Dental Leaders Podcast

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.    “Don't buy small and medium t-shirts because they make you look big. You have to train for a year or two, and when your arms are bristling through an extra-large triple extra-large, you’ll know you've got size. It's the same thing with dentistry. Don't jump into it. You've got to learn this is not a race. Life isn't a race, so don't treat it as one”.   Ashkan Pitchforth In This Episode 01.09 - Backstory 10.05 - Dental school 14.55 - Bodybuilding, mindset and discipline 23.46 - Building the empire 30.51 - Clinical to business 35.50 - Business and clinical black box thinking 42.23 - Business structure 47.25 - Training,  intuition and mistakes 51.45 - Audacious goals 55.01 - Responsibilities 57.21 - Advice to young Ashkan 58.52 - Last days and legacy About Ashkan Pitchforth Ashkan qualified in 2009 and set up South Cliff Dental Group in 2015. The group now consists of 23 practices across the South. In 2020, South Cliff was ranked 33rd in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list of UK private companies with the fastest-growing sales. 

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 individual that looks back and says. ‘I've done that. What's next?’ I did dentistry school. What's next? I did medicine and worked as a doctor. What's next? Then oral surgery. What's next? Implants. What's next? More complex implants. Great. What's next? Start teaching this stuff...And now it's what's next? What's next?”    Ferhan Ahmed In This Episode 01.30 - Backstory 09.03 - Dentistry and medicine 13.35 - Scratching the itch 17.06 - What kids want 21.33 - Into implants 24.41 - Teaching and complex cases 32,22 - Self-development 33.51 - Ideal course candidates 40.18 - Promotion and cooperation 45.16 - Blackbox thinking 57.40 - Mentoring, encouragement and mini-mes 01.06.00 - Scottish identity 01.07.59 - Being Unstoppable — The Mindset of a Great Clinician 01.10.38 - Drive and purpose 01.22.23 - Fantasy dinner party 01.23.40 - Last days and legacy About Ferhan Ahmed Ferhan Ahmed qualified from Glasgow University with a BDS in 2005 and went on to earn an MBChB at the University of Liverpool in 2012.   He has focused on training and research in oral and maxillofacial surgery and now carried out complex bone grafting, extra-maxillary implants, pterygoids and zygomatics.   He now teaches and mentors on dental implants and surgery.   In 2021, Ferhan published Being Unstoppable — The Mindset of a Great Clinician. The book is available on Amazon. The proceeds will help the Dental Aid Network build a dental clinic in Kashmir.

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! In This Episode 01.08 - backstory 03.35 - expectations vs reality 04.29 - Life lessons and motivation 12.22 - Work-life balance 15.49 - Practice purchase and expansion 18.39 - Mistakes along the way 21.16 - From NHS to private 25.51 - Building a team, motivation and management 31.04 - Therapists, associates and case ownership 35.54 - The therapist model 37.09 - Apex status 42.46 - Teachers and mentors 44.22 - Blackbox thinking 50.24 - Future plans and magic numbers 55.50 - Family life 58.54 - Management and leadership style 01.00.11 - Favourite treatments and finding training 01.02.48 - Legacy 01.04.59 - Fantasy dinner party 01.05.44 - Last days About Afsar Hussain Dr Afsar Hussain purchased Hatfield Dental Care in Doncaster care in 2012, just eight months into his VT year.  He continues to practice at Hatfield, providing cosmetic dentistry, implants, anti-wrinkle injections and Invisalign. Under Afsar’s management, Hatfield has become one of Europe’s few Invisalign Apex practices.

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 colourful creative ventures.  Enjoy! “I don't know what a successful dentist is…But whenever my patient leaves the clinic happy, I think that's a success”. - Alexandra Luzinschi     In This Episode 02.25 - Backstory 07.13 - Dental school 09.16 - Coming to the UK 13.09 - First job 28.41 - Moving on 41.58 - Floristry 48.36 - Finding a new approach 58.36 - Coping with fallout 01.06.29 - Second skills 01.14.08 - Last days and legacy About Alexandra Luzinschi Alex Luzinschi graduated from dental school in Romania before moving to the UK. She now divides her time between dentistry and floristry. She can be found on Instagram under the @alexinfloweland nickname.

