Payman Langroudi: One of the most common questions I get is how do I do more teeth whitening? The basis of that is to really [00:00:05] believe in it, and the basis of that is to fully understand it. Join us for enlightened online training on [00:00:10] Enlightened Online Training.com to understand how to assess a case quickly, how to deliver [00:00:15] brilliant results every time. Next time whitening Underwhelms try and lighten. Now let’s get to the [00:00:20] pod.

[VOICE]: This [00:00:25] is Dental Leaders. The podcast where you [00:00:30] get to go one on one with emerging leaders in dentistry. Your [00:00:35] hosts Payman Langroudi and Prav [00:00:40] Solanki.

Payman Langroudi: It gives me great pleasure to welcome Doctor [00:00:45] Saul, Sam Sammy onto the podcast otherwise known as Doctor Saul, Doctor Saul Sam [00:00:50] on Instagram. Um, where do we meet? First time mini [00:00:55] smile makeover. Mini smile makeover.

[VOICE]: Payman.

[BOTH]: Thank you for having me. [00:01:00]

Payman Langroudi: Good to have you. Souls is a aesthetic dentist [00:01:05] and facial aesthetics expert who works across several practices. Kind of [00:01:10] a turbulent journey getting to dentistry in the first place. Yeah, but someone who [00:01:15] has a very powerful YouTube presence, um, with a [00:01:20] YouTube channel with thousands of subscribers, big social media presence that [00:01:25] I’ve seen, but also one of the dentists I’ve come across who just says it as it is, [00:01:30] which is really refreshing. Well done for coming.

Solmaz Samae: Thank you very much for having me. I’m [00:01:35] honoured to be here.

Payman Langroudi: So tell me, where are you right [00:01:40] now.

Solmaz Samae: In life with God?

Payman Langroudi: What are you struggling with? What are you struggling with in life? [00:01:45]

Solmaz Samae: My dating life. Really?

Payman Langroudi: Who’s looking at you? Looking at your social media? I was looking at all your social [00:01:50] media. Everything looks so perfect. But we all know that’s just the, like, a, you know, highlight [00:01:55] reel.

Solmaz Samae: That is the problem with Instagram? Isn’t it all on a filter? Um, it’s [00:02:00] not perfect, but it is.

Payman Langroudi: What are you struggling with?

Solmaz Samae: I’m not struggling with anything. [00:02:05] I am the happiest I’ve been in a very, very [00:02:10] long while. I am. I love my job. I’m [00:02:15] healthy. I love my life. I’m doing [00:02:20] all the things I love. Um. I get to spend a lot of time with my family. I have amazing [00:02:25] hobbies. I go riding, boxing. I spend a lot of time at the gym, a [00:02:30] lot of time at the gym. I have a six pack.

Payman Langroudi: I’ve seen.

[BOTH]: That. I know, [00:02:35] I’ve seen that. On your stories.

Solmaz Samae: To myself for my 40th birthday. Honestly. [00:02:40] So for my 40th birthday, I decided that I want to give myself a six [00:02:45] pack. So I had a little chat with my nurse and she burst out laughing [00:02:50] to the point that she gave herself a stitch. And it’s because I eat so [00:02:55] much. So I put in the time and it’s here. So. [00:03:00] But no, I’m very happy.

[BOTH]: How often.

Payman Langroudi: Are you in.

[BOTH]: The gym?

Solmaz Samae: Uh, 5 to 6 [00:03:05] times a week.

[BOTH]: Wow.

Solmaz Samae: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: Consistently.

Solmaz Samae: Consistently. [00:03:10]

Payman Langroudi: So, what time do you go? Early morning.

Solmaz Samae: Uh, if I’m going out in the evenings, I’ll go [00:03:15] out. I’ll go to the gym early morning.

[BOTH]: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: If I have no evening plans, [00:03:20] I will go in the evenings after I finish work.

Payman Langroudi: How long have you been [00:03:25] doing that?

Solmaz Samae: For about three years now.

Payman Langroudi: Oh, so before that you weren’t a big gym person at all?

Solmaz Samae: Not so much. [00:03:30] I’ll go, but I wouldn’t really know what I was doing, you know.

[BOTH]: So did you get a I [00:03:35] got a personal trainer. Yeah, I.

Solmaz Samae: Got I don’t have a personal trainer. Now. I I’ll [00:03:40] have a session every so often just to ensure that my postures [00:03:45] are still correct, that I’m doing everything okay, but I don’t have a personal trainer now. No, I’m [00:03:50] okay now. And I have my routine, and it’s so good for my mental health. No [00:03:55] it’s not. I work out for about 90 minutes, and it’s 90 [00:04:00] minutes of open eye meditation, and I end it with about half an hour in the spa [00:04:05] where I meditate. Closed eyes.

Payman Langroudi: So what’s two hours a day?

Solmaz Samae: Two [00:04:10] hours a day?

[BOTH]: What?

Payman Langroudi: Between what? Six and eight or something.

Solmaz Samae: So between six [00:04:15] 6:45. So by the time I get there, it’s about 6:45 [00:04:20] to nine. And I’ll invest in pretty gym gear because I’m staring [00:04:25] at myself. I do because I’m staring at myself for two hours. I want to look, you know, [00:04:30] be happy.

[BOTH]: Make a lot of.

Payman Langroudi: Content in the gym.

[BOTH]: Right?

Solmaz Samae: I do. I like to motivate people. So [00:04:35] if I can do it, you can do it. And I’m well, 42 now. So. [00:04:40] And at a certain age we feel like we’ve almost [00:04:45] expired or that it’s too late and it’s not too late. [00:04:50] It’s never too late. I work out with women in their 70s and [00:04:55] it’s amazing.

Payman Langroudi: So was that a bit? So what time do you wake up? Six.

Solmaz Samae: I [00:05:00] wake up at six.

Payman Langroudi: So what time do you go to bed?

Solmaz Samae: 12.

Payman Langroudi: Six hours.

Solmaz Samae: Six hours? [00:05:05] I don’t sleep a lot, which is not great. But when I hit [00:05:10] the pillow, I’m gone.

Payman Langroudi: Okay, so then you do your big workout. You do your chill [00:05:15] in the spa every day. I’m jealous of anyone who does that every day. Well done, [00:05:20] well done. And then what? You’re off to work.

Solmaz Samae: And then. So if I do that in the mornings [00:05:25] and then I go straight to work, if I do it in the evening, I’ll go home, eat [00:05:30] and chill for a couple of hours and then sleep.

Payman Langroudi: And you’re working in three different places. [00:05:35]

Solmaz Samae: I work in three different places. So I work with two [00:05:40] wonderful boys in Winchmore Hill and it’s called Broadway Dental [00:05:45] some.

