BDS (Witwatersrand), MDent (Pros) (Witwatersrand), PGDipClinDent (Perio) (Otago), Specialist Prosthodontist
Dr Dennis A Shepherd is a male Specialist Prosthodontist.
I was raised in Durban, South Africa and finished my schooling at Durban Boys' High School in 1978. I studied Dentistry and graduated from the University of Witwatersrand with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 1989. Upon graduation as a specialist dentist I worked for the South African defence force at No 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria and in private practice from 1990-1996.
I have always participated in sports to a high level, including rowing and karate for which I achieved Natal and Transvaal colours. A highlight of this was representing the South African University Rowing team in a sports tour around Germany and eventually competing at Henley in the UK. The crews in which I rowed were South African champions in several different classes over the years, I even won a gold medal at the South African Olympics in 1983 (this is a discussion in itself).
These days I have eased back to recreation fishing, boating and kayaking and have been attending Pilates classes for three years. I enjoy spending time with my wife Kim (radiologist) and adult sons Christopher (dental house surgeon) and Alexander (final year Bachelor of Science degree). I also spend a lot of time walking my dog on the beach and kayaking at Ngunguru where I live next to the estuary.
I immigrated to New Zealand with my family in 1996 where I re-qualified with my NZDREX NZ Qualification in 1998. This NZDREX is a foreign graduate exam to the equivalent standard of New Zealand qualified dentist from the University of Otago. I briefly worked for White Cross in Dargaville before opening my own private practice in Whangarei in 1999. Since then I have obtained an additional post graduate qualification in Periodontics (gum disease) dip Clin Dent (Periodontics) 2005.