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 his efforts to pay them back resulted in perforating mum’s tooth). Jana also talks about the value of networking, working with the legendary Miguel Stanley and how running with the wrong crowd almost ended the dream before it started.   Enjoy!     “The reason why I'm doing so much is because I really want to give back to my parents and to my family for everything they have done for me.”   In This Episode 02.00 - Backstory and the immigrant experience 11.23 - Study in Valencia 16.03 - Ambition 18.44 - Into VT and beyond 21.30 - Diagnosis AI 37.34 - Collaboration, communication and networking 41.14 - Work ethic and clinical practice vs entrepreneurship 47.15 - Best Young Dentist 54.06 - Black box thinking 01.01.09 - Miguel Stanley 01.07.50 - Last days and legacy 01.09.48 - Fantasy dinner party About Jana Denzel Before graduating in dentistry from Universidad Europea, Valencia, Jana Denzel studied biology with psychology at the Queen Mary University of London. The twin areas of study led him to explore the link between dental, physical and mental health. He is the clinical director of Manchester Imaging which develops innovative AI-based early diagnostic tools for dentistry. In 2021, Jana was awarded the Dentistry Awards’ title of Best Young London Dentist.

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 on tactics clinics can use to stand out from the competition in a crowded marketplace.   “NHS patients are coming through the door anyway. If one cancels, you'll get another one through the door. But with the private patients, it's a complete shift in mindset. You've now got to earn their business. They've got money in their pocket and they can choose to spend it wherever the hell they want.”   Prav Solanki In This Episode 01.00 - Training for transition 07.52 - Soft skills 12.23 - Reception and customer service 20.41 - Earning patients 23.15 - Fixing cracks and phone coaching 38.33 - USPs, decor and rapport 48.45 - Treatment plan acceptance 51.45 - The art of storytelling 53.27 - Putting training into practice 01.01.48 - The definition of success

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 last week’s guest Raabhia Maan, discusses her time in Australia and much more.   Enjoy!     “I thought, ‘I can't do this anymore. This job is killing me.’ I lost so much weight and had so many sleepless nights learning to put vent-flows in, trying to find beds for trauma patients, opening the clinic on my own at three a.m to stitch people’s lips and thinking, ‘oh my god, how’s it going to turn out?  Are they going to look OK or disfigured?’ It was a big learning curve, but when I left the place, I said, ‘you can proudly raise your head and say: ‘You are Nicola Gore now,’ because I went through it all.”   Nicola Gore In This Episode 02.55 - Backstory 13.55 - Guy’s 17.27 - VT, first boss and early work 24.32 - Oral surgery 31.45 - Australia 41.16 - An offer from London 47.25 - The squat 56.06 - From surviving to thriving 58.31 - Social media, sharing, training and support 01.13.56 - Blackbox thinking 01.22.27 - The next generation 01.24.11 - Dentistry in a Nutshell 01.30.40 - Last days and legacy About Nicola Gore Nicola Gore qualified from Guy’s in 1993. She completed the MClinDent in 2000 and became a vocational trainer in 2004.   She is the owner of Totteridge Dental Studio and practices at Harrow Weald Dental Dental Practice, of which she is the former owner.   In 2021, she was highly commended at The Probe Dental Awards for her contribution to dentistry during the COVID 19 pandemic.   She runs an educational YouTube channel and is also prolific across social media. Nicola co-authored the bestselling Dentistry in a Nutshell textbook with fellow dentist and influencer Raabhia Maan.   She is a member of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (BACD) and the British Society of Prosthetic Dentistry and president of the British Iranian Dental Association.