Payman Langroudi: Good friends of mine.

Solmaz Samae: They’re lovely. Actually, it was Payman and George. That [00:05:50] got me the job.

Payman Langroudi: Oh, really?

Solmaz Samae: You did? I had my interview [00:05:55] whilst I was in Lesvos doing some charity work and. Oh, really? Yeah. So [00:06:00] we had a phone interview and the boys are lovely. Amazing moral compass, [00:06:05] like, beautifully aligned. And it’s more than just dentistry with [00:06:10] them. It’s very holistic. They look after everything. You know, [00:06:15] they’re. They have sessions with you just to ensure that you’re okay in your personal [00:06:20] life. They’re just wonderful human beings.

Payman Langroudi: They are. They are. You know, with with with [00:06:25] customers. You sometimes you just bond with one type of person [00:06:30] and they end up. I was thinking about Sutton and Hardy. We end up, like, [00:06:35] going. Every time we’re at a show, we invite them for dinner. Yeah. Yeah, because [00:06:40] we have so much fun with them. They’re just such great people.

Solmaz Samae: I’m going bowling with them tonight.

Payman Langroudi: Is that right?

Solmaz Samae: Yeah. [00:06:45] Is that right, boys?

Payman Langroudi: Amazing. Really? So what kind of practice is that? Is that private?

Solmaz Samae: It’s [00:06:50] private. No. It’s mixed. Mixed? It’s mixed. Nhs and private. [00:06:55] It’s mixed. And I also work at Perfect Smile in Muswell [00:07:00] Hill. And I love my team there. It was the first time I started working [00:07:05] with Iranians.

Payman Langroudi: So are they Iranians?

Solmaz Samae: The girls that work with me are Iranians. [00:07:10] And we go in, I go in in the morning. And before we’ve even said hello, I put [00:07:15] music on before I put my bag down and we start dancing. So [00:07:20] we’ll do one little dance and then we’ll kiss hello [00:07:25] and we’ll greet us, you know? It’s beautiful working with them. They’re very supportive. [00:07:30] The patients in Muswell Hill are lovely. I really like the patients.

Payman Langroudi: And that’s [00:07:35] when you say the girls. You mean the receptionists? The nurses?

Solmaz Samae: Exactly.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. The Iranians.

Solmaz Samae: They’re the Iranians. [00:07:40] I’ve got two Iranian nurses, Marjan and Shantia. And they’re beautiful. [00:07:45] They’re their friends.

Payman Langroudi: And and I mean perfect smile. I’ve got quite a lot of experience with with them. [00:07:50] Um, if you want to make a change or whatever, who do you go to? [00:07:55] The practice manager. The area manager.

Solmaz Samae: The area manager. Rosa. [00:08:00] Amazing lady. Really nice. Listens well and they take it on board. [00:08:05] Jackie, who is their main manager. She’s very good. Like [00:08:10] she. My experience. Like she’ll listen to the dentist. She’ll take it on board. So [00:08:15] I’ve had very good experience with them. Touchwood.

Payman Langroudi: Because they know I mean, they are a corporate [00:08:20] now, you know, you’ve got this sort of mini corporate situation, but they are a corporate. How many practices [00:08:25] is it?

Solmaz Samae: I have no idea.

Payman Langroudi: It’s a good 30. A good 30. Um, [00:08:30] your, your your reflections on working for a corporate [00:08:35] over working for an independent.

Solmaz Samae: I’ve previously worked [00:08:40] for Bupa, which is a corporate and Fortunately, when it [00:08:45] hits the fan, they’re very. You’re very much on your own. [00:08:50]

Payman Langroudi: Was that your experience?

Solmaz Samae: What was that experience with Bupa? It was two years ago.

Payman Langroudi: Okay. [00:08:55]

Solmaz Samae: That was my.

Payman Langroudi: That was a very difficult period when they bought the all those practices. [00:09:00]

Solmaz Samae: That’s it. It was when they were selling their practice.

Payman Langroudi: Oh, really? Really. Was it that one?

Solmaz Samae: It [00:09:05] was. Yeah. So it was not a great experience unfortunately [00:09:10] with Bupa but with perfect smile. I don’t have that. It’s almost [00:09:15] like corporate meets independent. It’s kind of a nice balance [00:09:20] in the middle. I like it.

Payman Langroudi: I mean, the I’ve had [00:09:25] several of their people here and they’re trying so hard to, to, to get away from what [00:09:30] happened in that period. Yeah. Because I remember Bupa had a wonderful 15 [00:09:35] practices and that was all it was. And then they suddenly switched it up [00:09:40] to 400 Overnight, and that’s not an easy thing to pull off. Man, it is not [00:09:45] an easy thing to pull off at all. And my wife works at Bupa now.

Solmaz Samae: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: And she’s happy. She’s [00:09:50] happy. And it’s interesting because.

Solmaz Samae: She’s happy for well, I was there for three [00:09:55] years, so I was happy to be there for three years. Um.

Payman Langroudi: Was that [00:10:00] all private?

Solmaz Samae: No, it was mixed. It was mixed. And I had a downstairs [00:10:05] surgery, meaning that I saw adult special care. Some elderly [00:10:10] patients. And I love the patients. I absolutely [00:10:15] I do dentistry because I love the patients. Like I.

Payman Langroudi: Can imagine. [00:10:20]

Solmaz Samae: I talk so much.

Payman Langroudi: Oh my.

Solmaz Samae: God. I had my sister in [00:10:25] the chair once, and at one point she just pulled my hand away and she was like, oh my [00:10:30] God, just give your mouth a break for a second.

[TRANSITION]: You [00:10:35] don’t need to be talking.

Payman Langroudi: Are you talking as you’re doing the treatment?

Solmaz Samae: Yeah, constantly. Because I [00:10:40] find that one. If I share personal information with the patients, then [00:10:45] it makes me human and they can relate to me a little more [00:10:50] and they can. It kind of shakes off that white coat syndrome a little bit. Yeah. And [00:10:55] two, it distracts them from what’s going on. [00:11:00] I don’t like the dentist. I don’t like going to the dentist. It’s anxiety provoking. [00:11:05] If I can make that enjoyable for them for that 20 minutes, for that half [00:11:10] an hour, why not? If they can enjoy coming in to see me and they [00:11:15] refer their mom or their sister, then I know I’ve done something right. [00:11:20] And when they come back to me in six months and I’ll do their BP and I’ve [00:11:25] got scores of zeros, then I’m laughing.

