Dental Leaders Podcast

Prav Solanki & Payman Langroudi
  • 5.0 (2)
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The Dental Leaders podcast takes you on a behind the scenes journey with emerging leaders in dentistry. Success leaves clues, and these conversations uncover the depth, detail, and backstory behind our guests. The show is hosted by dental entrepreneurs Payman Langroudi & Prav Solanki. Let the conversation flow. Find out more at https://www.dentalleaders.co.uk/

  1. 14H AGO

    #330 Analytics and Aortas — Daniel Jones

    Payman chats with Daniel Jones, the Cambridge-educated entrepreneur who's bringing analytical rigour to dental practice management.  Daniel shares the dramatic health journey that redirected his path from investment banking into healthcare innovation, revealing how a near-miss diagnosis of a life-threatening heart condition shaped his mission.  The conversation explores the technical challenges of building software that actually talks to the chaotic ecosystem of dental systems, from practice management platforms to lab invoices trapped in PDFs.  You'll hear about the realities of fundraising, the loneliness of startup life, and why Daniel thinks the best entrepreneurs operate with surprisingly simple rules—even when solving complex problems.` In This Episode 00:01:05 - What Medfin does 00:03:05 - Associate performance metrics 00:04:00 - Connecting disparate systems 00:04:50 - Single practice viability 00:05:40 - Why dentistry? 00:06:10 - The blood pressure discovery 00:08:20 - Coarctation diagnosis 00:09:05 - Healthcare system chaos 00:10:40 - Economics at Cambridge 00:12:25 - Investment banking to startups 00:15:50 - First startup lessons 00:18:55 - Finding the dental opportunity 00:22:40 - Building the founding team 00:25:15 - Technical architecture challenges 00:29:30 - Onboarding process evolution 00:33:10 - Product development philosophy 00:36:45 - Pricing strategy and models 00:40:20 - Fundraising journey 00:44:35 - Investor relationships 00:48:50 - Multi-practice versus single site 00:52:15 - NHS versus private analytics 00:56:30 - Clinical efficiency debates 01:00:45 - Competition and market positioning 01:04:20 - AI integration plans 01:08:35 - Team building challenges 01:12:50 - Work-life balance realities 01:16:15 - Fantasy dinner party 01:18:40 - Last days and legacy About Daniel Jones Daniel Jones is the founder and CEO of Medfin, an analytics platform that helps dental practices and groups optimise their operational and financial performance. A Cambridge economics graduate who moved from investment banking into the startup world, Daniel has built software that connects the fragmented ecosystem of dental practice systems—from practice management platforms to accounting software—giving practice owners the insights they need to improve profitability.

    1h 22m

  2. FEB 11

    #329 Sandhurst to Scotland — Amber Aplin

    Payman chats with Amber Aplin, who's carved out something genuinely different in the Scottish Borders. From military dentist to biomimetic practice owner, Amber's journey takes in Germany, Iraq, private equity, and ultimately building a practice that puts prevention and patient education at its core.  She talks candidly about the realities of military life, the loneliness of early practice ownership, and why she now trains therapists and other dentists in minimally invasive techniques.  There's also a refreshing honesty about perfectionism, work-life balance, and what happens when you stop chasing the next big thing and start appreciating what's already there. In This Episode 00:00:40 - Military beginnings 00:02:05 - Sandhurst training 00:03:55 - Germany posting 00:06:50 - Iraq deployment 00:09:25 - Leaving the forces 00:10:45 - Moving to Scotland 00:12:30 - Early practice ownership struggles 00:15:20 - Private equity involvement 00:19:10 - Buying the practice back 00:22:15 - Building a biomimetic practice 00:26:40 - Therapist-led model 00:31:20 - Teaching and courses 00:36:45 - Microscope dentistry 00:42:10 - Direct bonding techniques 00:48:25 - Patient communication 00:53:30 - Practice culture 00:58:15 - Work-life balance challenges 01:04:20 - Pascal Magne influence 01:09:40 - Preventive dentistry philosophy 01:15:50 - Social media approach 01:21:35 - Business versus clinical focus 01:26:45 - Blackbox thinking 01:28:50 - Fantasy dinner party 01:30:15 - Last days and legacy About Amber Aplin Amber Aplin is a biomimetic dentist and practice owner in the Scottish Borders who served six years as a military dentist, including deployments to Germany and Iraq. She now runs a prevention-focused practice where therapists deliver the majority of patient care, and teaches minimally invasive dentistry techniques to other practitioners.

