Dental Leaders Podcast

In a special solo show this week, show host Prav sits down to talk broadly about practice growth and the techniques to achieve it.   He discusses why patients spend up to a couple of years considering whether to go ahead with big-ticket treatments and what systems clinics can implement to nurture potential patients over the long term.   He also reveals why most practices aren’t ready to scale when they think they are and discusses some of the low-hanging fruit owners can grab before upping their marketing spend.   Enjoy!                                                                      In This Episode 02.19 - Two questions 12.14 - Digital patient journeys and the buying cycle 25.14 - Follow-us and low-hanging fruit 36.47 - Marketing strategies 42.40 - Creating ambassadors 46.38 - Social media 50,42 - Team training 55.29 - Digital marketing About Prav Solanki Prav Solanki is an entrepreneur and dental marketer who has purchased, developed and exited a successful group of clinics. He is the director of The Fresh dental marketing and growth agency and founder of Leadflo—an advanced lead management system for dental practices.  

Since landing in London via Madrid and New York, Sandra Garcia Martin has made a name as one of cosmetic dentistry’s leading lights.   Sandra chats with Prav about the challenges of learning a new language to study dentistry, training with some of dentistry’s greatest in New York and why engaging with good causes should be on the curriculum for every clinician.   Enjoy! In This Episode 02.05 - Technics and artistry 11.50 - Cosmetics, composites and kudos 18.48 - Deciding on dentistry 26.34 - New York 32.51 - London 42.37 - Promotion and pricing 49.40 - Charity work 01.05.12 - Happiness and holidays 01.13.34 - Launching a course 01.22.55 - Women in dentistry 01.28.34 - Connecting with Sandra 01.30.34 - Blackbox thinking 01.36.12 - Fantasy dinner party 01.39.35 - Last days and legacy About Sandra Garcia Martin Sandra Garcia Martin graduated from Barcelona University in 2007. She completed master’s degrees in periodontology and dental implants and later in aesthetic dentistry at New York University. She has also trained with Larry Rosenthal and Mike Apa.   Sandra now practices in London, where she recently launched the Veneer School cosmetic dentistry course and online community.   

This week sees the return of dentist, educator and breakdancer extraordinaire Shiraz Khan.    Shiraz reveals how he almost chose a career in medicine before setting on dentistry. He describes starting on the first rung of the ladder as a receptionist and the joy of discovering he’d been accepted at dental school.   He also chats about family life, overcoming career challenges, and the inspiration behind his trademark sartorial elegance.   Enjoy!  In This Episode 01.11 - Backstory 09.32 - Discovering dentistry 13.48 - Break dancing 19.28 - Dental school 22.38 - First job and taking off 36.13 - Family life and work-life balance 58.35 - Fashion 01.04.41 - Teaching 01.08.10 - Blackbox thinking 01.11.00 - Last days and legacy About Shiraz Khan Shiraz graduated from Birmingham Dental School in 2013 and went on study restorative dentistry at Croydon University Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas.   He has won various awards, including Best Young Dentist 2017, Rising European Star in Dentistry 2018 and best restorative case at the Aesthetic Dentistry Awards 2019. Shiraz has also won the Fast Track 4 award, recognising the profession’s future leaders.    He is director of the Young Dentist Academy and a prolific trainer and lecturer with IAS Academy, whose appearances include EXCIDA’s 75th national congress in Tehran, Iran. 

Alfonso Rao has never let the lack of a big plan get in the way of success. He’s the owner of a succsesful chain of clinics and Delta training academy—one of the UK’s leading implant training facilities.   Alfonso sits down for a chat with Prav about moving to the UK from his native Italy, his journey from associate to entrepreneur and how he is passing on his family’s medical heritage to the next generation.   In This Episode 01.00 - Background 06.33 - Coming to the UK 13.03 - First jobs 21.34 - Practice purchase and growth 31.43 - Teaching and Delta Academy 41.19 - Teaching Vs dentistry 44.42 - Children, family life and fatherhood 51.25 - Definition of success 55.08 - State of the profession 59.02 - Blackbox thinking 01.03.59 - Last days and legacy About Alfonso Rao Alfonso graduated from the University of Chieti in Italy in 2007 and moved to the UK in 2009, where he took up associate positions in London and Lincoln.   He is the owner of the Queens Square group of dental practices and Delta Academy, a leading centre of excellence for implantology and restorative training. 

