inspiration.
“It really was a big struggle,†Dr. Gan recalls. With only P3,000 to work with, he hoped to invest in state-of-the-art equipment for his patients. He had to run across Binondo to the bank after receiving every paycheck to ensure the checks he issued to slowly build GAOC didn’t bounce.
“It’s been a very, very long road and it’s still very hard. We try to compete internationally now. We want to be the best, we want to show them the Philippines is the best and that the Philippines is a force to reckon with.†The Royal Family of Brunei is among the patients of GAOC, as are senators, other dignitaries and celebrities. They chose a private practice in the Philippines over other nearby developed countries.
Dr. Gan is an iconoclast, the dentist who dared to change the game of dental medicine in the Philippines, the man who demands ever more from himself and provokes the same in his contemporaries, so that the country is now on the map of medical tourism. “Dentistry has a minimum standard, and that minimum standard is a high standard. It has to be an ‘A’ standard,†he declares.
All aboard
He is one of five members of the Board of Dentistry in the Philippine Regulation Commission. The board is responsible for regulating the dental profession and upholding best practices in dentistry. “We should at least try to achieve the same standards they have in first world countries like in North America and developed countries in Europe like Germany, Switzerland and France, and in Asia, Singapore,†he says.
“Being in the Board of Dentistry, the five of us do more than our fair share in pushing our fellow dentists in the country to continue with their professional education and development. Sad to say it’s not happening very soon. Some are following our way, but for the majority it’s all about cost.â€
In 2008, Dr. Gan was elected president of the Philippine Academy of Implant Dentistry. Some colleagues reportedly tried to impeach him, knowing he would demand change and more advancement in the industry’s practice. Dr. Gan admits he is “mayabang (proud).†He likes to say so himself. He also believes he may be a little bit crazy. Indeed he is both. He is a person who has to have some kind of grit to persist in fighting to change the industry’s ways for the better. Nothing seems to daunt him. Not the raised eyebrows of noted personalities when he attends first to ordinary, private individuals who were next in line to see him. Not the communities of less fortunate people lining up for treatment when he and GAOC conduct dental missions. Yet now, at the peak of his practice, Dr. Gan sometimes entertains thoughts of retiring. It was a fleeting moment, but at that time, he wished to have more time for his family. He has two little children: one boy and one girl.
“I want to spend time with my family,†Dr. Gan says. “I made a lot of sacrifices in my family life. I missed a lot of birthdays, Recognition Days, commencement exercises – my son is always first honor. I’ve missed it, but lately I’ve been attending. I try my best. I believe we’ve established something good here. My people are now mature enough to run things here. My parents are getting old, I need to spend more time with them.â€
If Dr. Gan does retire (not that the doctors at GAOC believe he will ever actually give up his practice), he wants to teach and pass on his expertise to future dental practitioners. But right now, Dr. Gan is in the dental industry to stay – and that gives many people more reasons to smile.
Editor’s note: This article was previously published in PeopleAsia’s December 2013 – January 2014 issue.
