Dental Leaders Podcast

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.

After Mudasser Hussain discovered the transformational power of executive coaching, Mudasser Hussain decided to slim down his clinical hours to divide his time between dentistry and coaching.   In this week’s episode, Mudasser chats with Payman about his motivation for helping others through coaching and how his love of football is bringing the dental profession together on social media.   Mudasser and Payman also discuss the stresses and mental health challenges of being a practising dentist, the efficacy of professional bodies like the BDA, and much more.   Enjoy! In This Episode 01.20 - Social media and screen time 04.45 - Backstory 10.02 - Choosing dentistry 12.21 - Associates and principals 15.59 - First job and VT 20.00 - Benefits of coaching 34.56 - Mental health and stress 36.20 - Real-world examples 44.26 - Coaching - the nuts and bolts 50.36 - Blackbox thinking 59.25 - Chairside vs clinical skills and personality types 01.04.27 - Football on Facebook 01.08.14 - Professional bodies 01.19.07 - Last days and legacy 01.21.45 - Fantasy dinner party About Mudasser Hussain Mudasser Hussain is a dental surgeon with more than 15 years of experience in private and NHS practice.   He now practices part-time while studying for a master’s in medical law and ethics and providing executive coaching for dentists and professionals through Clarity Coaching International.   He is currently studying for the ILM-7 diploma in corporate coaching, international leadership and senior mentoring—the highest qualification recognised by the International Coaching Federation.

Foodies are in for a treat this week as we sit down to chat with dentist and Masterchef contestant Rishi Nanavati.    It’s not just Masterchef judges who were impressed with Rishi’s fusion dishes—they also struck a culinary chord with fellow vegetarian and Indian food lover, Prav.   Rishi takes us through his Masterchef appearance dish-by-dish, revealing how it felt to go head-to-head with eight other hopefuls.   Rishi also talks about his favourite dishes, plans for the future and why dentistry may now take a backseat to a kitchen career.   Bon appetit!   00.53 - Starting with cooking 05.53 - Favourite foods 07.34 - Backstory 12.14 - University life 18.35 - Being veggie 21.40 - Masterchef shortlisting 29.17 - Competing on Masterchef 33.52 - The dishes 42.26 - Instagram 44.03 - Back to Masterchef 47.53 - Finding time for dentistry 50.51 - Future plans 54.24 - Following Rishi’s recipes 55.08 - Fave foods and places 01.00.02 - Last days and legacy 01.01.20 - Fantasy dinner party About Rishi Nanavati Rishi Nanavati practices at Vogue Dental Care in Luton. A keen chef, Rishi was among nine hopefuls hoping to impress judges on Masterchef 2022.    He blogs and writes about food and recipes at www.dishbyrish.co.uk and can be found on Instagram as @dish_by_rish.