Dr Richard Marques joins us this week as our guest.

Richard is a well-known cosmetic dentist and director of ‘Dr Richard Clinics’, a private dental clinic in the Harley Street District of London W1.

In this episode he talks about his early dental career and how he became the ‘go to dentist’ for celebrities.

He explains his reasons for specialising in cosmetic/restorative dental and facial aesthetics and talks about the highs and lows of building and running his own practice and his business journey to date, including how he created ‘Diamond Whites’ in 2012, a leading Invisible Aligner and Teeth Whitening brand, and the recent sale of the business to ‘Impress’, Europe’s #1 chain of orthodontic clinics, and joining them as Clinical Director.

A great episode to listen to.

Topics:

- Was it always going to be dentistry for you?

- Early dental career

- How did you become the ‘go to dentist’ for celebrities?

- Does treating high-profile patients bring its own challenges?

- What led you to specialise in cosmetic/restorative dental and facial aesthetics?

- What was the driver to create Diamond Whites?

- Your business journey to date through to partnering with Impress?

- The highs and lows of building and running your own practice?

Our guest this week is Dr Oliver Pierce, principal dentist and owner of Sutton Dental Practice in Hull.

In this episode Oliver talks about his childhood and growing up in Hull. With both parents’ dentists, he grew up among the profession and qualified in 2012 from Charles University in Prague before returning home to complete his dental foundation and join the family practice.

He reflects on the time spent working together as a family and his ambition to own his own dental practice which he successfully fulfilled in November 2020, just a few months after dental practices were allowed to re-open.

He talks about the early days as a practice owner, reflects on his best and worst days in business so far and shares a few tips and advice for others thinking about buying their own practice.

Topics:

- What drew you to the profession?

- Qualifying in the Czech Republic

- Joining the family business & working together

- Becoming a practice owner

- Your best and worst days in business so far?

- Key myths about owning a practice?

Hear from well-known dental marketing expert Chris Baker in this week’s episode of Dentology.

Chris is the owner of Corona Dental Marketing and has years of experience in marketing and PR in the dental sector. He has worked with many dentists on their plans to expand their practices through a variety of tools including branding, online strategy, social media marketing, PR, and advertising to name just a few!

In this episode Chris chats about his pathway through dentistry, how he has reached where he is today owning and running his own business and reflects on some of the challenges faced along the way.

He talks about his passion for sport (namely football and cricket) and shares his thoughts on the many learnings that can be drawn from sport into business.

Chris has also developed quite a knack over the years for helping dental practices win awards, so tells us more about this area of his work and shares his thoughts on what the biggest concerns are in dentistry at present.

Topics:

- Why dentistry?

- Comparables between sport and business life

- Corona Dental Marketing

- Challenges faced when starting up in business.

- Working with dental practices

- Support to win awards

- Biggest thing that worries you about dentistry at present?

This week’s episode is something a bit different and sees Chris and Andy chat to Milad Shadrooh at our first-ever ‘Dentology Live’ event.

It was a fantastic evening, and we were delighted that so many guests were able to share the evening with us.

In this episode, recorded live at a prestigious venue in London, Milad talks about his background and early years in dentistry, his journey through dental school and his time spent running a successful practice, having been the principal of Chequers Dental Surgery in Hampshire since 2010.

And of course, we couldn’t not talk to Milad about his most public side…the Singing Dentist!

He tells us more about his ambition to make dentistry fun and chats about the various parodies he has created which promote oral health in an entertaining way and the many amazing opportunities this role has given him.

This is a great episode, with a brilliant and entertaining guest - enjoy!

Topics:

- What do we need to know about you from your early years to understand the person you have become?

- Tell us about your dental career to date.

- What was your pathway from VT (as it was then) through to ownership?

- Is the cost of owning a dental practice worth it?

- What’s your highest and lowest point in business?

- Tell us about your most public side – the Singing Dentist

- Were you born an entertainer?

- Was ‘Shape of You’ (3.6m views) the tipping point when the Singing Dentist took off?

- What were you looking to achieve as the Singing Dentist?

- As a business owner have you been able to take any learnings from football/sport and use these in your practice?

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

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris chat to Dr Shaadi Manouchehri, director of the London School of Facial Aesthetics, clinical lead of Smart Dental and Aesthetics clinic in the heart of London and ‘Social Media Queen’.

