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Protrusive Dental Podcast

Protrusive Dental Podcast

By: Jaz Gulati
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The Forward Thinking Dental Podcast© 2026 Protrusive Dental Podcast Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • "Why I Don't Work August" — Designing a Career on Your Own Terms (Part 1) - PDP289

    "Why I Don't Work August" — Designing a Career on Your Own Terms (Part 1) - PDP289
    Oct 21 2026
    Is your diary running you — booked weeks ahead, no white space, drowning by Thursday?Do you really have to specialise to get referrals?How does an associate negotiate a month off every August — and get a yes?And what changes when you start treating yourself as your most important instrument?This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation with Dr Ronit Patel — a Richmond GDP of 20-odd years, an associate at the White House Dental Clinic in Kew, and one of the nicest and geekiest members of the Protrusive community. He works three and a half days a week, takes Wednesdays off, and typically takes the whole of August off. This episode is how he got there: staying a generalist when specialising beckoned, buying a microscope he wasn’t allowed to see, building a referral book without social media, and — the big one — taking control of the diary.It’s a warm, reflective conversation rather than a technique masterclass, and Ronit is refreshingly honest that it hasn’t always been smooth. Part 2 goes into fuel versus friction: what fills you, and what drains you.Protrusive Dental Pearl: Get Good, Then Get Passionate“Follow your passion” is actually bad career advice. What most of us call passion is really interest. When you applied to dental school, you may have said you were passionate about dentistry and oral health — but you had barely scratched the surface. That wasn’t passion; that was flirting with the idea of dentistry. Then you married it, and disillusionment arrived: is this really what I signed up for?Passion develops once you start to get good at something and you’re helping people — and dentistry has so many avenues to do both. You don’t become passionate first, then good. You become good, then passionate. So the better advice: become good at something, help people, develop a passion, and follow it through.What You’ll Take From This EpisodeThe diary control sequence — four moves that turn a chaotic book into a business case: audit, price, zone, pitch.Slack, rhythm and energy — why white space isn’t waste, and what time-of-day research means for when you book your hardest work.The referral engine — how a handful of colleagues, not a social following, can fill a niche book.Specialise or invest? — the decision filter for cutting your book, and how full it should really be.Scripts for the principal conversation — the exact lines for asking for a zoned diary and protected time off.Highlights of This Episode00:00 TEASER00:59 How to Take Control of Your Dental Career (Without Quitting)03:33 Dental Pearl: Why "Follow Your Passion" Is Bad Career Advice07:57 Generalist vs Specialist: Why Stay a General Dentist?11:26 Buying a Dental Microscope as an Associate14:50 How to Get Endo Referrals as a Non-Specialist21:49 Why Word of Mouth Beats Social Media for Referrals26:59 How to Audit and Zone Your Dental Diary29:51 Morning vs Afternoon: Decision Fatigue in Dentistry32:22 What Is Slack in Your Diary? (And Why You Need It)37:01 How Associates Can Negotiate Diary Control45:50 Creating Scarcity: Building a Referral Funnel48:30 Why Every Dentist Needs a Mentor or Coach51:49 How to Negotiate Time Off as an Associate57:48 Going Part-Time as a Dentist: The Real Trade-Offs1:06:27 How Far Ahead Should Your Diary Be Booked?From the GuestDr Ronit Patel is a general dental practitioner and associate at the White House Dental Clinic in Kew, where his book is now largely referrals — endodontics, restorative work under the microscope, and the tricky cases other dentists have become stuck with. Before that, he was a clinical lead for a corporate group, mentoring dentists across the South of England.In the community: members of Protrusive Guidance will already know Ronit from his short, helpful clinical videos inside the app. No courses, books or social channels were promoted on this episode — fittingly, for a referral practice built without social media.References & Further ReadingBooks and research mentioned in this episode:Kleitman N. Sleep and Wakefulness (rev. ed., 1963). The ~90-minute basic rest–activity cycle, proposed to continue through waking hours (daytime evidence is still debated).Kahneman D, Sibony O, Sunstein CR. Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment (2021).Pink DH. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing (2018).Danziger S, Levav J, Avnaim-Pesso L. Extraneous factors in judicial decisions. PNAS, 2011;108(17):6889–6892. The parole-decisions-and-food-breaks study.Newport C. Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout (2024).Maltz M. Psycho-Cybernetics (1960).Want more?If you enjoyed this episode, check out: Better Dentistry Through Compassion (Not Just Technique) – IC073Tags#PDPMainEpisodes #CareerDevelopment #BeyondDentistryListen, Subscribe, Earn CPDListen: Subscribe to the Protrusive Dental Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or ...
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Entrepreneurship in Dentistry - Could it be Right For You? - IC080