Implantologist Katie Blake couldn’t have picked a better time to purchase her first practice.   Shortly after buying Cairn Brae dental practice in Witham, Essex, Katie and her husband Alex had their first child just in time for the COVID pandemic.   She sits down to chat with Payman about her implant journey, training with Malo in Portugal, life as a new mum and practice owner, and much more.   Enjoy! In This Episode 01.51 - Backstory 09.59 - Women in dentistry 14.05 - Surgery and implants 20.30 - Practice ownership & NHS to private 25.58 - Vision and processes 40.10 - Implant journey and inspiration 43.21- Building happy teams 47.16 - Blackbox thinking 56.38 - Finding associates 01.03.36 - Working within your competency 01.05.15 - Future plans 01.08.36 - Fantasy dinner party 01.10.41 - Last days and legacy About Katie Blake Katie Blake graduated from St Bartholomew and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry.   She has completed training in implant dentistry with the Eastman Institute and gained the MFDS in dental surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh.   Katie is the principal dentist at Cairn Brae Dental Practice in Witham, Essex.

This week, dentist and entrepreneur Loven Ganeswaran talks to Prav and Payman about his Chairsyde patient communication app. But it’s his impromptu hip-hop performance that really impresses!   Loven talks about the challenges of building teams, raising funds and balancing time between clinical work and running a successful start. Plus, he reveals why his busy schedule will never get in the way of making music.   Enjoy!     In This Episode 01.42 - Chairside and visual learning 16.19 - Purpose, passion and impact 26.47 - Building teams 33.49 - Equity and fundraising 54.03 - Hip-hop, impact and legacy 01.01.17 - Chairside  - pricing and platform 01.16.31 - The working week and sabbaticals 01.21.32 - Impact and performance 01.36.24 - Last days and legacy 01.39.43 - Fantasy dinner party About Loven Ganeswaran Loven Ganeswaran graduated from King’s College London in 2005 and went on to general practice in Oxford before becoming a partner and principal at Ascot-based Sunninghill   Dental Practice.   He is the founder and CEO of Chairsyde, an interactive patient communication app designed to help mitigate risk and boost case acceptance by explaining using simple, visual treatment explanations. 

Neil Gerrard got an early start in dentistry, helping out at his dad’s lab, where he first started making models aged just 13.   But after spending some time as a clinical dental technician, Neil enrolled in dental school to scratch his itch to work more closely with patients and see the fruits of his labour pay off first-hand.   And dentistry is still very much a family affair for Neil. He now practices alongside his wife and brother, who continues their dad’s CDT legacy.   Neil chats about how it all started, the origins of his hard work ethic and gives his perspective on technical and clinical dentistry drawn from his years of unique experience in both disciplines.   Enjoy! In This Episode 02.55 - Backstory and work ethic 12.39 - Switching to clinical 24.50 - Business culture and structure 31.57 - Team training and motivation 42.53 - Neil’s patients 52.55 - Clinical-technical tension and tech 01.05.50 - Guarantees 01.13.41 - Surprise and delight 01.19.21 - Black box thinking 01.26.47 - On employees and associates 01.39.54 - Charm Vs clinical skills 01.44.37 - Fantasy dinner party 01.47.39 - Last days and legacy About Neil Gerrard Neil Gerrard is a former clinical dental technician turned dentist and one of only a handful of UK dentists to hold British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (BACD) accreditation, for whom he is also an examiner.   Neil is the author of There is No Perfect Dentist—a consumer guide to choosing dental professionals.

