A 1988 graduate of Queen’s University, Belfast, Dr Ian Harper arrived in Australia in 2001 and made his home in Ballarat.

Ian’s standpoint is to always remember that he is dealing with a unique human being who may be highly apprehensive and could find a necessary dental procedure difficult or uncomfortable. His approach is one of understanding:

“Walking through the door always requires a commitment from my patient and I will do my best to honour that commitment by giving my best advice and best standard of treatment… I am not a head-in-the-clouds purist and I will not promise something that is impossible to deliver, but I will make you two promises: that I will treat you to the best of my ability and that I will make it as comfortable for you as I can”.

The main focus in Ian’s practice relates to restoring function where, often, it may have been missing for years, preventing the breakdown of existing dental function through careful preventive treatment and advice, and the realignment of crowded or crooked teeth in adults and teenagers through orthodontics.

Ian has always taken the view that there is no substitute for knowledge and that, as a general dentist, this requires a thorough understanding of every aspect of dentistry. He also brings a focus on constantly updating that knowledge with each new advance in the field.