    1h 36m

  3. FEB 4

    #328 No Ego Zone — Payvand Menhadji

    This week Payman chats with Payvand Menhadji, a newly qualified specialist periodontist who's navigating the delicate balance between clinical excellence and impending motherhood.  At 30 weeks pregnant, Payvand reflects on her journey from general dentist to specialist—driven by a competitive streak and a love for surgical challenge that emerged during her VT year.  The conversation weaves through everything from the realities of private practice economics to why she'd rather perfect her surgical skills than chase Instagram fame, touching on mentorship, imposter syndrome, and the art of staying humble when success comes knocking. In This Episode 00:01:00 - Finishing specialist training whilst pregnant 00:04:20 - Why four days feels necessary 00:05:10 - The moment surgery clicked 00:07:10 - Competitive from birth 00:08:20 - Hospital jobs and surgical confidence 00:11:45 - Decision to specialise 00:14:50 - Choosing between ortho and perio 00:18:30 - Training structure and challenges 00:22:15 - Learning from the best 00:26:40 - Private practice reality 00:30:20 - What patients actually pay 00:34:45 - Imposter syndrome 00:38:20 - Building a reputation 00:42:15 - Surgical complications 00:46:30 - Blackbox thinking 00:51:45 - Treatment planning philosophy 00:56:20 - Working with implantologists 01:00:15 - Referral relationships 01:04:30 - Social media approach 01:08:45 - Learning from Instagram 01:13:35 - Fantasy dinner party 01:15:20 - Last days and legacy About Payvand Menhadji Payvand Menhadji is a specialist periodontist who completed her training in September 2024. She works across multiple specialist practices focusing on periodontal surgery and implantology, having developed her surgical interest during VT under the mentorship of implantologist Victor Keyhani.

    1h 18m

  4. JAN 28

    #327 Start, Scale Exit & Life — Prav Solo

    In this solo episode, Prav Solanki shares a no-nonsense reflection on business, health, family and personal discipline as he looks ahead to 2026. After a turbulent end to the year involving a family health scare, he talks through the non-negotiables shaping his daily life, from strength and cardio to carving out space for strategy. But the real centrepiece is business — specifically his Start, Scale, Exit model, which underpins everything he’s building this year. Whether you’re a founder in the trenches or a parent trying to balance your time, there’s something here that hits home. In This Episode00:01:00 – Health before everything00:10:45 – Family illness and perspective00:20:30 – Training with discipline00:30:50 – Vegetarianism and protein00:41:10 – Bloodwork and optimisation00:51:40 – Start, Scale, Exit explained01:01:30 – Scaling with team structure01:12:00 – Coaching, clarity and freedom01:22:15 – Tactical planning for 202601:32:00 – Work-life integration mindset About Prav SolankiPrav Solanki is a health-obsessed entrepreneur, performance coach and co-host of Dental Leaders. With multiple successful businesses under his belt, he’s now focused on helping others implement his Start, Scale, Exit model — a framework built on clarity, simplicity, and ruthless prioritisation.

