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

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris talk to Kevin Rose, founder of Rose & Co, the dental business coaching experts.

Kevin has been heading up the Rose & Co team since 2009 and during that time, his team has guided many new practices and business owners to achieve big figure sales and achieve business growth.

In this episode Kevin talks about his career path, how he started the business from his kitchen table some 13 years ago and the growth of the business to date. With a passion and deep interest for empowering people, Kevin outlines his business approach, talks us through the services offered to dentists and shares some great insights into the key things practice owners should focus on at present.

Topics:

- What was your career path?

- What was your ‘segway’ into dentistry?

- Tell us about starting your business when you were asked to ‘fix’ your friend’s practice

- What did ‘fix’ mean to this dentist and is this a common problem?

- Where did your deep interest in people come from?

- Talk us through the development services offered to dentists

- What are the top few things practice owners should focus on?

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris discuss recruitment, the challenges faced by many business owners and share their tips and advice on how to recruit the right people.

To hear more from Chris and Andy, have a listen to this episode.

Topics:

- How to hire?

- How do you convince people to join your team?

- How to manage a team?

- Building a culture

- How to fire

This week in the Dentology Podcast we talk to Ali Abdelbagi, principal owner of Mumbles Dental Spa in Swansea.

Born in Sudan, one of the poorest countries on the planet, Ali talks about his younger days and his time studying and qualifying as a dentist in the country.

He shares with us details about his move to the UK in 2013 to complete his training, his decision to settle in Pembrokeshire and his journey from associate to practice ownership. He reflects on the buying process, the challenges and hurdles he faced, and lessons learned along the way.

This episode is a great listen for all those considering embarking on a similar path and thinking about buying a dental practice.

Topics:

- What was your upbringing like in Sudan?

- What brought you to the UK?

- Key characteristics of Sudanese people?

- Your undergrad thesis: dental anxiety

- Timeframe from being an associate to practice ownership

- Key drivers to being your own boss

- What did you learn about yourself through the buying process?

- Who did you seek advice from during the process and was it useful?

- Would you do anything differentLY?

- Does a positive mindset play a part when working through a challenging process?

This week in the Dentology Podcast we talk to Bhavin Bhatt, CEO of the Aligner Alchemy Academy.

Bhavin has a wealth of experience in the dental sector having worked as an associate, practice owner and now business coach for aligner dentists and their teams.

In this episode Bhavin talks about his days as a practice owner, the reasons he decided to sell up and how he stepped into teaching/training with the Academy. He reflects on the changes he’s seen across the dental sector over the years and discusses the importance of training offered to dentists at all stages of their careers.

Topics:

- Why dentistry?

- Timeline from working as an associate to becoming an owner

- Driver to sell up?

- Aligner Alchemy Academy

- Was this a natural next step?

- Is it tougher in the sector now than it was 10 years ago?

- Is there enough training offered to dentists these days?

- Could more be done at dental school?

- Top 3 tips for any dentist thinking of moving into the world of aligners

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris talk to Chris Barrow, consultant and business coach to the dental profession for more than 24 years, and principal of the Extreme Business Academy. A leading authority on the business of dentistry, Chris regularly contributes to the dental press, social media and online and has co-authored books and published a series of e-books on the business of dentistry.

In this podcast episode, Chris talks about his background, growing up, his early career days in the corporate sector and his decision to re-train as a business coach. Having undertaken a variety of roles over the years, Chris explains what drew him towards the dental sector and how he’s seen the sector change and evolve over the past 20+ years.

A great episode!

Topics:

- Recent cycling accident: did you enjoy or get frustrated by this enforced period of rest?

- Back to the beginning…what were you like as a kid?

- Career change from working in the corporate sector to training as a business coach

- Why the dental sector?

- How have you seen the sector change over the past 24 years?

- Extreme Business Academy

- How do you find time to relax away from all the work activities?

- Lessons learnt from appearing on “The Island with Bear Grylls”?

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris talk to Dr Jeff Sherer, owner of Dental Design Studio – a group of 19 dental practices around the UK.

Having qualified as a dentist in 2000 from the University of Leeds, Jeff tells Chris and Andy about his background and how he ended up in the North of England, despite not being a native Yorkshireman!

He talks about his early days in dentistry and his practice ownership journey, from an initial squat practice to being a proud group owner of some 19 dental practices today. He shares some of his secrets to business success, as it clearly takes a lot of time, effort and plate spinning to run a large group of practices and delegation.

And if that’s not enough, Jeff has also recently featured in the ITV Tonight programme “Pulling Teeth: The End of NHS Dentistry?” and tells us more about that amazing opportunity.