If you’ve ever had the good luck of hearing one of Louis Mackenzie’s lectures, you’ll know you’re in for a treat: He’s one of the most engaging, entertaining and witty speakers on the circuit.   Louis sits down with Prav and Payman to talk about what it takes to spot and nurture exceptional talent. They also discuss the secrets behind treatment longevity and Louis’ role at Denplan, sharing plenty of groan-inducing dad jokes along the way!   Enjoy!     In This Episode 02.29 - Being an inspiration 06.04 - Talent spotting and training 12.25 - Specialising Vs generalism 14.37 - Treatment longevity 22.03 - The new generation 23.57 - Why dentistry and background 28.09 - Dental school 33.18 - Moral tension and motivation 48.21 - Bad decisions and black box thinking 57.23 - Leaving the NHS 01.04.15 - Denplan 01.14.18 - On stage 01.22.45 - Research and opinion leadership 01.36.03 - Fantasy dinner party 01.38.11 - Last days and legacy About Louis Mackenzie Louis Mackenzie is a GDP who practices in Selly, Birmingham.   He is a clinical tutor at the University of Birmingham’s School of Dentistry, where he lectures on conservative dentistry and oral pathology.   Louis is also a prolific lecturer and educator and often conducts training on behalf of dental insurers Denplan.

You wouldn’t know from it his calm demeanour, but Rajiv Ruwala is a busy guy.   Things have always been that way for Rajiv, who purchased his first practice with his sister Aneeka before starting his VT year and quickly grew the ailing three-chair practice into a successful seven-surgery clinic.   He’s since opened a second practice under the 2 Green Dental brand and is poised to open a third, just weeks after the arrival of his first child.   Rajiv talks about the ups and downs of his journey so far, reflecting on what defines success, building organisational culture, and much more.   Enjoy!  In This Episode 01.44 - Current practice and ownership 07.39 - Structure, management and culture 18.33 - Mindset and communication 26.44 - Why Rajiv loves clinical work 30.07 - Growth and marketing 37.00 - Brand positioning 40.44 - Plans and project management 45.38 - 2 Green Dental 52.06 - Keeping going 01.00.19 - Associates and the comfort zone 01.08.31 - Defining success 01.10.10 - Blackbox thinking 01.22.09 - Cultivating culture 01.31.39 - Last days and legacy 01.38.52 - Fantasy dinner party About Rajiv Ruwala Rajiv qualified from King’s College London in 2008 and joined his sister Aneeka in purchasing and running Croydon-based 2 Green Dental.   He earned a Postgraduate Certification for Dental Education from the University of Bedfordshire, acted as a clinical demonstrator at King’s College Dental Institute, and is now a foundation tutor with the London Deanery.   Rajiv is a prolific lecturer for the British Dental Association’s Squadron strategy on professional development and patient communication and has also addressed audiences on behalf of Invisalign and SmileFast. 

Payman takes a trip across the pond this week to chat with UK-born Upen Patel, who practices in Sacramento, California.   They explore the differences between UK and US healthcare, education and culture, and Upen chats about his experiences at some of the US’ top training academies.   Payman and Upen also talk about the challenges of funding dental school, Upen’s love of squash, and much more.   Enjoy!   In This Episode 01.24 - Moving to the US 05.58 - UK Vs US schooling 08.39 - Funds and finance 17.59 - Next steps 21.23 - US associates 24.38 - Coping with COVID 28.42 - Safety nets 31.34 - Practice purchase 33.12 - Specialisms 36.33 - The team and US models 44.08 - Postgraduate training 56.01 - Fees, pricing and positioning 01.05.43 - Black box thinking 01.19.19 - Missing the UK 01.21.33 - Squash 01.23.41 - Fantasy dinner party 01.24.27 - Last days and legacy  About Upen Patel Upen gained his DDS from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry in San Francisco, US, in 2005.   As one of the course’s youngest ever graduates, Upen earned the Outstanding Achievement Award from the university’s Academy of Restorative Dentistry.   Depen then completed a residency in advanced education in general dentistry at PACIFIC University, where he graduated as valedictorian with the highest honour in his class. He is now a member of the university’s faculty.   He is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry and a fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.