Payman Langroudi: You know, people underestimate [00:11:30] the importance of the soft side, the soft skills, because [00:11:35] I’ve you know, I was reflecting on this recently, my family [00:11:40] member needing a quite a major operation and [00:11:45] we were trying to pick between surgeons and, you know, we got my brother’s a [00:11:50] doctor. We know loads of medics and all that. And you know, it got loads of advice on who to see. And we [00:11:55] went to 3 or 4 of them, and in the end we picked the guy based on his [00:12:00] manner. Yeah. And this was a big operation. This wasn’t a mo. This [00:12:05] was a big operation. And when I say that, it seems like a strange thing to [00:12:10] do to decide who’s going to do this huge back operation based on [00:12:15] the way that he was with us. It’s got nothing to do with the way he’s going to carry out this operation. And [00:12:20] yet we felt like this is the guy for us. Now, if that’s true, with [00:12:25] all the knowledge that we’ve got, all the contacts that we’ve got. Imagine a patient [00:12:30] who’s scared of the dentist. And as you say, it’s not pleasant.

Solmaz Samae: It’s not.

Payman Langroudi: And [00:12:35] I think people think that, you know, they could go and get an MSC and upskill [00:12:40] and that will get them a job or something. Yeah, that’s the chair side manners, the most [00:12:45] important piece.

Solmaz Samae: Definitely.

Payman Langroudi: And I’d say probably your superpower. [00:12:50] No.

Solmaz Samae: I think I’m a mediocre dentist in terms of skills. [00:12:55] Like I try, I’ll practice and I really want to I’ll go on endless [00:13:00] courses, but my chairside manner is, I think, where [00:13:05] I shine, and it’s because I genuinely care. I [00:13:10] love people like I just love people. And if I can [00:13:15] make their life a little better, just for half an hour. Just for 20 minutes, [00:13:20] you say.

Payman Langroudi: Genuinely care. Yeah, yeah, I’m sure every dentist genuinely cares. They do. Yeah. But [00:13:25] some, some of us, we genuinely care about the matrix positioning. Yeah. [00:13:30] And I’m sure you do. I’m sure you do. But when you’re saying I genuinely.

Solmaz Samae: More about [00:13:35] their back being comfortable.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. When you’re saying when you’re saying I genuinely care, you’re saying [00:13:40] I genuinely care about the experience being.

Solmaz Samae: That’s it, the whole experience. [00:13:45]

Payman Langroudi: Because I want.

Solmaz Samae: Them to come back. When I was doing my foundation [00:13:50] year, I had a mentor and I was getting very annoyed [00:13:55] with the support workers that were coming in. Like I was like really frustrated. [00:14:00] And he said, look, Saul, if the support workers are having a good time when [00:14:05] they are in your presence, then if the patient has an issue, they’re more [00:14:10] likely to bring the patient back. And I thought, oh.

Payman Langroudi: Support workers, [00:14:15] the nurse and.

Solmaz Samae: No, the support worker. So it was I was doing adult special [00:14:20] care.

Payman Langroudi: I supported the patient support.

Solmaz Samae: Patient support workers. So [00:14:25] not only was I dealing with then not dealing with just the patient, [00:14:30] I was ensuring that the support worker was having a good time in my presence, so [00:14:35] that they’re likely that if the patient has a little toothache or an issue, they’re likely to [00:14:40] bring the patient back and report it.

Payman Langroudi: Flicked a switch in your head.

Solmaz Samae: It did. [00:14:45]

Payman Langroudi: But I feel like you’re making it sound like quite a tactical move here, but I don’t think you’re doing it from a tactical [00:14:50] perspective. You’re doing it because that’s what you enjoy. I enjoy enjoying your [00:14:55] job is such an important thing.

Solmaz Samae: Payman I drive to work in the mornings [00:15:00] with a massive smile. I feel so lucky to [00:15:05] be going in and practising dentistry. I’ve been doing it for a few years now, so it’s [00:15:10] not that I’m just right into it. I love going into work. [00:15:15] I really enjoy it. I love the dentistry aspect of it, but just meeting [00:15:20] people and speaking to people, and when you’re going through your own life [00:15:25] issues, you know where you’re experiencing loss or a Break-Up. [00:15:30] Carve and you see 20 patients and life goes on [00:15:35] and you get to little, have a little chat with them. It’s therapeutic for you as well.

Payman Langroudi: So [00:15:40] I find look, I stopped practising in 2012. Yeah. And definitely [00:15:45] the bit I miss most about being a dentist is that bit. Yeah. Interaction, interaction, [00:15:50] the life stories. You know you learn so much from patients personally. Yeah. But [00:15:55] I, I found the NHS system just so difficult in [00:16:00] being able to have these conversations. Do you even manage it on NHS patients. [00:16:05] Are you that good that you can even in that short period of time? I [00:16:10] have have some time for that.

Solmaz Samae: I try to I really do try to. [00:16:15] There’s a balance though, because you can fall behind and [00:16:20] you have targets and you think, oh my God, it’s either you or me here [00:16:25] and you don’t want to be put in that position, which it’s it’s not a nice position to be [00:16:30] in, but I like to think that NHS patients come and they leave happy [00:16:35] and they all come back wanting to visit.

Payman Langroudi: Well then you’ve done quite a lot of [00:16:40] periods of your life where you’ve done both NHS and private. I have. And so [00:16:45] are you doing two different speeds of dentistry or two different types of dentistry, [00:16:50] or is your NHS side slowing down to kind of come closer [00:16:55] to your private, or is your private side speeding up? You know, I mean that running two different ways of practising [00:17:00] is quite hard.

Solmaz Samae: It is.

Payman Langroudi: It’s what are your reflections on that?

Solmaz Samae: It’s very challenging. [00:17:05] Um, where I fall behind on my NHS, I just tell myself that [00:17:10] I’ll make up for it with my private. So I still put in the same amount of [00:17:15] time. I still put in the same amount of effort. Because the lady I have in the chair is someone’s mum [00:17:20] is someone’s sister. And would I want the same for my mum and my sister? [00:17:25] So it comes back in roundabouts. I’ll make it up in some other way, [00:17:30] you know.

Payman Langroudi: Okay, so when I was a dentist, I was. I was the last job I was in was in a very high end [00:17:35] practice. Yeah. And I would, for instance, something I would say when I say soft [00:17:40] skills. Yeah. Part of soft skills for me was painless injection. Yeah. Yeah. [00:17:45] Yeah. Now painless injection. I would get the patient and dry the [00:17:50] mucosa thoroughly. Put the topical on for about seven [00:17:55] minutes. Yeah. Talk to the patient for seven minutes about [00:18:00] their life. Then as you’re putting that block in or that infiltrate [00:18:05] in very, very, very, very slowly. Yeah. So from the moment of the patient [00:18:10] walking in to the moment of them being numb would be around 15 minutes. [00:18:15] Now, that’s not possible. That’s not possible unless.