This is a great episode and well worth a listen.

Topics:

- Background and family history

- Did you always want to be a practice owner?

- First practice was a squat – why this route?

- What prompted you to buy your 2nd, 3rd, 10th and most recently, your 19th practice?

- Secrets to success?

- Crypto pioneer – how do you see this impacting dentistry?

- The art of delegation

- Personal Development

- Featuring on ITV

- Is there anything you’d go back and change if you could?

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris talk to Dr Indy Johal, Principal Dentist at Renew Dental, a private practice based in Walsall.

Having qualified as a dentist in 2009, Dr Indy tells Chris and Andy about her love for dentistry right from an early age, what it was like studying abroad and how her passion for the clinical side of dentistry has seen her complete further exams at the Royal College of Surgeons and continue her studies in the fields of Endodontics, Restorative Dentistry and Orthodontics.

Dr Indy also talks about her exciting journey into practice ownership and the reasons why she decided to start her own practice from a squat rather than buying an existing practice. She reflects on what it is like being a business owner, the highs and the lows, and how it requires a very different approach from being solely clinical focussed.

This is a great episode and well worth a listen for anyone thinking of taking the first step towards practice ownership.

Topics:

- Early days in dentistry

- How did your family respond to your young ambitious dreams?

- Studying abroad?

- How have you developed your business skills?

- Route to practice ownership

- Why a squat?

- What impact did setting up a squat practice have on your life?

- Have you mastered the art of delegation?

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris talk to Harry Singh, leading dentist, facial aesthetician and published author. Harry is also the founder of Botulinum Toxin Club (BTC) and Dental Property Club.

In this podcast Harry talks about growing up, his teenage years and why he decided to pursue a career in dentistry. Having qualified back in 1996, he reflects on the time he spent studying, his early dental career and why he decided to focus on facial aesthetics in 2002 – a cutting edge approach some 20+ years ago.

Harry chats to Chris and Andy about his passion for facial aesthetics, how he has perfected facial aesthetics treatments to ensure optimum results and the most comfortable experience for patients and the work he is now doing via BTC to train, support and enable other medical professionals to succeed in administering aesthetics and go on to open their own profitable clinics.

A firm believer in the importance of marketing and pushing boundaries to be seen and heard, Harry also talks about the time he spent visiting Necker Island with Sir Richard Branson and the lessons learnt.

Topics:

- Is there a strong tradition of medics in your family?

- How did your teenage years shape who you are today?

- What was it like studying 26 years ago?

- 2002: why facial aesthetics?

- If you could go back, would you change anything?

- What is BTC and how does it help dentists?

- What did you learn from Sir Richard Branson?

- How do you manage your own personal development?

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris talk to Lottie Manahan, leading dental hygienist and therapist based at 38 Devonshire Street, one of the finest private dental practices in London’s Harley Street. Lottie is highly skilled in both cosmetic and periodontal treatments. She is passionate about prevention and believes it is the answer to stop invasive dental treatment being needed in the future.

In this episode Lottie talks about what inspired her when she was just 15 years old to train as a hygienist, her early days in dentistry and how she has gone on to become a leading oral health expert today.

She explains more about her work as a key opinion leader for Oral-B, her involvement in training and mentoring other dental professionals and her drive and passion as a ‘green hygienist’ to raise awareness for a greener profession.

To hear more from Lottie, have a listen to this episode.

Topics:

- What is the one activity that makes you the happiest?

- Pathway into dentistry?

- Any business training undertaken?

- Mentor support?

- How green is dentistry?

- How far do we need to move the dial over the coming decades?

- Any career mistakes that have made you a better person today?

- Toughest thing you’ve been through?

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris talk to Tim Brown, CEO of ROI Corporation, Canada’s leading sales agent of dental practices.

Having worked in the dental sector since 1979, Tim has a broad experience in dental practice systems, including: appraisal, brokerage, leasing, and practice management.

In this episode Tim talks about the early days when ROI Corporation was founded by his father, Roy Brown, how it has evolved over the years and how it continues to do so to stay at the forefront of the Canadian dental market.

He talks more about the market and how this compares to the UK, particularly regarding support for dental professionals, how finance is raised and how long it takes for a practice sale to reach completion and tells us about the challenges currently faced across the sector.

This episode is a great listen.

Topics:

- What things from your teenage years shaped who you are today?

- How has ROI Corp evolved?

- How do you ensure the business stays at the forefront?

- The Canadian sales market

- Key numbers in Canada

- Has Canada been affected by similar challenges to the UK?

- What does success look like for you?