Fresh from the opening of her brand new squat practice, Martina Hodgson chats with Prav and Payman about the rationale behind opening a squat after years of successful ownership with Wakefield’s The Dental Studio. Martina also talks about her insatiable drive and ambition, being an Invisalign Diamond provider and why she teamed up with Andrea Ubhi to start the Inspiring Women in Dentistry event. In This Episode 02.04 - Backstory 05.42 - The squat and practice ownership 13.03 - Leadership style 1...
May 04, 2022•1 hr 36 min
Things have come a long way for Kailesh Solanki since he last joined his brother Prav for a chat on the podcast and talked about winding down his clinical hours to focus on business. So how are things going? Kailesh has been busy since his last podcast appearance, finalising an exit deal for his Manchester-based Kiss clinics that will see him staying on with the brand to open and develop ten new practices. Kailesh talks about his ambitions for Kiss, discusses the challenges of exit and reveals b...
Apr 27, 2022•1 hr 10 min
In 2017, Hannah Burrows and Jay Shah set out to solve a problem that takes up hours of dentists’ time and designed a platform to automate clinical note-taking. Some five years on and Kiroku is going from strength to strength. Jay and Hannah chat to Payman about the challenges of starting out and their vision for Kiroku’s for the future. Enjoy! In This Episode 01.20 - Kiroku 07.20 - Meeting and incubation 11.56 - Early days and getting feedback 17.07 - Dentistry Vs changing the world 20.42 - Infl...
Apr 21, 2022•1 hr 12 min
This week’s guest is the closest thing in dentistry to a media mogul. Ken Finlayson launched his first dental magazine in 1995, which quickly expanded to more than 20 digital and print titles under the FMC umbrella. Ken chats to Payman about how it all started, discusses the challenges of hosting and judging awards, Dentistry’s Top 50 List and much more. Enjoy! In This Episode 01.39 - Starting in publishing 04.00 - Backstory 08.36 - Dentistry Magazine 14.44 - Ruffling feathers 17.38 - Independen...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Adam Naughton is one of the thousands of dental students whose academic life was rudely interrupted by the COVID pandemic. In his fourth year of study, he’s yet to get hands-on with impressions, crowns, root canal and other treatments. But that hasn’t stopped Andrew from putting his name out there and finding his niche on social media early on. His Positive Smile Club Instagram channel pitches five questions on dentistry, mindset and self-development to both new and established names in the prof...
Apr 07, 2022•1 hr 17 min
We have the unpleasant smell of the farmyard to thank that Martin Wanendeya didn’t follow his early dream of becoming a vet. But the animals’ loss is dentistry’s gain: Since graduating from Bristol in 1995, Martin’s gone on to found one of the most recognised brands in dentistry and build a name as one of the most skilled implantologists in practice today. This week, Martin chats to Payman and Prav about his early days in Uganda, the shift in mindset it takes to become a leader in the field and ...
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 47 min
Last time we spoke with Dev Patel in February 2021, he let us in on big ambitions to change UK dentistry through M&As and modernising old practices with the growing Beauty Partners group. So how’s it going? In this week’s episode, Dev reveals what he’s been up to since his last chat with Payman. He talks about Beauty Partners’ first big M&A venture north of the capital, talks about the challenges of scaling for practices and corporates and tells payman what keeps him up at night. Enjoy! ...
Mar 24, 2022•1 hr 20 min
You wouldn’t know from chatting with Zain Rizvi that he used to be an average kid. While studying at King’s, Zain took top awards, was invited to advise government policymakers and started a side hustle giving dental hopefuls a taster of life in the profession. And he also found time to write and publish a book on what it takes to succeed at dental school. In this episode, Zain reflects on his achievements so far and reveals what’s next for one of dentistry’s brightest young things. “I want to b...
Mar 16, 2022•1 hr 23 min
Ashkan Pitchforth jokes that he’d like to be remembered as the biggest dentist in the UK — but he’s already well on his way to achieving the title in more than one sense. Since 2015, Ashkan’s established a dental empire incorporating more than 20 clinics and counting while still finding time to build the biggest biceps in the business. Ashkan discusses how physical training instils a focused business mindset, reveals the source of his interminable drive and fills Prav in on plans for the future....
Mar 09, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Farhan Ahmed says growing up in a Glasgow cornershop instilled an unstoppable work ethic. He’s come a long way since filling sacks of potatoes for dad. Farhan’s earned a name as one of the go-to clinicians for complex implant cases and is now one of the field’s most sought-after trainers and mentors. In this episode, Farhan reveals what motivates his restless drive, discusses the mindset required to be an outstanding clinician and tells why he now feels more unstoppable than ever. Enjoy! “I'm an...