Solmaz Samae: You’ve got 20 minutes for an amalgam filling. How are [00:18:20] you going to do that?

Payman Langroudi: Exactly.

Solmaz Samae: You know.

Payman Langroudi: So this is the kind of point I’m making.

Solmaz Samae: Before they’ve even taken their coat off. [00:18:25]

Payman Langroudi: Yeah, but but then firstly, on the private side, the number of patients [00:18:30] that would send other patients because of painless injection that they’d never had before in [00:18:35] their lives. Yeah. So that was it definitely worked out. It wasn’t like that 15 minutes was [00:18:40] in in financial terms. I was I was losing out. I was definitely gaining [00:18:45] from that. People would could tell other people and I learned it from my wife. She has [00:18:50] loads of nervous patients that travel like miles and miles and miles to see her. And [00:18:55] I was thinking, wow, like wherever she goes, she’s always busy with these patients who love [00:19:00] her. And the main thing is that she’s very gentle and and so forth. It’s not possible [00:19:05] to deliver that on the NHS. So this is my question. What. So [00:19:10] so I know maybe, maybe, maybe that isn’t your protocol yet but something’s got to give. Yeah. And [00:19:15] I think it’s the conversations that give. You can’t have the filling having a problem. Right.

Solmaz Samae: No. [00:19:20] So something does have to give. You have to just find a balance, [00:19:25] a compromise. But.

Payman Langroudi: But then, doesn’t it depress you a little bit? When you’re doing NHS? [00:19:30]

Solmaz Samae: It does.

Payman Langroudi: It does.

Solmaz Samae: It does. But what depresses me more is [00:19:35] when I care more than the patient.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: That depresses me [00:19:40] more. You know where I’m paying out of pocket for you to be [00:19:45] here? I’m paying out of pocket to do these root canals like endless root canals.

Payman Langroudi: You’re losing [00:19:50] money.

Solmaz Samae: All on.

Payman Langroudi: And the patient doesn’t even care.

Solmaz Samae: No. And you [00:19:55] don’t care. And you’re still like, oh, yes. I’m only brushing once a day. I know I should be. And you’re like, oh, [00:20:00] that’s when I get frustrated.

Payman Langroudi: Okay. [00:20:05]

Solmaz Samae: But for the people that I that care, I try and go [00:20:10] all out.

Payman Langroudi: All right. So you’re doing two days with the Saturn.

Solmaz Samae: It’s one day now [00:20:15] because I want to take a day off to concentrate more on my YouTube [00:20:20] and my content creating.

Payman Langroudi: And do you religiously on that day [00:20:25] work on your YouTube?

Solmaz Samae: Only just taken this time off really. Only just [00:20:30] taken this time off. And it doesn’t start till end of March. [00:20:35]

Payman Langroudi: So let’s talk about the YouTube here, because you seem like you’re [00:20:40] a total natural on it. Like when I, when I, when I’ve seen it. You seem like [00:20:45] a seasoned content creator. Thank you. Where did that come from?

Solmaz Samae: So [00:20:50] my sister, my younger sister started creating content when she [00:20:55] was in university. She is a ST2, OBS and Gynae surgeon [00:21:00] now and when she was in university she started doing it. And she’s got millions [00:21:05] and millions of viewers and we’ll go on holiday like different continents and she’ll get [00:21:10] recognised and it’s lovely. And I was up north doing my [00:21:15] foundation, my DFT, DCT, uh, yes, DFT, fact. And [00:21:20] I was lonely and I didn’t have many [00:21:25] friends there. I didn’t have much to do. And she was like, why don’t you start YouTube? Like do [00:21:30] dentistry one. And I thought, yeah, okay.

Payman Langroudi: Was hers a medical one? [00:21:35]

Solmaz Samae: Hers was her journey in medical school. And she, like people [00:21:40] have followed her all the way through first year of medical school. Yeah. So she’s been doing it for [00:21:45] many years now. And she suggested it and I was like, okay, I’ll [00:21:50] start. So I started it in English and it was Dental [00:21:55] based, and I did a couple of videos, and I recorded one video where I [00:22:00] was wearing my scrubs outside of dental settings, [00:22:05] but it was an old scrub that I was not I’d not worn in a dental setting [00:22:10] previously. And one of the ladies that I was working with and I worked [00:22:15] with her husband as well, she made a complaint against me and [00:22:20] it scared me. Payman. It scared.

Payman Langroudi: Me. Who did she complain to?

Solmaz Samae: She complained [00:22:25] to our clinical lead or clinical director. I was working at the time [00:22:30] and?

Payman Langroudi: And said what? She’s wearing her scrubs. And where was it? Where was the place you were wearing [00:22:35] your scrubs?

Solmaz Samae: So I finished doing what I was doing, and I was in the car and I was [00:22:40] recording, and it was during Covid, so I wasn’t even working. And there were old scrubs [00:22:45] and, you know, and the clinical director [00:22:50] had a little chat with me and was like, so this has been brought to my attention, [00:22:55] like, and it scared me because I work so hard [00:23:00] for my dentistry. Like I work so hard to get here. It’s so precious [00:23:05] to me. I’m so protective of it. So I got scared [00:23:10] and I stopped recording for a little while, just completely put it aside and I [00:23:15] missed it. And I thought, okay, I’ll go back to it, but I’m not going to do it in English [00:23:20] and I’m not going to do anything Dental based. So I don’t even give Dental [00:23:25] advice online. Okay. I have YouTube, I have Instagram, [00:23:30] but I don’t put anything that’s clinical on there at all. Like [00:23:35] you’ll see me dancing with my nurses, but that would be it.

Payman Langroudi: So [00:23:40] now you do it in Persian.

Solmaz Samae: Now I do it in Persian, which is amazing. However, my Farsi, [00:23:45] my reading and writing. Even though I went to Iranian school here, I went to Rotterdam for many [00:23:50] years. Um, and I’ve got an A level did really well, but my [00:23:55] Farsi is.

Payman Langroudi: Not as.

Solmaz Samae: Good as your English. Yes, it’s de-skilled, so reading [00:24:00] comments is so problematic for me. So I sit there sometimes in the evening. Forgive my friend [00:24:05] to my dad. I’m like, can you read this please? Because what I’m reading is not making sense. So [00:24:10] but yeah, I.

