DENTOLOGY - The Business of Dentistry

This week on the podcast Andy and Chris chat to Dr Christian Coachman, pioneer of the Digital Smile Design methodology and founder of the Digital Smile Design company (DSD). Christian is a Brazilian sixth generation dentist. His family line has worked in dentistry for over 170 years, as verified by the Guinness World Records in 2019. In this episode Christian talks about his childhood, his decision to carry on the family tradition in dentistry and the years spent at dental school in Latin America. He also chats about how his career path has taken him round the world and earned him multiple accolades over the years. Finally, he talks about his current work as the founder and CEO of DSD and reflects on the challenges faced in the early days, how the company works today and where he hopes it will lead in the future. This is a great episode and well worth a listen. Topics: - What was your childhood like? - Your dental school experience - Did it ever feel like a sense of duty to carry on the family tradition? - What did you learn as a technician that helped you as a dentist? - Combination of skills required in dentistry - The Digital Smile Design Company

Andy and Chris chat to Dr Moonis Iqbal in this week’s episode of Dentology. Moonis has a special interest in orthodontic treatment and cosmetic dentistry and is now the proud owner of two dental practices (‘Smil’ in Kent and ‘Spa Dental Care’ in Essex). In this episode he talks about his early days in dentistry, from qualifying in India through to his decision to move to the UK some years later. He also talks about his journey to practice ownership and the decisions he took along the way. Alongside running his two practices, Moonis also finds the time to support others as a mentor/vocational trainee supervisor which involves him training young dentists and trainee dental nurses and he tells us why he loves being involved in this side of dentistry. He also chats about his time away from work and his love of Bollywood! Topics: - How did your teenage years shape who you are today? - Why dentistry? - What the catalyst to move to the UK? - Your journey to practice ownership - Did you get into practice ownership collaborating with others? - Your other roles as a trainer/mentor

Andy and Chris chat to Doug Watt in this week’s episode of Dentology. Doug is a well-known voice across the sector on the subject of digital dentistry and in this episode, he chats to Chris and Andy about his early years in dentistry, his current work as a partner at Euston Place Dental practice, an amazing and fully digital 8-surgery private practice in Leamington Spa, and his involvement with the BACD and Dentinal Tubules. As well as having a passion for all things digital, Doug is also an accomplished musician and talks about his love of the guitar, music and singing. Take a look at his social media pages to see his talents! Topics: - What sparked your interest to study dentistry? - Your time at Birmingham Dental School - Being a practice owner - Does being a partner suit you over being a sole principal? - Working with the BACD - Your love of tech and all things digital - Where do you see digital dentistry in the future? - Music & dentistry

This week Andy and Chris are joined by social media and marketing expert Claire Frisby. Claire has worked in the dental sector for over 30 years and there’s nothing she doesn’t know about dental marketing and social media. Having started as a dental nurse in the 90s, Claire shares her story and explains how her career path took her into marketing and digital media. She talks about her current business and how much she loves working as a social media coordinator/manager, mentor, coach and editor. She tells us about the reasons why she decided to move to Lanzarote and what it’s like working and running her business remotely in a far sunnier and warmer climate to the UK! Finally, Claire shares some great tips and advice on using social media and how dental practices can use it to successfully grow their business. This is a great episode and definitely worth a listen. Topics: - Early years - Living & working in Lanzarote - Did you set up your business to be remote before moving? - What was dental marketing like years ago? - Describe the general understanding of how social media can help dental practices - Social media content…Quality vs Quantity?

This week in the Dentology Podcast we talk to Jon Nicholas, dentist and lecturer with the Smile Dental Academy. In this episode Jon talks about his childhood and why he decided on a career in dentistry. He reflects on the years he spent at dental school before qualifying in 2013 and his reasons for moving towards aesthetic dentistry in more recent years. Jon also talks to Andy and Chris about his current work as an associate, his plans for the future and the importance of having a positive mindset in everyday life in order to fulfil your potential. Topics: - What do we need to know about you from your childhood to understand the person you are today? - Your years at dental school - Completing your Msc in restorative in 2019? - Your passion for aesthetic dentistry - Future plans? Any desire to be a principal one day? - The importance of positivity - How being positive contributes to fulfilling your potential Who inspires you to get better?

