Our History
The story of our practice begins in 1960, when Dr. Anderson first opened the doors to Downtown Dental in Fort Myers. Though his time in town was relatively short, he planted the seeds for what would eventually become a lifelong community staple. In 1976, a Navy dentist looking for a place to call home discovered the practice. That dentist was Dr. Billy Truax’s father, who purchased the practice and spent the next three decades building deep roots, earning the community’s trust, and establishing our signature, patient-first philosophy.
The next chapter unfolded in 2008 when Dr. Billy Truax joined the practice to work side-by-side with his father. After a couple of wonderful years practicing dentistry together, the torch was officially passed in 2010. Dr. Truax’s father retired, and Dr. Billy purchased the practice to carry on the family legacy. For over a decade, he proudly maintained that trusted, independent tradition as a solo practitioner.
In 2023, we embarked on our biggest milestone yet by building a brand-new, state-of-the-art office space designed to elevate our patient care. With this larger space, we were thrilled to welcome Dr. Evan McElroy to the team, bringing a fresh partnership to life as Truax & McElroy Downtown Dental. Today, even with a beautiful new facility and expanded team, we haven’t lost sight of who we are. We remain your local, down-home, “mom-and-pop” style dental office, where we are strictly dedicated to treating every single patient who walks through our doors just like family.