Payman Langroudi: Mean, what I’m interested in is a lot of dentists make content, [00:24:15] yes, but their motivation for making content is, in the end, to get [00:24:20] patients.

Solmaz Samae: Oh, no I’m not.

Payman Langroudi: But a lot are.

Solmaz Samae: Okay.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. So what’s your [00:24:25] motivation? I mean, you’re not looking to get patients in speaking in Persian about [00:24:30] not dentistry.

Solmaz Samae: Not about dentistry, about cutting hair and going on [00:24:35] holiday with my sister.

Payman Langroudi: So what’s your motivation?

Solmaz Samae: I do it purely because I enjoy doing [00:24:40] it. I have fun, I enjoy recording, I enjoy editing, I enjoy uploading, [00:24:45] picking out thumbnails, tags, all of it.

Payman Langroudi: How is that [00:24:50] enjoyable? I mean, is it is it the reach? Is it the engagement?

Solmaz Samae: The engagement is [00:24:55] great. Like reading the comments is amazing. Walking in Brent Cross with my mum and [00:25:00] then someone randomly coming up to me. And what’s good about that?

Payman Langroudi: Do you like that?

Solmaz Samae: I love it, I [00:25:05] love it. And what I’ve taught, I realise now is that because they’ve watched me for some years, they [00:25:10] know me. So when I see them and greet them and they come up to me, I will greet them [00:25:15] like I’ve known them for years as well. Now, because they feel like they know me.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah, [00:25:20] but look, I get it, I get it. I’m at a dental conference. [00:25:25] Yeah. And someone comes up to me and says, hey, I listen to your podcast and I [00:25:30] like that. It’s a nice feeling. Yeah. And I talk to that person, and I really give that person or [00:25:35] someone says, I used enlightened on a patient and it really worked well. I like that. Yeah. But [00:25:40] it’s nice for me that that’s in a dental conference. I get my little high [00:25:45] from that. But if I’m in Brent Cross, no one recognises me. And that’s really nice for [00:25:50] me. I’m interested in the fact that no one recognises me in Brent Cross. I don’t [00:25:55] want to be recognised in Brent Cross. You know what I mean? Yeah. I want anonymity in the world. [00:26:00] Yeah. Or in a restaurant or wherever it is.

Solmaz Samae: Payman. I’m not so big [00:26:05] where I’m getting recognised left, right and centre.

Payman Langroudi: Maybe it’s.

Solmaz Samae: The worry.

Payman Langroudi: The worry of it. The it. The [00:26:10] worry of it. That’s for me. The worry. Worry over. I’m in, I’m in. I’m in a conference. I don’t have to worry [00:26:15] about it. I’m in a conference. Yeah, we’re all here to look at dentistry, right? It doesn’t matter, [00:26:20] all right? Loads of people come over and say hi. Well done. Whatever. Great, I love it. It’s a nice little. What’s [00:26:25] the chemical? Is it oxytocin? Yeah. Yeah yeah yeah.

Solmaz Samae: I [00:26:30] like that. What concerns me with that is safety [00:26:35] aspects.

Payman Langroudi: Right. That too. Have you had a stalker?

Solmaz Samae: A couple of situations. Have you [00:26:40] scared me quite a bit. So I had a little mini midlife [00:26:45] crisis at 40 and decided I wanted to go and pick up boxing. So I went to a boxing [00:26:50] camp in Thailand on my Jack Jones. Oh, it was an [00:26:55] amazing experience. But cold showers, morning workouts, [00:27:00] amazing and I’d post every day whilst I was there. No [00:27:05] one knew where this place was. They received a phone call at their camp, [00:27:10] and it was a lady wanting to come and see me in the camp, and it scared [00:27:15] me that she’d found me and that really scared me. I [00:27:20] had an incident a couple of years ago where a gentleman showed up to my local [00:27:25] pub because he’d seen on one of my sisters Instagram posts that I was [00:27:30] there, and that really scared me.

Payman Langroudi: So these guys didn’t do anything [00:27:35] crazy.

Solmaz Samae: They didn’t do.

Payman Langroudi: Anything. They found you, scared you.

Solmaz Samae: The fact that they found me [00:27:40] scared me. They didn’t do anything. And then once I explained to them that, oh, [00:27:45] like, I’m a little, like, scared by this, they’re [00:27:50] very understanding. And they explained that that wasn’t their intention. But [00:27:55] I’ve not had a stalker as such. No.

Payman Langroudi: Not [00:28:00] yet.

Solmaz Samae: Not yet.

Payman Langroudi: Okay, [00:28:05] so let’s talk about facial aesthetics.

Solmaz Samae: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: What’s the key to it? [00:28:10]

Solmaz Samae: Being honest with your patient, managing their expectations. [00:28:15] I.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. Tell me like a ha moment, an aha moment. [00:28:20] So you were doing facial aesthetics and something happened, or you did something or someone said something and you [00:28:25] felt like that’s an aha! Like, I get it, I get this, I really understand this. What [00:28:30] moments can you what what comes to mind?

Solmaz Samae: I really understand it. Like facial harmony [00:28:35] in terms of that whatever.

Payman Langroudi: Whatever, whether it’s a clinical thing, a management thing.

Solmaz Samae: Okay. So [00:28:40] I got into facial aesthetics some years back because my sisters and I, we [00:28:45] work in different fields. We wanted something that would connect all three of us so that we could [00:28:50] continue working with each other, and we’d have this bridge and this bond that would keep us [00:28:55] closer. So we opened our first clinic, and it was on Harley Street. At the back [00:29:00] of that, we opened the second clinic in Essex, which was amazing. [00:29:05] We sold the Essex Clinic because we didn’t have the time to dedicate to it, but it did pretty [00:29:10] well and just concentrated on the one on Harley Street. And in [00:29:15] terms of the patients we see, we’re very, um, we’re selective [00:29:20] of the patients that we see. We do a lot of Botox, fillers, [00:29:25] PRP for hair loss, polynucleotides. I do a [00:29:30] lot of PRP for hair loss. Whilst I was at university, I [00:29:35] got alopecia, alopecia areata, [00:29:40] and it was stress induced where chunks of my hair fell [00:29:45] out and I had loads of bald patches all over my head. And [00:29:50] it was very, very concerning. Some months went back, it [00:29:55] went, and someone I love was diagnosed with cancer and [00:30:00] I realised that it’s just hair. It really does not matter [00:30:05] as long as the rest of you is healthy. Who cares? But I [00:30:10] can see why people would be upset if they were to lose their hair. [00:30:15] So I started looking into hair loss and prevention [00:30:20] and treatments.

Payman Langroudi: So what is the treatment?