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 previous podcast guest Nicola Gore.   Enjoy!      “I was in my appointment with my dentist, and he was about to give me a filling and I said to him, ‘I'm going to be a dentist but I'm not going to be a scary one.’” And he just started laughing at me.”   Raabiha Maan   01.12 - Busy busy! 04.13 - Backstory 11.19 - Dental school syllabus 14.10 - Into practice 19.08 - Content creation 27.45 - The gnash bash 32.10 - Practice purchase 39.20 - Being a mum 43.46 - Dentistry in a Nutshell 46.50 - Philanthropy and philosophy 52.11 - Blackbox thinking 01.01.00 - Dentistry, teaching and experience 01.06.46 - Boundaries and responsibilities 01.08.24 - Future plans 01.09.43 - Last days and legacy 01.11.35 - Fantasy dinner party About Raabhia Maan Raabhia Maan graduated from Bart’s and the London School of Medicine with honours and quickly found her way into teaching as a dental foundation trainer for North East London. She also provides clinical mentoring for international dentists who relocate to the UK and gives regular lectures and webinars.   Raabhia is co-author of Dentistry in a Nutshell, a best-selling guide to dentistry, and regularly posts about dental topics on Instagram as @drraabihamaan where she has more than 10K followers.   Raabhia practices at Bridge Dental in Isleworth and has been shortlisted multiple several times for The Dentistry Awards’ Best Young Dentist title.

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 going to be a dentist when I'm older.” We were like 11 years old and I said, “cool, so do I…” And that was the day I decided.”   Matt Parsons In This Episode 02.21 - Backstory 05.46 - Dental school 07.15 - VT 09.08 - Australia 15.22 - Composites 23.05 - Instagram 33.11 - What patients want 45.48 - Composite milestones and technique  53.07 - Clinical tips 01.00.16 - Managing teams 01.03.36 - Blackbox thinking 01.11.46 - Confidence 01.15.45 - Parents and family 01.18.46 - Future plans 01.22.10 - Back teeth 01.25.04 - Contentment 01.27.34 - Last days and legacy 01.31.22 - Fantasy dinner parties  About Matt Parsons Matt graduated in 2013 from Liverpool Dental School, where he was elected student president.   He carried out VT training in North Wales. He gained membership of the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians, Glasgow, before travelling internationally and spending a year in practice in Melbourne Australia.   Upon returning to the UK in 2016, Matt developed an interest in cosmetic dentistry and composite bonding. His work has helped him develop a large Instagram following and he now teaches bonding to other dentists.   Matt practices at Duthie Dental in Liverpool and Ruh Dental in Manchester.

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 tips on Invisalign treatment and reveals why a certain oft-divorced monarch would make the ideal dinner party guest.   Enjoy!   “Patients don't always know what they want. They come in asking for something and it's your job to educate them and show them that what they're asking for is not going to look right…You always want to have total confidence in what you're doing from the very start.”   Tom Crawford-Clarke In This Episode 01.43 - Backstory 07.33 - In the family 10.35 - From VT to Harley Street 18.35 - Advertising and social media 30.32 - Patient journey and workflow 39.37 - Implants 41.41 - Invisalign top tips 46.06 - Bonding 49.47 - Blackbox thinking 57.49 - Future plans 01.00.50 - Confidence and communication 01.04.11 - Small world 01.07.14 - GDC 01.10.35 - Leadership style 01.12.22 - A hypothetical day off 01.14.30 - Last days and legacy 01.18.04 - Fantasy dinner party   About Tom Crawford-Clarke Tom Crawford-Clarke graduated from Bristol University in 2010. He went on to gain a diploma in restorative dentistry with a special interest in endodontics from the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2014.   He has undertaken extensive training in restorative dentistry, implantology, Invisalign, orthodontics and composite dentistry.   Tom was named Best Young Private Dentist at the 2019 Dentistry Awards. He sits on the committee of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and currently practices on Harley Street.