A busy and enjoyable period followed. While studying dentistry at Queens University Belfast, Brian accumulated 126 hours of flight training with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserves. Although tempted to pursue every boy’s dream to become a fighter pilot, Brian graduated as a dentist in 1988.

Starting his professional career in hospital-based oral surgery, both a strong sense of adventure and an equally strong desire not to work in the UK’s NHS led Dr Johnston to take time out to travel the world. These travels led him to Australia where he fell in love with the country and the dentistry.

After a short stint back in the UK in General Practice, Dr Johnston returned permanently to Australia in early 1999. Based in Melbourne, a locum opportunity led him to Ballarat and, you could say, that locum never ended!

Initially, Dr Johnston joined the Ballarat dental practice of Dr Don and Anne Stewart, soon becoming a practice partner and dedicating 10 years to the clinic before establishing Dentistry@Ballarat and the Ballarat Implant Centre in 2011 with friend and fellow countryman, Dr Ian Harper.

Dentistry@Ballarat and the Ballarat Implant Centre grew exponentially, becoming one of Ballarat’s premier dental practices. By 2018 the busy clinic lacked space. The amicable decision, to dissolve the partnership and establish independent practices, was made.

Face & Smile: Ballarat Digital Smile Design® Clinic

Today, Dr Johnston has established his latest practice, Face & Smile, to pursue his keen interest in cosmetic, implant and reconstructive dentistry combined with his philosophy that all treatment involving the smile should be facially driven and planned from the outside, in.

He has purpose-built his latest clinic at 602 Mair Street, Ballarat, as a fully facially-driven treatment-planning centre. In many ways it’s the dental equivalent of an architecture and engineering centre. Face & Smile is an official Digital Smile Design® clinic; one of only a few in the world. Dr Johnston himself holds DSD Master status, again only held by a handful of dentists in Australia and the world.

Dentists who are DSD Masters are passionate about what they do. They’re perfectionists in their craft and place a strong emphasis on high-level planning, allowing you, the patient, to be a co-author of your treatment and new smile design. DSD Masters begin with the end in mind and know exactly where they’re going – because, after all, if you don’t know where you’re going there’s a reasonable chance you won’t get there!

Ballarat All-On-4® Malo Clinic: Face & Smile

Additionally, Dr Johnston is a MALO CLINIC certified dentist, with a special interest in performing restorative All-on-4® Protocol surgery for patients seeking a better alternative to dentures for their missing teeth.

Trained and mentored, in person, by Professor Paulo Malo; the world-recognised inventor of the All-on-4® treatment protocol and other innovative dental techniques, in Lisbon, Portugal, at MALO CLINIC headquarters, Dr Johnston is a highly sought-after Australian-based practitioner in the MALO CLINIC All-on-4® treatment solution.

Having successfully performed over 150 All-on-4® surgical cases, placed more than 2000 dental implants, and performed hundreds of bone grafts, Dr Johnston is at the forefront of implant dentistry experience and innovation in Australia. Face & Smile is an accredited MALO CLINIC, proudly partnering with the world-leading creators of the All-on-4® MALO CLINIC treatment protocol.

Lastly, Dr Johnston continues to maintain his practice at 212 Drummond Street North, Ballarat, for all aspects of General Family Dentistry and to provide a surgical facility for sedation services, and minor oral and implant surgery.

Associations & Teaching

Dr Johnston is a member of the Australian Dental Association and the Australian Osseointegration Society.

A faculty member of the Brener Implant Institute in Sydney, Dr Johnston has taught both surgical and restorative implant dentistry to other dentists.

He’s also lectured locally and internationally in Digital Smile Design® to help dentists across the globe understand the advantages of this amazing treatment-planning concept.

Dr Johnston has thousands of hours of post-graduate education, gathered over 30 years of experience both locally and overseas, and brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to treat patients in Ballarat and regional Victoria.