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And then?
And then? Well, and then it isn’t someone else’s problem when it’s my problem. I’m probably like a lot of you in that I pay lip service to issues that don’t affect me personally. I don’t have a serious, life threatening disease, but I can sympathize with those who do. I’ve never really been poor, but I can—sort of—understand the plight of people who struggle to make ends meet. I’ve got a head full of examples of things I can comprehend but have never dealt with in my life. And then?
Well, and then a Belleville orthodontist was recently accused of a host of sex-related crimes, which include possession of child pornography, voyeurism and inappropriately videotaping patients in his care. And then? And then it became personal. Dr. Anthony Garry Solomon was the orthodontist who operated a practice on North Front Street in Belleville for many years. Quinte area dentists often referred their patients to Dr. Solomon for orthodontic care. It was Dr. Solomon who treated our youngest child in the late 1990s. We’d never had to deal with an orthodontist with our other children. Our family dentist at the time was more than happy to have LOML or I sit in his treatment areas when any of our children had an appointment with him. And, occasionally, we did sit in on a cleaning or examination. We trusted his referral to the specialist when our youngest presented with complicated orthodontic concerns. To be honest, Dr. Solomon never made any of us feel at ease in his presence. There was something about him that left LOML and I angry whenever we took our youngest to an appointment. And then? Well, at this point we don’t know if our daughter, or for that matter LOML and I, were victims of his videotaping. It’s difficult to think that our child might have been alone in his care, even for brief moments, while abuse was taking place. He was touted as being the best in his field. We wanted the best for our child.
Our young daughter was in the care of someone we knew and who was well known in the community. Our daughter was in the care of someone who created an atmosphere of caring and concern. Perhaps we should have gone with our gut feelings. On two occasions, without consulting us or getting our permission, radical and unnecessary treatments were used on our daughter. When we questioned him, he became very aggressive and suggested we weren’t in any position to ask. Quite simply put, he was the specialist and we were only the parents. If we didn’t like what he did, we could try to find another doctor. Did we miss the cues? And now? Well, and now we’ve spent sleepless nights worrying about our daughter. She was a child in the care of someone we trusted.
Dr. Solomon was arrested on July 12 at his home in Toronto. He will appear in Belleville court on August 17, 2017. If you have any information, or concerns, please contact Detective Darrell Hatfield at 613.966.0882 Ext. 2315.
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