    35 min

  5. JAN 21

    The Horton Hangout — Laura Horton & Leanna Best

    The tables turn this week as Payman hangs out with Laura and Leanna on The Horton Hangout.  What starts as a chat about the challenges of being interviewed rather than interviewing quickly evolves into something deeper—an honest exploration of ambition, sacrifice, and what it means to build something meaningful whilst trying to hold onto the people you love.  From managing business partnerships and navigating the tension between legacy and presence, to the surprisingly simple power of just showing up, this conversation touches on the parts of success no one really talks about until they're living through it. In This Episode 00:01:25 - Hosting versus guesting 00:02:55 - How Laura and Leanna met 00:06:40 - Having it all as ambitious women 00:10:50 - Balancing work travel with family life 00:14:30 - Partnership dynamics and business relationships 00:19:45 - The Enlighten story and business evolution 00:28:15 - Marketing philosophy and brand building 00:35:20 - Working with your best mate 00:41:10 - The reality of business partnerships 00:47:25 - Managing conflict and difficult conversations 00:52:40 - Learning to say no and setting boundaries 00:58:15 - Legacy versus being present 01:03:30 - Parenting and guilt 01:09:45 - The immigrant work ethic 01:16:20 - Competition in dentistry 01:21:35 - Advice for younger dentists 01:25:00 - Meeting strangers from the internet 01:28:20 - Remote teams and South African operations About Laura Horton & Leanna Best Laura Horton is a dental hygienist, educator, and founder of multiple dental businesses including Brush, whilst Leanna Best is a treatment coordinator and educator who worked alongside Neil and Fiona Gerrard before launching her own training ventures.  Together they co-host The Horton Hangout—a podcast that strips away the polish and gets into the real conversations about life, work, and everything in between within the dental world.

    1h 31m

  6. JAN 14

    #326 True Kindness — Niki Keyhani

    This week, Payman chats with Niki Keyhani, a newly qualified specialist prosthodontist who's already built something remarkable. Seven years out from qualification, she's opened a squat practice, completed her specialist training at King's, and somehow managed to do both simultaneously during a pandemic.  What really stands out isn't just the clinical achievement—it's the way she talks about passion versus ambition, about choosing to do everything at once rather than waiting for the "right time." There's a refreshing honesty here about being underestimated as a young woman in dentistry, about that first complaint that knocked her sideways, and about why true kindness matters more than just going through the motions.  Whether she's discussing optimal achievement over high achievement or explaining why she'd rather wait for the right person than rush into marriage, Niki brings a perspective that feels both grounded and aspirational. In This Episode 00:01:15 - Introduction and background 00:01:55 - Passionate versus ambitious 00:03:00 - Sibling dynamics and guidance 00:04:40 - The "wanting it all" approach 00:05:50 - Sacrifice and balance in career building 00:10:00 - Growing up as a dentist's daughter 00:15:00 - Starting a squat practice during COVID 00:21:15 - Opening during the pandemic 00:22:20 - Decision to pursue specialist training 00:24:00 - Neil Nathwani's encouragement to specialise 00:25:30 - Getting into specialist training first try 00:27:45 - Clinical capabilities and full mouth rehabs 00:36:00 - Patient selection red flags 00:37:40 - Blackbox thinking 00:56:15 - Challenges as a woman in dentistry 01:06:15 - Business development mindset 01:07:10 - High achievers versus optimal achievers 01:09:15 - Child of a dentist privilege 01:10:10 - Building the perfect patient journey 01:13:50 - Spanish lessons and tennis 01:15:30 - Best lectures and courses 01:16:50 - Creating a thousand-page prosthodontic textbook 01:21:25 - Fantasy dinner party 01:24:00 - Last days and legacy About Niki Keyhani Niki Keyhani is a newly qualified specialist prosthodontist who graduated from King's College London in 2017. She completed her postgraduate diploma at the Eastman and her specialist training at King's whilst simultaneously opening and running her own squat practice from 2020. The daughter of a dentist, she's passionate about prosthodontics, teaching, and breaking down perceptions of what young women in dentistry can achieve.

