Entrepreneurship in Dentistry - Could it be Right For You? - IC080

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 Silent

When 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 Episode

Four 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