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 27 min
Afsar Hussain is the first to admit that his grades weren’t the best when growing up in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. But a tough talk from mum and dad appears to have paid off — Afsar purchased his first practice just eight months into his VT year and has since grown the practice into one of South Yorkshire’s most successful. He chats about turning the practice around with a shift from NHS to private practice and reveals what it takes to become one of Europe’s few Invisalign Apex providers Enjoy!...
Feb 24, 2022•1 hr 8 min
When Alexandra arrived in the UK from Romania, she had no problem working her way up from the bottom. She took a role as a dental nurse before finding a position in a whitening clinic on Harley Street. But it was here that things took an unexpected turn, resulting in a four-year legal battle that made Alexandra ask profound questions about her place in the profession she loves. In this episode, Alexandra talks candidly about the experience and how it’s been the catalyst for exploring more colour...
Feb 16, 2022•1 hr 28 min
Jana Denzel says his work ethic was informed by his parents, who fled civil war in Sri Lanka to make a new life in London. He developed his marketing and social chops while running a fashion brand to fund study at dental school in Valencia. And, since graduation in 2019, he’s already made waves putting AI to use in radiography diagnosis while also finding the time to be named London’s Best Young Dentist. Jana explains how all the hard work is his way of proving himself to mum and dad (and how hi...
Feb 09, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Dentists are leaving the NHS in droves. In this week’s episode, Payman and Prav talk about what it takes to transition from the failing health service into private care. They chat about some of the training on offer to help dentists get to grips to meet private patients’ expectations, strategies for retaining and transitioning NHS patients, fixing literal and metaphorical cracks - and much more. There’s plenty for listeners who are already in the private sector, too. Prav and Payman go in-depth ...
Feb 03, 2022•1 hr 6 min
When Nicola Gore found her squat practice taking off, she found a novel way of staffing the booming clinic - by persuading her husband to become a dental therapist. She tells the whole story along with her heartbreaking decision to sell. And we’ll also hear how Nicola cut her teeth in the brutal make-or-break environment of a busy surgical ward before finally realising her dream of completing the MClinDent. Nicola lifts the lid on her best selling book Dentistry in a Nutshell, co-authored with l...
Jan 26, 2022•1 hr 37 min
A dentist who’s nervous about dental appointments; a prolific content creator and social star who professes to be a private person; and a high achiever who reckons she’s the failure of the family. It would be fair to describe Raabhia Maan as something of an enigma. Raabhia is perhaps best known as the social content creator who posts about everything from MRONJ to meditation. She chats about motherhood, buying a practice and her textbook Dentistry in a Nutshell, which she co-authored with previo...
Jan 19, 2022•1 hr 16 min
In the first podcast of 2022, we welcome composite king Matt Parsons to the show. Matt practices in the world’s composite capital, Liverpool, where a strong social presence has made him one of the city’s most in-demand dentists. Matt tells all about Liverpool life, dishing essential tips on composites, lifts the lid on his year in practice down under and reveals how an Instagram competition took his list to heady new heights almost overnight. Enjoy! “My friend Benji said to me one day: “I'm goin...
Jan 12, 2022•1 hr 35 min
This isn’t the first conversation with a guest that hails from a family of dentists. But for Tom-Crawford Clarke, the connection is more than just a hand-me-down: Tom’s grandparents, mum, dad, sisters, uncles and cousins have all been in the profession. As Tom looks back on a decade on dentistry, he chats with Payman about the pressures and pitfalls of working with relatives, his meteoric rise from VT to Harley Street and using social media to build a patient list. He also dishes out essential t...
Jan 05, 2022•1 hr 22 min
If you’re one of the many listeners wondering where Prav has been hiding, all will be revealed in this week’s episode. In this end-of-year special, Prav returns to let us know why the past three months have been the most stressful and intensive of his career. If you’re thinking of buying or selling a practice, or wondering how to start putting an exit strategy together, you won’t want to miss this one. Enjoy! “The best deal on the table is not the most money, the best deal on the table is the ri...
Dec 29, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Alan Burgin is perhaps best known by his Instagram alter-ego, The Cornish Dentist, whose informative how-tos have earned Alan an impressive follower count among fellow professionals. He sits down with Cardiff University alumni Payman to explain his journey to being one of the UK’s most promising young dentists and talks about life in Cornwall and early years in max-fax. Payman also puts Alan on the spot about rubber-dam placement, suturing and composites. Enjoy! “The majority of my career and pr...