Solmaz Samae: What is so PRP is [00:30:25] where you take the patient’s blood. You put platelet rich plasma therapy. You take the patient’s [00:30:30] blood, you put it in a centrifuge, and you inject the platelet rich plasma into the area and it wakes [00:30:35] up dormant hair follicles. It didn’t really work, and it doesn’t really work for alopecia [00:30:40] or alopecia areata. And I tell my patients this if they’re adamant [00:30:45] they want to try it, then we’ll try it. I’ve only [00:30:50] had one patient where it has worked for her, and when it did, like we were both [00:30:55] in tears looking at like before and after photos, like it was seven months of [00:31:00] treatment that she had. But in terms going back to your question, [00:31:05] aha moments, I think it is having a 60 year old [00:31:10] patient in the chair who doesn’t feel as attractive [00:31:15] as she did, and you just want to just make her feel a little better about [00:31:20] herself. And she leaves your clinic feeling just that, you know, there’s [00:31:25] a nice aha moments for me if someone comes in [00:31:30] with a filter on their face saying, I want to look like this, I’m like, no, I [00:31:35] can’t do that. If they want excessive fillers in their face, the profit [00:31:40] margin for fillers is incredible. You like, you make so much money [00:31:45] from fillers, but I would not touch it and overfill just to line [00:31:50] my pocket like it’s not how I work. Like I don’t mind. [00:31:55]

Payman Langroudi: Even if the patient’s asking for.

Solmaz Samae: It. No I can’t, no, because I don’t believe you need [00:32:00] it.

Payman Langroudi: So isn’t it his choice? Her choice?

Solmaz Samae: I don’t think it will [00:32:05] look good. I don’t want my name on that. I don’t want you to go tell people that Doctor Sol [00:32:10] did this.

Payman Langroudi: It’s interesting. So, look, there’s a there’s a degree in any aesthetic field. [00:32:15] Yes. We do have to look out for sort of body dysmorphic syndrome. Yeah, yeah. [00:32:20] That’s important. Even cosmetic dentistry, you do sometimes the problem isn’t the [00:32:25] way things look, the problems in the head.

Solmaz Samae: It’s more psychological.

Payman Langroudi: And people are trying to find a solution [00:32:30] for something. And they. And so that’s true. That’s real. Yeah, I get it. Is that what you’re alluding [00:32:35] to?

Solmaz Samae: That is. And you guide them to like another path [00:32:40] and you explain, look, this is not what I’m seeing. Yeah. You don’t need this. You [00:32:45] know, people will come in, we do something called fat dissolving injections, okay? And they’ll come [00:32:50] in and you assess them. You’ve done the full exam. Everything. And you say, look, I [00:32:55] really don’t believe that this is an issue here. I [00:33:00] really don’t think that this is an issue here. I think it’s more [00:33:05] something else. And you put them in touch with a therapist and it’s up to them then if they want [00:33:10] to take it further.

Payman Langroudi: So fat dissolving, injections [00:33:15] dissolving. In what situation do you use that.

Solmaz Samae: So patients who have [00:33:20] a little stubborn fat under their chin, for example. Okay. Or a [00:33:25] little pouch, maybe just on their belly.

Payman Langroudi: Okay.

Solmaz Samae: Different areas. [00:33:30] Okay. On their arms.

Payman Langroudi: And how long does that work for?

Solmaz Samae: It’s [00:33:35] permanent until if they were to overeat. But [00:33:40] you need to work. Yes. And they need several sessions. Again, unless [00:33:45] they really need it. I don’t recommend it.

Payman Langroudi: What’s that product.

Payman Langroudi: Called?

Solmaz Samae: Aqua. [00:33:50] So. And then there’s another one on the market now called lemon Bottle. Tool.

Payman Langroudi: All [00:33:55] right. So these are two things I had no idea existed. What other things are you doing that I don’t [00:34:00] know about apart from fillers and Botox?

Solmaz Samae: Uh, Fred’s. But I don’t touch Fred’s because. Yes, [00:34:05] PDO threads, they’re inserted into skin and he pulled the skin up with them, [00:34:10] but it’s more so. It’s like a little mini facelift, if you like. [00:34:15] How so? I don’t do this procedure, but my sister does. I don’t [00:34:20] do it because I like it is. It’s just a little too. I get a little squeamish with [00:34:25] it.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: So how about these sort of light treatments? Do you do those? [00:34:30]

Solmaz Samae: No. No light treatments.

Payman Langroudi: What’s that? What is that? I have no idea. Is it crap? I don’t.

Solmaz Samae: Know.

Payman Langroudi: Is [00:34:35] it.

Payman Langroudi: Is it? I don’t know. I have no idea. It’s crap. I don’t know it.

Payman Langroudi: Just see it. You know what I’m talking [00:34:40] about.

Payman Langroudi: The red light mask thing.

Payman Langroudi: Is that supposed to do something to your quality? You have no.

Payman Langroudi: Idea. [00:34:45] No, I don’t know enough about it.

Solmaz Samae: I only focus on more natural stuff and Botox. [00:34:50] I love Botox.

Payman Langroudi: So when you’re giving Botox?

Payman Langroudi: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: What [00:34:55] are things that you know, most people don’t realise about what to do in that situation? [00:35:00] Like what do beginners not understand? That people who are more seasoned do understand? [00:35:05]

Solmaz Samae: Botox is very forgiving. Um, you need to be very well [00:35:10] as a dentist. We know the anatomy very, very well.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: So [00:35:15] we’re perfect in doing Botox, but you need to manage your patient’s [00:35:20] expectations. Yeah. I really recommend the review. At two weeks after. [00:35:25]

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: For all your patients. Um, I don’t like [00:35:30] a completely frozen face. I don’t like that. And I ask my patients if that’s [00:35:35] what they want. That’s what we’ll go for. But it’s nice to have a little expression. You know, [00:35:40] what you want to do is just delay the ageing process. Ageing is beautiful. We’re [00:35:45] so privileged to age. It’s amazing and it’s wonderful. [00:35:50] I look at my mom’s body, and I just absolutely love my mom’s body. You know, like, [00:35:55] all the scars, everything. It’s just gorgeous. And just to be able to [00:36:00] age is wonderful. It’s just delaying that process a little bit. With [00:36:05] Botox, it just relaxes the muscles a little bit. So they’re not working as fast.

Payman Langroudi: But it’s [00:36:10] the tip. Give less than you think.

Solmaz Samae: No.

Payman Langroudi: What’s the.

Payman Langroudi: Tip?

Solmaz Samae: The tip for Botox [00:36:15] review. Just review it. Don’t be scared.