This week in the Dentology Podcast we talk to Dr Koray Feran, Clinical Director at LCIAD (The London Centre for Implant and Aesthetic Dentistry). In this episode we hear more about Dr Koray’s background, his early years in dentistry and the times he spent focusing on his own learning and education before taking the leap into practice ownership.  He talks about the preparation he undertook for owning his own practice, why he decided on the partnership route in the first instance, how ownership compared to the clinical side of dentistry, and what he would do differently if he were to do it all over again. He also talks about his passion for aesthetics and love of music (both listening to and creating) and how these two worlds have supported one another from a creative point of view and explains more about his current business, The London Centre for Implant and Aesthetic Dentistry. Topics: - Your background and early years in dentistry - Learning & education - Stepping into practice ownership - Early days in partnership - How prepared were you for practice ownership compared to the clinical side? - Tell us about the LCIAD: it’s ethos, culture and approach to dentistry

Andy and Chris chat to Loven Ganeswaran in this week’s episode of Dentology. Loven is the principal dentist/partner at Sunninghill Dental Practice and CEO of Chairsyde, a patient communication and consent platform for dentists. In this episode Loven talks about his early days in dentistry, what drew him towards working in the sector and his transition from associate to partner at Sunninghill Dental Practice where he has worked since 2010. He also chats about Chairsyde, the patient communication and consent platform for dentists that he founded in 2017 and how this platform helps dentists take patients on a visual journey explaining conditions, treatment options and risks both in chair and virtually. Enjoy. Topics: - Tell us about yourself - What drew you to dentistry? - Did you know early on you wanted to become a dental-preneur? - Early days in dentistry and transition to partner - More about Chairsyde, the interactive patient communication platform

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris chat to Sharon Waxkirsh, founder and director of Academy for Hypnosis and co-founder of the renowned Institute of Hypnotherapy for Medical and Dental Practice (IHMDP). Sharon has been a qualified hypnotherapist since 2006 and worked in the Self Development field for 15 years prior to that. In this episode Sharon talks about her teenage years and growing up in London where she lived until 2016 before she relocated to live in the USA to be with her husband, a Professor at Purdue University. In the podcast she tells us about the reasons why she decided to train in hypnosis to use as opposed to chemical anaesthesia, and how that has since led to teaching, dental shows, lectures, demonstrations and university events, plus more recently her own full accredited training programme that has gone global since the pandemic. Sharon touches on how hypnosis is accepted across the dental sector, how it is delivered to patients, and she explains the benefits to a dental practice. This is a really interesting episode and one that is definitely worth a listen. Topics: - What things from your teenage years shaped who you are today? - You say Indiana is a huge difference from London life – how did these changes impact you? - Set the scene for where dentistry sits in the hypnosis field compared to the wider medical profession? - What can you offer dentists through your Academy? - Are there global differences with how hypnosis is accepted and delivered to patients? - Does hypnosis work for everyone – is it suitable for children as well as adults with dental phobia? - What are the benefits to a dental practice through the engagement of hypnosis, beyond the obvious of being able to treat fearful patients?

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris chat to Lisa Bainham. Lisa has over 24 years’ experience as a practice manager and is currently president of the Association of Dental Administrators and Managers. In this episode Lisa talks about how she started in dentistry after a short stint working in a GP surgery. She tells us about her current role as practice manager at The Old Surgery Dental Practice in Cheshire, the multiple awards the team has won over the last few years thanks to their focus on customer service, why these awards are important to a practice and how she is now supporting other practices to help them create happy, efficient, and thriving teams. She also explains more about the training days she runs for practices and their teams that feature ex-SAS soldiers! A great listen for all. Topics: - Were you good at school and was dentistry always on the cards? - Is there a significant difference in the commercial elements of GP and dental businesses? - What did you learn from working in the GP sector that helped when you came into dentistry? - What part of practice management particularly appealed to you? - What is the general standard of practice management? - What does winning awards mean for a practice? - Is there a need to empower Practice Managers to have empowered relationships with their principals? - Training days with special forces guys!

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris talk to Dr Ben Atkins, dentist and past President of the Oral health Foundation. He believes the key to great dentistry is clear two-way communication between patient and dentist and he’s a regular contributor on dentistry in the media. In this episode, Ben reflects on his career to date and explains why dentistry appealed to him over all the other medical professions. He talks about his journey from being an associate through to practice ownership, the reasons behind his decision to sell his group of practices and tells us about the activities outside of dentistry that now keep him ‘busy as a bee’! Enjoy! Topics: - Why did you choose dentistry? - What was it that appealed to you? - The importance of patient communication - The steps from Associate through to selling - Your interests now you are no longer a practice owner