#324 Course Correction — Zaid Esmail

In this episode, orthodontist Zaid Esmail opens up about what really matters in patient care—and it's not just straight teeth. 

From calling every patient the week after fitting braces to navigating the tension between NHS pragmatism and private practice perfectionism, Zaid reveals why communication trumps technique every time. 

He shares the terrifying moment a patient swallowed a spring mid-treatment, the legal nightmare of inventing an orthodontic device, and why he built an online academy to teach GDPs the skills they're inevitably going to use anyway. 

Plus, there's an honest take on conference culture, overtreatment trends, and why he refuses to become the kind of orthodontist who needs cases to pay bills. 

Want 10% off Zaid's Online Orthodontic Academy course and mentorship? Use code DLPOD10 at https://onlineorthodonticacademy.co.uk/

In This Episode

00:01:20 - What makes a great orthodontist

00:06:25 - Why he'll never own a fully private practice

00:14:40 - From Iraq to Wales via dental school

00:28:00 - Teaching philosophy and the dangers of weekend courses

00:37:50 - Where GDPs go wrong with orthodontics

00:41:45 - Building the Online Orthodontic Academy

00:52:50 - Blackbox thinking

00:58:05 - Inventing the Eruptor device

01:16:45 - Conference culture and the problem with celebrity orthodontists

01:24:10 - Fantasy dinner party

01:27:10 - Last days and legacy

About Zaid Esmail

Zaid Esmail is an orthodontist working at Grosvenor House Orthodontic Practice in Tunbridge Wells, part of the Bupa Dental Care group. He runs the Online Orthodontic Academy, providing diploma-level training and case mentorship for dentists looking to incorporate orthodontics into their practice. Zaid also invented the Eruptor, a device for managing partially erupted teeth. 

Follow him on Instagram at @onlineorthoacademy and @zaid_mails.