Payman Langroudi: I [00:36:20] find I look. Obviously it’s a bit like saying, uh, I don’t like [00:36:25] cosmetic dentistry when you see bad cosmetic dentistry. Right. Because I’m sure good facial aesthetics, [00:36:30] you know, no one even realises it’s happening, right? But I find sometimes with Botox, you get this weird, [00:36:35] sort of angry look on the face. The eyebrows.

Payman Langroudi: Go. I’ve had Botox. Have you?

Solmaz Samae: Yes. [00:36:40] And look, I’ve still got movement.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: But it’s just a [00:36:45] little bit. Do I look angry?

Payman Langroudi: I’m pulling [00:36:50] a face.

Payman Langroudi: I’ve never seen you without Botox. Maybe without Botox. But [00:36:55] do you know what I’m talking about?

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. Eyebrows go up a little bit. Like a little [00:37:00] like that. Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: I just don’t. I don’t know enough about it yet, but I’m thinking [00:37:05] maybe people get super focussed in on a wrinkle and forget the fact [00:37:10] that the whole face is changing.

Payman Langroudi: The whole face.

Solmaz Samae: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: So what about fillers or fillers? Much [00:37:15] less technique. Like more technique sensitive, fillers.

Solmaz Samae: More technique [00:37:20] sensitive? Definitely. And what you have to realise with fillers, there’s a lot on the market. [00:37:25] Uh, some of them do not dissolve. So, like, [00:37:30] you can inject it and they won’t dissolve, so they’ll just stay. So if you were to inject a capillary [00:37:35] and you clued it, it’s just there.

Payman Langroudi: Well.

Solmaz Samae: And you’ll have people [00:37:40] come in or you see pictures where patients, the tip of their nose is like necrosed [00:37:45] and like falling off the side of the lip. So I really don’t like the fact [00:37:50] that anyone could not dispense [00:37:55] but practice.

Payman Langroudi: And it’s.

Payman Langroudi: Not regulated.

Payman Langroudi: Is it?

Solmaz Samae: It’s not [00:38:00] regulated, unfortunately.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: And that’s scary.

Payman Langroudi: And in the industry is there [00:38:05] is there sort of calls for it to be regulated? Would you would you.

Payman Langroudi: Like it like.

Solmaz Samae: It to be regulated? [00:38:10] I, um, I don’t think everyone should do it. I don’t think [00:38:15] a beautician should do it. You know, they have no education on the anatomy. And [00:38:20] if it goes wrong, then they don’t know how [00:38:25] to deal with the complications.

Payman Langroudi: And on the sort of the business side of it.

Solmaz Samae: Yes. [00:38:30]

Payman Langroudi: How profitable is it compared to.

Payman Langroudi: Other.

Payman Langroudi: Other bits like per hour? How [00:38:35] much can you make doing facial aesthetics compared to dentistry? Is it.

Payman Langroudi: Better?

Solmaz Samae: It’s. [00:38:40] Yes.

Payman Langroudi: Is it easier than dentistry?

Solmaz Samae: Easier than dentistry? It doesn’t have. The stress [00:38:45] of dentistry is not. It’s a different sort of satisfaction. It’s, um, [00:38:50] Botox, for example. Nice profit margin. And [00:38:55] it takes, what, 15 minutes?

Payman Langroudi: How much does it cost?

Solmaz Samae: Um. [00:39:00] It varies.

Payman Langroudi: 100 upwards for [00:39:05] the patient?

Solmaz Samae: No, for the patient, it’s £200 for three areas. We charge [00:39:10] for your products. It’s 100 plus.

Payman Langroudi: It’s just it’s the re order [00:39:15] rate. That’s beautiful on it from.

Payman Langroudi: The business perspective.

Solmaz Samae: And you forget that they’re [00:39:20] ageing. So they need to come back and see you more regularly. And if [00:39:25] they’re happy they’ll send their sister, their mum their husband. And it’s [00:39:30] not just Botox for men or anti ageing injectables for women, [00:39:35] it’s for men as well. Men have Botox, you know. Yes. [00:39:40] Or for hyperhidrosis Process, which is for [00:39:45] excessive sweating. As a child, I used to sweat so much and it was so [00:39:50] embarrassing. Payman to the point that I used to take a shirt with me to [00:39:55] school and change my uniform after lunch, because I’d have these [00:40:00] horrific sweat patches. And then I had the Botox [00:40:05] under my arms and it changed my life. There were certain colours that I couldn’t wear. [00:40:10]

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: So it’s so is there any downside to that.

Solmaz Samae: To [00:40:15] the hyperhidrosis.

Payman Langroudi: Having Botox for that?

Solmaz Samae: Are there [00:40:20] downsides and complications for everything?

Payman Langroudi: I don’t.

Payman Langroudi: Mean complications. Is there something around [00:40:25] I don’t know. You’re not getting rid of toxins or something like that. You know, people talk about.

Payman Langroudi: Antiperspirants. [00:40:30]

Solmaz Samae: Somewhere.

Payman Langroudi: Else.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. You think of.

Payman Langroudi: No, no. [00:40:35]

Payman Langroudi: Listen, we’re going to go on to talk about mistakes.

Solmaz Samae: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: I want [00:40:40] to kind of ask you about facial aesthetics.

Payman Langroudi: Okay.

Payman Langroudi: Mistakes. What comes [00:40:45] to mind if I talk about clinical errors you’ve made in this area? I mean, at the end of the day, you’re an experienced [00:40:50] practitioner.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: What does that mean? Experience means you’ve come across a few [00:40:55] funny situations. Difficult situations. What comes to mind? What’s the most difficult situation you’ve come [00:41:00] across on facial aesthetics?

Solmaz Samae: Anything filler related, like just fillers, [00:41:05] generally fuel me with anxiety.

Payman Langroudi: Do you use the ones that don’t dissolve? [00:41:10]

Payman Langroudi: No.

Solmaz Samae: God, no. I use juvederm and any juvederm. But fillers? [00:41:15] Very anxiety provoking. Botox is not. Botox [00:41:20] is very forgiving. Prp is incredible. Polynucleotides amazing. [00:41:25] But with fillers from the minute you start injecting [00:41:30] till days after I give all my patients my direct WhatsApp [00:41:35] number and I tell them regardless of what time it is, message me. A few years [00:41:40] ago, I had a lady that I’d seen in Essex, in Essex [00:41:45] Clinic, and she, I saw her [00:41:50] and the following day my sister and I had gone away to Monaco, and the [00:41:55] entire trip was ruined because she was messaging me pictures of her face, [00:42:00] and I thought I’d included. I’d not, but I had to have one of my other sisters [00:42:05] see her in the Harley Street clinic, just to be sure. [00:42:10] That’s it.