Shaadi talks about her work and tells us how she successfully splits her time between clinical days working as an associate, developing her facial aesthetics business, building/maintaining her social media profile, hosting her podcast, ‘Teeth & Tales’ and if that isn’t enough, also completing a Post-Grad Diploma in clear aligner therapy.

Phew….Shaadi certainly has a full-on schedule!

This is a great episode to learn more about Dr Shaadi and the advice she would give to others just starting out on their dental career journey.

Topics:

- Your early years

- Did you enjoy dental school?

- What advice would you give to the next generation of dentists?

- How do you successfully split your time?

- Does your environment influence your style of working?

- How much time do you spend planning & creating your social media content?

- Your podcast ‘Teeth & Tales’

Welcome back to our guest this week, Bhavin Bhatt, founder of the Aligner Alchemy Academy.

In this special episode Bhavin tells us about his ongoing support for Wells on Wheels, a Water Wheel Charity Project offering Water Wheels to ease the burden of women walking 1-2 miles a day carrying water on their heads and shares with us the amazing experience he and his family had when they spent their break over Christmas and New Year delivering water wheels to a remote village in India on behalf of the charity.

This episode is our opportunity to hear their story, learn more about the challenges/struggles they faced along the way travelling to the remote village and to hear their thoughts on the whole life-changing experience.

A truly great episode that is well worth a listen.

Topics:

- Being an ambassador for Wells on Wheels

- Your support for the charity

- Why did you feel the need to make a personal delivery?

- How hard was it to get to the remote village?

- Were you concerned about your safety at any point?

- How did your children feel about the experience?

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris chat to Mehy Lo Presti, specialist restorative dentist based in London and co-founder of Sustainable Clinics, an organisation that helps clinics adapt to a more sustainable practice.

In this episode Mehy talks about his early days in dentistry in Madrid and the reasons behind his move to the UK to continue with his studies and build on his dental career.

He tells us about his role and work at Sustainable Clinics helping practices take steps in the right direction and shares more details about Global Dental Collective taking place in London on 28th April - a unique event that will bring together dental professionals from around the world to discuss and debate topics and attend a party with a ‘secret theme’!

Topics:

- How you got into dentistry?

- Your experience at dental school in Madrid?

- Why did you move to the UK?

- Global Dental Collective: what’s it all about?

- How does Sustainable Clinics help clinics?

This week our guest on the Dentology Podcast is award-winning cosmetic dentist Dr Simon Chard.

Simon is well known across the sector as an international speaker and lecturer. He co-owns the highly successful Rothley Lodge Dental Practice with this wife Dr Meghan Chard and is President of the BACD and co-founder of PARLA, the eco-friendly toothpaste brand. He was also voted Dentistry’s Person of the Year 2022!

In this episode Simon chats about his early years in dentistry and talks about what it’s like to work alongside his wife and parents.

He talks about PARLA, his environmentally friendly toothpaste tabs, and shares the inspiration and reasons behind the business. He also chats about what it was like appearing on Dragons Den, his involvement in the BACD and his plans for the future.

A great episode – so listen now.

Topics:

- Your early years

- Did you always have a flair for business?

- At what point did you feel that focus was the way forward?

- Working in practice with your parents and wife

- Dragons Den

- The inspiration for PARLA

- Your role in the BACD

This week in the Dentology Podcast Andy and Chris chat to award-winning business consultant Jayne Sproson.

In this episode Jayne talks about her dental career, reflects on the years she spent running her own practice alongside her husband and how that practice is now considered a blueprint for the many modern practices of today having been one of the first dental practices in the UK to incorporate aesthetics.

She chats about the highs and lows of her business career, reflects on some of the challenges faced along the way and explains the reasons behind her decision to sell her practice and move into a consultancy role.

She also talks about her work today running the Jayne Sproson Consultancy and how she is now working as a ‘C level brand strategist’ sharing her expertise with an increasing number of dental practices looking to convert from the NHS to deliver purely private dentistry.

Topics:

- Your upbringing/background

- Your dental career

- Running a dental practice: integrating aesthetics, challenges faced

- Selling your practice & your change of career

- Your high and low points in business?

- What is a C level brand strategist?

- Tell us more about the Jayne Sproson Consultancy

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?