Dental Leaders Podcast

Payman Langroudi presents part one of a deep conversation with Len D'Cruz, a distinguished figure in dental legal affairs. Len shares his journey from Nairobi to London, his unexpected path into dentistry, and his perspectives on the evolving field of dental law.    Len talks about childhood, academic choices, and his approach to handling dental complaints and claims with empathy, detailed record-keeping, and a cool head in the face of pressure.  In This Episode 02:15 - Backstory 04:10 - Entry into dentistry 07:55 - Character traits 09:00 - Dentistry and academia 11:10 - Whitechapel 12:30 - University 14:10 - Work ethic 17:10 - Dental legal affairs  24:45 - Mistakes and shame 31:20 - The legal landscape 35:10 - Partnerships 38:40 - Defending legal cases 41:05 - Implant and aligner therapy 43:40 - Future trends 45:55 - Record-keeping About Len D'Cruz Len D'Cruz is the head of indemnity at the British Dental Association. He heads a mixed NHS/private practice consisting of seven surgeries in Woodford Green, North East London. He also teaches the MA in Dental Law and Ethics program at the University of Bedfordshire.

Specialist endodontist Aram Navai says the number one skill for endo nurses is staying awake.    In this week’s episode, Aram chats with Payman about the value of skilled nurses and the stigma around endodontics.    Aram also recounts his journey to specialism in what is perhaps one of dentistry’s most intimidating disciplines and puts forward his nomination for the world’s greatest living endodontist.     Enjoy! In This Episode 01.47 - The road to dentistry 10.04 - Study 16.46 - From A&E to specialisation 28.36 - Endodontics in practice 44.47 - Social media 47.19 - Being a visiting specialist 59.05 - Downtime 01.01.40 - Black box thinking 01.12.52 - Sub-specialisms 01.13.57 - International outlook 01.15.46 - Building referrals 01.21.36 - World’s number one 01.23.52 - Fantasy dinner party 01.26.35 - Last days and legacy About Aram Navai Aram Navai is a visiting endodontic specialist and the founder of the London Root Canal Clinic specialist referral centre.  

Content creator Sophie Milner discusses her journey from journalism to online influence, exploring themes of mental health, social media's impact, and challenges of online life. The podcast also covers gender identity, cosmetic procedures, men's mental health, antidepressants, health forums, and going solo.

Hygienist and therapist Lorena Pivoda chats with Payman about the view from the hygienist-therapist.   Lorena talks about studying at Plymouth University, her first impressions of London after moving from Romania, and the friendly rivalry with her sister.     In This Episode 01.16 - Backstory 06.03 - London and Romania 10.45 - Discovering dental hygiene 14.40 - Dentist-nurse relationship 19.25 - Study 22.58 - Attention to detail 27.49 - Plymouth 30.07 - First post 32.23 - A day in the life 37.32 - Awards 40.12 - Goals 41.01 - Black box thinking 49.00 - Photography and social media 54.03 - Direct access 55.36 - In retrospect 59.28 - COVID 01.01.13 - Ambition and competitiveness 01.05.22 - Fantasy dinner party 01.07.52 - Last days and legacy About Lorena Pivoda Lorena graduated from Plymouth Peninsula Dental School with a BSc (Hons) in dental therapy and hygiene. She practices in clinics across London. 

An encounter with a mushroom tea master led brothers Simon and Andrew Salter deep into the mycology rabbit hole.    Simon chats with Payman and Rhona about how the brothers’ DIRTEA brings ancestral adaptive medicine into the 21st century.   Enjoy!   In This Episode 01.43 - Backstory 17.12 - Discovering mushrooms 23.24 - Vision, action and effort 27.52 - Brotherhood and partnerships 32.49 - DIRTEA 36.37 - Psychedelic mushrooms 49.23 - Availability and community 58.35 - Scaling and growth About Simon Salter Alongside brother Andrew, Simon Salter is the co-founder of DIRTEA mushroom pure extract 

Prav welcomes 2024 with a special solo show exploring teamwork, health and wellness, and thoughts on improving the sales process and patient journey.   Prav also discusses ‘the wheel of life’ strategy for balancing family, friendships, work-life, and more, inviting listeners to set and share goals for the year ahead. In This Episode 00.49 - Team 02.31 - Health and wellness 10.43 - Business journeys, sales processes 18.59 - Congruency and filtering 35.17 - The wheel of life About Prav Solanki Prav Solanki is an entrepreneur and dental marketer who has purchased, developed and exited a successful group of clinics. He is the director of The Fresh dental marketing and growth agency and founder of Leadflo—an advanced lead management system for dental practices.  

Amy Neville chats about her work as a model, influencer and fashion blogger. She describes her experience with hyperemesis gravidarum—an extreme form of morning sickness—and how her social media followers rallied when she needed support.     In This Episode 01.58 - Backstory 11.48 - Motherhood and identity 19.56 - Hyperemesis gravidarum 25.55 - Privilege 28.42 - Work-life balance  31.27 - Social media, modelling and ageing 37.20 - Ambition, relationships and goals About Amy Neville Amy Neville is a model, influencer, fashion blogger and mum. Follow her on Instagram at @amynevfashiondiaries.  

Dipesh Parmar introduces a special podcast originally broadcast in June 2022 with guest Louis Mackenzie who tragically passed away in December.   With Louis’ passing, the dental community has lost one of its most engaging, inspirational, and well-loved figures.    Our thoughts are with Louis’ family, friends, and all who knew him.     In This Episode 05.18 - Being an inspiration 09.53 - Talent spotting and training 15.14 - Specialising Vs generalism 17.26 - Treatment longevity 25.52 - The new generation 27.46 - Why dentistry and background 32.58 - Dental school 38.07 - Moral tension and motivation 53.10 - Bad decisions and black box thinking 01.00.12 - Leaving the NHS 01.07.04 - Denplan 01.17.07 - On stage 01.25.34 - Research and opinion leadership 01.38.52 - Fantasy dinner party 01.41.00 - Legacy About Louis Mackenzie Louis Mackenzie was a GDP, clinical tutor, lecturer and educator who passed away in December 2023.

A glittering career as a bingo caller and entertainer looked like fate written in stone for Miranda Steeples—until someone dared to suggest she might be better suited to dental hygiene and therapy.   Miranda chats about the road from entertainment to therapy and the presidency of the British Society of Dental Hygienists and Therapists (BSDHT) via a near-miss as a Disney Princess.    She also sets out her wishlist for changes and reform to her profession and tackles the often complex relationship between dentists, hygienists and therapists.  In This Episode   02.38 - Backstory 18.25 - Study and graduation 24.33 - Practice culture 28.22 - BSDHT 41.13 - Reform and challenges 53.41 - Career and training 58.53 - Smoking cessation and perio 01.01.47 - Hygiene and nursing 01.05.13 - Blackbox thinking 01.17.10 - Fantasy dinner party 01.20.05 - Last days and legacy About Miranda Steeples Miranda Steeples is the president of the British Society of Dental Hygienists and Therapists (BSDHT).   She is a hygienist and therapist at West Dental Dental Practice in Eastbourne and Bupa, Hastings and Hailsham.  

George Cheetham, known as @GeorgeTheDentist on Instagram, discusses balancing social media with running three dental practices, reveals his superpowers, talks about partnerships and practice ownership, and why the NHS is ideal for ambitious dentists.