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 right for you.
Highlights of This Episode
00:00 TEASER
00:59 Entrepreneurship in Dentistry: Why Now Is Different
07:14 Patient Communication: Ask What Matters to Them
10:39 How to Explain the Cost of Doing Nothing
14:19 Short-, Medium- and Long-Term Treatment Plans
16:57 Fast-Lane vs Slow-Lane Patients: Personality Types
20:09 How to Present Your Dental Fees With Confidence
24:07 How Profitable Is a UK Dental Practice?
26:29 Why Dentists Become Entrepreneurs
31:08 Associate, Principal or Entrepreneur?
36:19 The E-Myth for Dentists: Which Hat Do You Wear?
41:09 Building an AI Treatment-Planning Tool
44:06 How to Validate a Business Idea Before You Build It
49:51 Creating a Luxury Mouthwash Brand
53:24 How to Find a Business Idea — In or Out of Dentistry
58:54 Dentistry as Your Safety Net: Starting a Side Business
1:04:58 OUTRO
From the Guest
Dr 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 welcome
References & Further Reading
Books, 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! – IC058
Tags
#InterferenceCast #CareerDevelopment #BeyondDentistry #Communication
Listen & Subscribe
Listen: Subscribe to the Protrusive Dental Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
This episode is not eligible for CPD/CE — but most of our episodes are. Find them, and earn your CPD, inside Protrusive Guidance.
