BDSc (Melb), LDS, General Dentist
Dr Alexander R Down is a male General Dentist.
Dr Alex Down completed his dental degree at the University of Melbourne in 1980. He then worked as a dentist for NT Health in Darwin from 1981 to 1985. This involved providing comprehensive treatment to private and public patients, and allowed Dr Down to develop his skills without the commercial pressures of private practice.
At this time Dr Down also travelled to each of a number of remote aboriginal communities monthly for two to five days at a time. These included Pularumpi and Milikapiti on Melville Island, Oenpelli and Maningrida. Working without the aid of things like X-ray machines and in non-air-conditioned conditions with some temperature-sensitive materials made this work a lot more challenging! He also did a number of trips on the NT Health Dental Bus, which had annual visits to the small towns and cattle stations between Katherine, Tennant Creek and pretty much from the Queensland to the WA border for about three weeks at a time. Being annual visits he had to try to ensure that patients were going to be free of dental problems for 12 months.
Dr Down started working part time in his father’s practice in Dandenong in 1986 while also working part time at two other practices.
In 1992/93 he completed his Graduate Diploma of Clinical Dentistry at the University of Melbourne, working part time and studying part time. His study focussed particularly on crown and bridge work, where he was introduced to implant dentistry which was still in its infancy.
As his father gradually retired Dr Down gradually took over the practice and this process was completed in 1995. Since then he has been working in the same premises as a solo practitioner.
