What exactly does it take to be the Dentist in charge of NHS Dentistry in England? Well, in today’s episode, we dive into the journey behind Jason Wong’s rise to CDO.
Be prepared for a candid discussion about the inequalities in oral health, the university admissions process and how public health decisions can impact entire populations. We also get a look into how the government makes decisions on dental policies.
Read in between the lines for exclusive insights into the way the leader of NHS dentistry thinks and how it will affect our careers and patients. We’ll also dive into what the future of Dentistry in the NHS may look like. As the last episode of Season 2, this one is special. One of the most important discussions we have had on the podcast so far.
She graduated from Manchester in 2017. Since then, Dr. Simran Bains has won Best Young Dentist twice in 2024, again in 2025, and landed on Dentistry's Top 50 three years running. But rewind to her DCT year, a Maxfax post left her drained and ready to quit surgery completely.
Then, she volunteered for night shifts, shadowed every case, and reignited the spark. She's since worked in four practices at once, earned the MDFS qualification plus two postgraduate diplomas, and now chairs the Young Membership Committee at the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Today, we unpack her DCT journey, Maxfax lessons, and how stacking varied experience early can set you up for success. This is not one to miss.
Marketing expert, award winning author, philanthropist- what hasn’t he done? Today we’ve got Shaz Memon on the show, the go-to guy for everything branding related in dentistry. From starting Digimax dental in his parents’ garage to building it into the highest rated dental marketing agency worldwide, writing the hit book Instagram For Dentists, getting featured in Forbes and lastly starting the incredible Wells on Wheels charity - we’ll cover all of this and more in today’s episode.
Stay tuned for actionable tips and nuggets of gold from the branding expert himself. Let’s get into it!
An artist, an innovator with a flare for theatrics, and a disruptor in the best way possible. That’s Dr. Mehy Lo Presti, one of the most interesting dentists you’ll meet.
Graduating from Madrid and later King’s College London, Mehy specialises in restorative and full mouth rehabilitation dentistry- emphasising the importance of a holistic approach to dentistry, clinically and non-clinically.
Today we discuss his story: How the Palestinian-Italian boy from Spain who never quite fit in, is now paving the way for dental professionals to be able to discuss difficult topics in a safe environment- merging debates about professionalism, mental health and CPD with theatrical performances and comedy through The Global Dental Collective.
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Our special guest is the definition of empowerment. Today we are joined by none other than Dr. Devinia Coco. Graduating at Barts’ London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Devinia has delved into every corner dentistry can offer.
From specialising in cosmetic and aesthetic dentistry, to inspiring dental students and professionals across the board with her motivational speaking, Devinia has grasped the concept of being multi-diverse and has just kept going. From owning practises to becoming a Zumba instructor, Devinia has yet to limit herself in the broad spectrum that she calls life and has embodied the concept of continuous learning and development by recently achieving her advanced postgraduate diploma in clear aligner therapy and aligner mastery. We are so honoured to be interviewing Devinia today and being able to dive deeply into her interesting story.
And therefore, without further ado, I present to you this episode.
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https://www.dentally.com/en-gb/
Wow, this was a special episode. We’re joined by Dr. Riaz Sharif, an amazing dentist who had a rollercoaster of a journey, fighting tooth and nail to overcome adversities to become the person he is today. A story of resilience, persistence and proof that your situation doesn’t dictate your future.
Growing up as an orphan and falling into the wrong crowd, Riaz decided to make a radical change and pursue dentistry abroad. His journey was long, spending 12 years in university before finally qualifying as a dentist in the UK. Now, he’s a finalist in the Private Dentistry Awards and is fulfilling his lifelong dream of being a private dentist.
There are lessons for everyone to take from Riaz’s story, without further ado let’s dive into the episode.
https://www.colgateprofessional.co.uk/
https://www.dentally.com/en-gb/
Today’s guest is the dream associate, someone everyone wants to be after dental school. Dr. Ameen Furat, alongside being one of the nicest guys you’ll meet, managed to land jobs at the best private dental clinics across the UK, working with the likes of George The Dentist and other top clinicians, only a few years after he graduated. Absolutely insane!
From the renowned Fulham Road Dental to the famous Harley Street, he’s reached amazing heights in such a short time and he’s here to tell us exactly how he did it, and how you can do the same. If you’re a young associate, FD or dental student, you can’t miss this one.
From becoming clinically competent, building a portfolio that stands out, learning the soft skills and how to actually land the best private jobs, this episode is a masterclass in becoming a super associate. Tips, tricks and mistakes to avoid, this episode has them all. Let’s get right into it!
https://www.colgateprofessional.co.uk/
https://www.dentally.com/en-gb/
Dr. Rana Al-Falaki is a multi-talented clinician, best selling author, international speaker and highly accredited leadership coach. Yep, she’s the real deal!An award-winning periodontist of over 20+ years, she’s no stranger to clinical excellence- she was a global pioneer of periodontal lasers, and was the first to integrate them into routine treatment in the UK.Behind the accolades and awards lies someone truly dedicated to making positive impact on others. Founder of MedDent Leadership & Wellbeing Academy, creator of the NAIL-IT Leadership System and co-founder of the groundbreaking national wellbeing platform for dentistry, Rana’s dedication to developing the unspoken parts of life as a dental professional is incredible, coaching top professionals to achieve Optimal Performance.
Get ready for an episode that’ll make you question the way you work and live completely! Let’s get into it.
