#313 Breaking Kayfabe — Alif Moosajee

What happens when a complaint over a scale and polish changes everything? For Alif Moosajee, a GDC investigation became the catalyst that transformed him from a dentist flying under the radar into the owner of Oakdale, one of Leicester's most distinctive private practices. 

This conversation charts his path from undergraduate struggles with imposter syndrome through the crucible of regulatory scrutiny to building a seven-surgery practice rooted in authentic patient care. 

Along the way, Alif shares hard-won insights about guided implantology, the perils of well poisoners, and why breaking kayfabe—wrestling's term for dropping the performance—might be the most honest thing you can do for your patients. It's a story about choosing growth over comfort, one calculated risk at a time.

In This Episode

00:01:00 - The Smiling Dentist origins

00:02:20 - Tony Robbins and the power of physiology

00:15:00 - Undergraduate struggles and fixed mindset

00:16:25 - The GDC complaint that changed everything

00:22:20 - Buying Oakdale practice

00:26:40 - Growing up in Slough and choosing dentistry 00:31:55 - Building the practice vision

00:35:20 - Firing the well poisoner

00:38:30 - Custodian of the vision

00:47:00 - The unmeasurable things that matter most

00:53:30 - Surprise and delight tactics

01:00:25 - Contentment versus ambition

01:06:00 - The Tony Robbins business mastery mistake

01:09:00 - Dark days in practice ownership

01:19:00 - Blackbox thinking

01:24:15 - Switching to fully guided implants

01:28:30 - Fantasy dinner party

01:33:55 - Last days and legacy

About Alif Moosajee

Alif Moosajee studied dentistry at Birmingham and owns Oakdale Dental in Leicester, a seven-surgery private practice where he focuses on implant dentistry and digital workflows. Known as "The Smiling Dentist" from his book published over a decade ago, Alif has built his practice around immediate implant protocols and fully guided surgery following early clinical challenges that reshaped his approach to risk management.