Darren’s path into dentistry began as a dental assistant, where he trained for four years under the mentorship of the late founder of Holistic Dental, Dr Paul Simon Soon. He went on to graduate with Honours from the University of Melbourne in 2011 and passed the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons exams to gain membership in 2015.
Darren believes in treating the root cause of dental problems (pun intended) rather than patching up symptoms, with a focus on long-term oral health.
Noteable Training and Experience
- Residency at the Pankey Institute (Florida, USA) in prosthodontics and occlusion: how teeth, jaw, joints and muscles work together (2012)
- Membership of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (2015)
- Clinical teacher in endodontics (root canal treatment) for postgraduate students at the University of Melbourne (2016-2017)
- Intensive implant and sinus lift surgical training in Colombia and University of Miami (2017)
- Intensive implant surgery and wisdom tooth removal training in USA and Mexico with one of the top surgeons from South Korea (2022)
- Annual dental volunteering and charity work with a Buddhist organisation in rural Indonesia since 2023. He works alongside other doctors, dentists and allied health professionals to perform surgeries and dental treatment for the underserviced and disadvantaged people of central rural Java.
Professional areas of interest: Implant surgeries and ceramic prosthetics, root canal treatment and emergency pain management.
Outside the clinic, Darren stays active with tennis, pickleball, calisthenics and cycling. He’s a retired motorsport enthusiast but still tinkers and tracks his own modified sports car on occasion. These days he is a much more passionate cook and food traveller enjoying the best cuisine from around the world. He wants his patients to be able to enjoy good food for life, with their healthy, beautiful and pain-free teeth.