Today’s guest Tom Mundy is the real deal. If you’re a student you’ve probably heard of the company he founded right after graduating: Goodlord. They now process over 1 billion pounds in rent payments each year for over a million landlords and tenants, with many of their users being students! After exiting the company for a nice check, he moved into the dental industry and now helps run AI-powered dental software brand Dentally: one of our amazing sponsors! But his journey wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows - from market-stalls at 15, to running a fudge empire while at uni, and a few flopped businesses later, he learnt the skills to eventually scale Goodlord to where it is today. Skills he’s going to teach us in today’s episode.Stay tuned for a masterclass on the business skills you need to do well in dentistry, or any industry for that matter.
https://www.uk.elsevierhealth.com/a-clinical-guide-to-advanced-minimum-intervention-restorative-dentistry-9780443109713.htmlhttps://www.colgateprofessional.co.uk
Today we’re joined by a titan in dentistry: a highly-accomplished dentist and scientist by the name of Professor Avijit Banerjee - the godfather of minimally invasive dentistry.
With an unmatched list of accolades and and achievements, including the John Tomes Medal and the William H. Bowen Caries Research Distinguished Scientist Award, Professor Banerjee has dedicated his life to scientific research and and clinical impact. Currently the Professor of Cariology and Operative Dentistry at King’s College London, he’s authored over 175 peer-reviewed papers, five internationally acclaimed textbooks, and is the editor-in-chief of the BDJ portfolio.
If academic excellence was a person, it would be The Prof.
Today we discuss his own student journey, how dentistry has changed - and how it hasn’t - in the last three decades, and his advice for young dentists from years of mentoring students through their journey to competency. Finally we touch on minimally invasive dentistry: what it is, why it’s important, and The Prof’s most recent curriculum textbook “A Clinical Guide to Advanced Minimum Intervention Restorative Dentistry”, the successor to the acclaimed “Pickard’s Guide…”
A goldmine of value - not one to miss.
Today’s episode can be summed up in one word: enlightening. We’re joined by Ezgi Demir, Business Leader of the Year Finalist, Marketing leader for Solventum and Board Member of The Female Dentist. Her experience in the business of dentistry is difficult to top.But if you thought this was another episode about business, you’re wrong; We’ll dive into mindfulness, Ezgi’s spiritual re-discovery, auditing your inner self, and how this all relates to your life as dentist, and beyond.Let the journey begin.
Wow, this was an amazing epiode. We’re joined by Dr. Chinwe, a much-loved dentist based in London whose inspiring story has touched the hearts many students and dentists. From studying dental hygiene in Italy, to starting anew in London, studying Dentistry at King’s College London whilst struggling to make ends meet, this is a story of resilience, positivity and faith.Dr. Chinwe talks about her top tips for students and young dentists, including how to excel early.Not one to miss.Download The Colgate StuDENT App Today!
Now today’s guest Andy Acton, aka the dental broker, is a Director of Frank Taylor & Associates, a company that helps dentists buy and sell practices. Alongside being the nicest guy in dentistry, he’s helped facilitate over £2.5 billion of practice sales, and is the go-to guy for everything dental practice and business related.We dive into what it takes to buy and run your own practice, financing options, tips for first-time principals, business skills and much more.Stay tuned.
In this episode we dive into the story of Dr. Amit Patel. He’s a specialist periodontist - one of the most accomplished in the country - and is the ex-president of the Association of Dental Implantology. Highly regarded for his incredible portfolio of cases, he’s lectured on the world stage many times.
However, he was also once a failing student who barely got into dental school and even failed his degree the first time around.
Today he shares his honest thoughts on becoming clinically competent, his advice to young clinicians, and the reality of clinical practice.
Pure, unfiltered truths gained from decades of experience.
Not one to miss...
Today’s guest, Joe Lovett is a familiar face to many in dentistry. He’s one of the most well known, loved people in the industry- and for good reason, he’s devoted to helping as many young professionals and students position themselves for success within the industry and he’s here to help you fast track your future. From Director at FMC, the company behind dentistry.co.uk, to being a judge at the private dentistry awards, to starting his own company, Catalyst Sales & Marketing, Joe has built an absolutely massive network. Now, he’s here to share the secrets about networking, getting your name out there, and accessing commercial opportunities as a Young dentist or student.
This episode is about to completely shatter your perspective on what it means to succeed as a young dentist, and what it actually takes to “make it”.Now, Sorabh is an extremely accomplished dentist, he’s won multiple awards and owns practices in London. He mentors young dentists who look up to him, and rightly so- he’s knows exactly what it takes, both clinically and non-clinically, to be a good dentist.But to get to this point, he’s had to brave the dark-side of dentistry, learning many painful lessons and truths the hard way- lessons here’s here to share with us now. Nothing is off the table. You’re getting the unfiltered and brutal truths on how to survive and grow as a young dentist.
Hossein (AKA 'Studyplate') is a 4th year dental student and content creator. He’s built a following of over 60k followers, 100M views and 7 million likes on TikTok whilst studying dentistry and more. When it comes to social media, building a massive community or following, and actually getting paid to make social media content- he’s the expert and he’s here to show you how to do the same.However, it definitely wasn’t easy- and we're going to cover all of this including the challenges of dental student life, finding a balance and much much more, so make sure you stick around!
Building a start-up, in your first year after graduating dental school is insane. Building it up to a valuation of £1M whilst still practicing dentistry, is even crazier. And that’s exactly what Faris, our guest for today, did.
A big question we had was, what does it take in the years prior to build the skills in order to do what Faris did- which we’ll uncover by diving into Faris’ story: How did a dental-student-youtuber turned co-founder brave the real world of dentistry and achieve such heights at such a young age, and how can you do the same?