    Entrepreneurship in Dentistry - Could it be Right For You? - IC080
    Oct 16 2026
    Ever felt like being a good clinician is just the entry fee?Have you got an idea you’ve been sitting on — and no one telling you to go for it?Practice ownership, a side business, or staying a happy associate: how do you know which is right for you?And when you tell a patient the fee… do you stay silent, or start talking?This is an Interference Cast — a non-clinical episode designed purely to inspire. My guest, Dr Jawad Abbas, is a young associate who’s already building two ventures alongside his clinical work: an AI tool for radiographic analysis and treatment-plan communication, and a luxury oral-care brand. We start with the communication skills that turn patient trust into comprehensive care — then dig into what it really takes to build something of your own, and whether you even should.We’re living through a moment where, if you can think it, you can increasingly build it. If there’s a big enough problem out there and you have a good solution for it, this episode might be the spark you needed.Protrusive Dental Pearl: Say the Fee, Then Stay SilentWhen you present a treatment fee, say the number clearly — then stop talking. Don’t justify it, don’t over-explain, don’t rush to fill the gap. The pause feels endless to you, but for the patient it passes in a second or two, because they’re busy doing the mental maths: what’s in savings, what the monthly commitments look like, whether they can make it work. Give them that space.What undermines a fee is rarely the number; it’s the delivery. Closing your eyes as you say it, your voice rising in pitch, launching straight into justification, or avoiding it altogether and letting the patient discover it at reception all signal that you’re not sure of your own fee. Remember what sits behind it — your training, and what your surgery costs to run every hour — and say it like you mean it.What You’ll Take From This EpisodeFour communication habits that build trust — from asking what matters to matching your information to the decision-maker.The cost of doing nothing — how to make an unconcerning problem an informed choice, without selling.What a fee actually covers — the one question every associate should ask their principal.The three hats — entrepreneur, manager or technician, and why so few people wear all three well.From problem to prototype — five steps to test a business idea before you sink money into it.The decision filter — six honest questions to tell you whether building something of your own is right for you.Highlights of This Episode00:00 TEASER00:59 Entrepreneurship in Dentistry: Why Now Is Different07:14 Patient Communication: Ask What Matters to Them10:39 How to Explain the Cost of Doing Nothing14:19 Short-, Medium- and Long-Term Treatment Plans16:57 Fast-Lane vs Slow-Lane Patients: Personality Types20:09 How to Present Your Dental Fees With Confidence24:07 How Profitable Is a UK Dental Practice?26:29 Why Dentists Become Entrepreneurs31:08 Associate, Principal or Entrepreneur?36:19 The E-Myth for Dentists: Which Hat Do You Wear?41:09 Building an AI Treatment-Planning Tool44:06 How to Validate a Business Idea Before You Build It49:51 Creating a Luxury Mouthwash Brand53:24 How to Find a Business Idea — In or Out of Dentistry58:54 Dentistry as Your Safety Net: Starting a Side Business1:04:58 OUTROFrom the GuestDr Jawad Abbas graduated from the University of Manchester and is completing a diploma in restorative and aesthetic dentistry at Smile Dental Academy, while working as an associate in Ipswich and Peterborough. Alongside clinical work, he’s developing two ventures, both at prototype stage: an AI tool that flags decay and presents tiered treatment options as a communication aid, and Jawdouré, a luxury fragrance-led mouthwash brand. During foundation training he wrote for dentistry.co.uk about the anxiety of charging for treatment.👉 @jaw.dental on Instagram — questions and messages welcomeReferences & Further ReadingBooks, brands and episodes mentioned in this episode:Gerber ME. The E-Myth Revisited. The source of the entrepreneur / manager / technician model. A dentistry edition also exists: Gerber ME, Kwong Hing A, Barrow C. The E-Myth Dentist. Michael E. Gerber Companies, 2014.Erikson T. Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behaviour. The four-colour personality model discussed in the communication section.Squibb S. What’s Your Dream? Penguin, 2024.MAISON de SABRÉ — the luxury leather-goods brand founded in Sydney in 2017 by brothers Omar and Zane Sabré, who trained as dentists.Previous Protrusive episodes: Dr Colin Campbell on consent and personality types (PDP265); Professor Avijit Banerjee on caries management (PDP269).Want more?If you enjoyed this episode, check out: How to Find a Mentor in 5 Seconds Flat! – IC058Tags#InterferenceCast #CareerDevelopment...
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    1 hr and 6 mins
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