Matt gained a Bachelor of Science from Canterbury in 1991, and later qualified as a dentist from Otago in 1994. After working as a house surgeon at the Hutt Hospital, and as a dentist in Kent, England, Matt returned to Otago to gain his Masters in Dental Surgery. Matt was awarded distinction for his Masters in Orthodontics.
In addition to his private orthodontic practice, Matt has worked at the Hutt Hospital since 2004 on the maxillofacial team and the cleft palate team. He has a special interest in presurgical treatment of cleft palate babies. Matt has recently been appointed Chair of the Maxillofacial team at the Hutt Hospital.