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 24 min
General dentist Victoria Sampson followed her big sister Ariane into dentistry but each has since walked their own path through the profession. Ariane is an orthodontist, while Victoria is using the microbiome found in saliva to unite dentistry with general health. The pair talk about their shared journey, discuss their passions and assemble the unusual guestlist for a fantasy dinner party. Enjoy! “I want world bacterial peace. That would be the dream.” Victoria Sampson In This Episode 02.20 - B...
Dec 15, 2021•1 hr 20 min
No one could accuse Jenni Kabir of being anything but quick off the mark in finding success. She purchased her first practice just six months after finishing VT and was considering retirement by the time she hit her mid-20s. Jenny takes us through her impoverished upbringing in York, where she became a full-time young carer after her mother sustained life-changing injuries. She describes how she dealt with a shocking violation of trust from an associate, reveals why she often hesitates before tr...
Dec 09, 2021•1 hr 13 min
This week’s episode starts with a content warning: When brewing tea, Tej Mell pours the milk first. It’s just one of many tidbits the Yorkshire-based dentist lets us in on in a wide-ranging conversation covering everything from managing and motivating teams to the appreciation of clockwork and watches. Tej tells us about starting his journey into implant treatment and why the third time was a charm when it came to finding success as a practice owner. He also lifts the lid on his decision to stan...
Dec 01, 2021•1 hr 19 min
Almost fresh from dental school, this week’s guests are already sharing their work to help others learn. “We’re not teachers,” say Balraj (Bal) Sohal and Kris Vekaria, who set up the Kaizen learning resource to share what they love most. Kris and Bal let us in on how Kaizen came about and their plans for its future. The pair also talk about failed extractions, the pros and cons of learning on social media, meeting Maradona and more. Enjoy! “We're not really experts or trying to teach. We're just...
Nov 24, 2021•1 hr 8 min
In this week’s solo episode, Prav talks about one of his favourite topics: Context and congruency in marketing. Using real-life examples from his open practices, he explains why establishing context and congruency matter throughout the patient journey should be a priority. He also dispenses actionable advice on how teams can use this powerful marketing hack to improve conversions and enhance the patient experience. Enjoy! “It's all about communication that has context, and that is congruent with...
Nov 17, 2021•31 min
If you’ve been busy banking CPD hours, you may be familiar with this week’s guest. Jasmine Piran is a self-confessed course junkie who’s made a move from pupil to teacher. She lets us in on life as a lecturer and provides insight into how a psychology degree and NLP training have helped her understand and connect with nervous patients. Jasmine also lifts the lid on her time with celebrity dentist Uchenna Okoye, her interest in art and music, and more. Enjoy! “Isn't it a privilege that patients c...
Nov 11, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Here’s something you don’t find every day - a specialist orthodontist who’s still carrying out day-to-day cosmetic and restorative work. This week’s guest, Josh Rowley, explains how and why the two go together hand-in-hand and tells how a once-in-lifetime alignment of the stars saw him take an unorthodox route to early specialist status. Josh also lifts the lid on why he loves being an educator and lets us in on not one but two clinical errors that changed the way he does dentistry. “Teeth are s...
Nov 03, 2021•1 hr 35 min
Prav and Payman are finally reunited this week to welcome Dr Slaine McGrath to the show. Spending too much time in the dentist’s chair can be enough to put youngsters off dentistry for life. But the opposite is true for Slaine, who was inspired into the profession following a dental mishap early in life. Slaine talks about the pros and cons of being one of Insta’s most prominent dentists, how she landed a job at a top Harley Street clinic just two years after graduating. She also explains the ma...
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 6 min
The Great Escape with Geoff Stone “Follow your dreams,” says this week’s guest Geoff Stone - and no one could accuse him of failing to follow his own advice. In a tale with more twists and turns than the best of Dickens, Geoff tells how he turned his back on a lucrative banking career to make a name as one of dentistry’s best latecomers. There were highs, lows and more than a few crashes along the way. Hit play to hear one of our most inspirational conversations yet and find out if it was all wo...
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr 6 min
For Shazia Ahmed, the fight for justice runs in the blood. In this week’s episode, she tells how values of fairness were instilled from an early age and how that led to taking on a former employer at a tribunal. It also saw Shazia providing support on Facebook for thousands of dental professionals who were shortchanged during the COVID crisis. Shazia explains how the British Dental Action Group quickly grew far beyond its original scope, sets out her thoughts on NHS funding, contracts, reform an...
Oct 13, 2021•1 hr 9 min