    1h 31m

  7. JAN 7

    #325 Clinical Psychology — Richard Porter

    Richard Porter joins Payman to explore the meeting point of clinical dentistry and psychology.  From his early struggles adapting to London dental school after growing up in rural Kent, to his current work exploring personality psychology and emotional intelligence in practice, Richard challenges conventional thinking about what makes a truly skilled dentist.  He argues that feelings are the currency of human existence—and understanding them is as critical as clinical competence. The discussion moves through burnout, the dark triad of difficult patient personalities, and the tension between contentment and progress, before landing on Richard's passion for helping dentists understand their own minds.  It's a conversation that questions everything from dental education to the nature of expertise itself. In This Episode 00:01:20 - Backstory 00:06:05 - Six pillars of good dentistry 00:08:20 - Emotional intelligence and motivation 00:13:35 - Psychology journey 00:38:25 - Restorative dentistry career 00:39:05 - Why implants matter 00:41:25 - Hallmarks of expertise 00:44:45 - Contentment vs progress 01:17:20 - Blackbox thinking 01:23:50 - Minimal vs proper tooth preparation 01:29:35 - Dentistry's systemic health impact 01:34:05 - Green button philosophy 01:42:35 - Dentist suicide and burnout 01:45:35 - Neuroticism and the N-score 01:52:00 - Best lectures, books and courses 02:02:30 - Fantasy dinner party 02:03:40 - Last days and legacy About Richard Porter Richard Porter is a restorative dentist with specialist registrations in prosthodontics, endodontics, restorative dentistry, and special care dentistry. Having trained at Guy's Hospital and worked in maxillofacial surgery, Richard now combines clinical teaching with his deep fascination for personality psychology, focusing on how emotional intelligence shapes patient outcomes and professional wellbeing.

    2h 13m

  8. 12/31/2025

    #324 Course Correction — Zaid Esmail

    In this episode, orthodontist Zaid Esmail opens up about what really matters in patient care—and it's not just straight teeth.  From calling every patient the week after fitting braces to navigating the tension between NHS pragmatism and private practice perfectionism, Zaid reveals why communication trumps technique every time.  He shares the terrifying moment a patient swallowed a spring mid-treatment, the legal nightmare of inventing an orthodontic device, and why he built an online academy to teach GDPs the skills they're inevitably going to use anyway.  Plus, there's an honest take on conference culture, overtreatment trends, and why he refuses to become the kind of orthodontist who needs cases to pay bills.  Want 10% off Zaid's Online Orthodontic Academy course and mentorship? Use code DLPOD10 at https://onlineorthodonticacademy.co.uk/ In This Episode 00:01:20 - What makes a great orthodontist 00:06:25 - Why he'll never own a fully private practice 00:14:40 - From Iraq to Wales via dental school 00:28:00 - Teaching philosophy and the dangers of weekend courses 00:37:50 - Where GDPs go wrong with orthodontics 00:41:45 - Building the Online Orthodontic Academy 00:52:50 - Blackbox thinking 00:58:05 - Inventing the Eruptor device 01:16:45 - Conference culture and the problem with celebrity orthodontists 01:24:10 - Fantasy dinner party 01:27:10 - Last days and legacy About Zaid Esmail Zaid Esmail is an orthodontist working at Grosvenor House Orthodontic Practice in Tunbridge Wells, part of the Bupa Dental Care group. He runs the Online Orthodontic Academy, providing diploma-level training and case mentorship for dentists looking to incorporate orthodontics into their practice. Zaid also invented the Eruptor, a device for managing partially erupted teeth.  Follow him on Instagram at @onlineorthoacademy and @zaid_mails.

    1h 35m
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5
out of 5
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About

The Dental Leaders podcast takes you on a behind the scenes journey with emerging leaders in dentistry. Success leaves clues, and these conversations uncover the depth, detail, and backstory behind our guests. The show is hosted by dental entrepreneurs Payman Langroudi & Prav Solanki. Let the conversation flow. Find out more at https://www.dentalleaders.co.uk/

Information

  • Creator
    Prav Solanki & Payman Langroudi
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    378
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Prav Solanki & Payman Langroudi
  • Show Website
    Dental Leaders Podcast

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