Payman Langroudi: So you hadn’t done anything wrong?

Solmaz Samae: No, I hadn’t.

Payman Langroudi: So what about when you [00:42:15] had done something wrong?

Solmaz Samae: God.

Payman Langroudi: Well, [00:42:20] you know, another way of looking at it is your most difficult patient. Sometimes [00:42:25] you haven’t done anything wrong, but the patient themselves is a nightmare.

Solmaz Samae: Over [00:42:30] the years, you filter your patients, don’t you? So the patients you’re seeing now and like your [00:42:35] recalls and returning treatment of patients you love. If you’re not, [00:42:40] if you don’t have that bond with them, you stop seeing them. So [00:42:45] I can’t think of any at the minute. There’s been times where I’d [00:42:50] needed to see them for a lot of treatment, where the Botox [00:42:55] had just not taken.

Payman Langroudi: But but in that situation, is [00:43:00] there something that you could have done differently? I mean, we’re trying to get to a mistake you made that all [00:43:05] of us can learn from.

Payman Langroudi: God.

Solmaz Samae: Being selective [00:43:10] of your patient. Like if you can see that you can’t manage their expectation, or [00:43:15] if you can see or just feel you know it.

Payman Langroudi: There’s a spidey sense, right?

Payman Langroudi: That’s it. [00:43:20]

Solmaz Samae: And as soon as you feel it, like, don’t do it. It’s not worth [00:43:25] it. That little amount is really not worth the money. It’s really not worth the headache. [00:43:30] Like, just say no. Like, we’re so scared.

Payman Langroudi: Of seeing.

Payman Langroudi: Times where you’ve [00:43:35] had that.

Payman Langroudi: Feeling.

Payman Langroudi: But your ego might have taken over and thought, I can do this. [00:43:40]

Solmaz Samae: Yeah, or not even my ego just because.

Payman Langroudi: I was.

Payman Langroudi: A people pleaser.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. [00:43:45]

Solmaz Samae: But also I was thinking maybe. Oh, it’s a [00:43:50] nice bit of cash.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: You know, and it’s that it’s like ten minutes, so stop it. What’s [00:43:55] wrong with you? Just get on with it, you know? And you, just afterwards, you’re like, [00:44:00] God, I wish I’d listened, you know? And you just [00:44:05] can’t manage them. And then at the end, you end up giving them a refund. [00:44:10] And I’m very quick Payman to. If someone’s unhappy with anything, [00:44:15] even with dentistry refund, it’s not worth my headache. It’s not worth my [00:44:20] heartache.

Payman Langroudi: On that subject, I mean, I’ve only worked in [00:44:25] places where I could make that decision straight away, but in your corporate setting.

Payman Langroudi: I.

Solmaz Samae: Don’t [00:44:30] mind if it comes out of my pocket. I really do not mind if it comes out of my pocket because [00:44:35] nothing is worth my mental health. I’ll pay it gladly out of my own [00:44:40] pocket.

Payman Langroudi: So in the corporate setting, you can do that. You can just say, right, I’m paying out of my pocket. End [00:44:45] of story.

Solmaz Samae: I’ve done it previously with Bupa, where they’ve been unhappy with a crown and I’ve just [00:44:50] been like. And they’re like, no, we’re not going to refund it. I was like, that’s fine, I’ll refund it.

Payman Langroudi: I agree [00:44:55] with you though. I agree with you. I think even if the patient is wrong. Yeah. [00:45:00] For me, that’s it’s an interesting point. People say, oh, you did everything [00:45:05] right, so you shouldn’t have to refund. Yeah. You didn’t do everything right. There’s an unhappy [00:45:10] patient. That’s it. Yeah. You know what I mean? I would say the patient is trying it [00:45:15] on. Yeah. That famous phrase. Yeah. All right. Patients trying it on. You [00:45:20] know, it’s still an unhappy patient. Yeah. You didn’t spot that. That was the kind of patient that might [00:45:25] be trying it on for me. If something goes wrong. Immediate refund. Immediate refund before. [00:45:30] So let’s take the money out of the equation first. Yeah, because something [00:45:35] went wrong. And you know, this idea that this patient will go into another patient [00:45:40] and another patient, that this one’s an easy person to get a refund out of. That is just not the way the world works.

Solmaz Samae: I [00:45:45] don’t agree with that.

Payman Langroudi: It’s not the way the world works. And I find as soon as you can [00:45:50] dissociate from that refund. Yeah. As an you know, as [00:45:55] I say, even if you did everything absolutely right, you [00:46:00] still acknowledging that if the patient’s not happy, I’m not happy. It shows you [00:46:05] as the kind of dentist that people want to see, you know. But then I’ve had situations in corporates [00:46:10] where that’s happened and then it’s gone up the corporate chain and the, [00:46:15] you know, there’s been some difficulty around that refund and patients gone berserk and so [00:46:20] on. It’s one of those things. So now.

Payman Langroudi: Yes. [00:46:25]

Payman Langroudi: Let’s go back to your journey to getting into dentistry.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: Because it [00:46:30] was turbulent.

Payman Langroudi: It was.

Payman Langroudi: Let’s go into.

Payman Langroudi: It.

Solmaz Samae: So as [00:46:35] a teenager, I really wanted to study dentistry, and I [00:46:40] was. I saw [00:46:45] a gentleman hiking in the Himalayas, and he had a [00:46:50] backpack, and he was treating the Tibetan [00:46:55] monks. And I fell in love with the idea. I just I absolutely loved [00:47:00] the idea that he was travelling and treating people. [00:47:05] Dentally dentally.

Payman Langroudi: But what were the backpack? What did.

Payman Langroudi: He have? Like a drill. [00:47:10] Drill thing?

Solmaz Samae: He had more. He was extracting, but he.

Payman Langroudi: Had more.

Solmaz Samae: Than just the backpack. But you know, [00:47:15] I love that this solo man was just doing all of this. It was an older gentleman.

Payman Langroudi: What [00:47:20] were you doing in the Himalayas?

Solmaz Samae: We were hiking.

Payman Langroudi: Okay.

Solmaz Samae: We were trekking. Oh, it was [00:47:25] a it was a funny story. It was only once I got up there that I realised I was scared of [00:47:30] heights like idiots. Anyway. [00:47:35] So I fell in love with the idea. I came back, applied for dentistry. My biology let me down [00:47:40] and I ended up studying a different degree. Pharmaceutical Sciences at [00:47:45] Portsmouth worked for a couple of years.

Payman Langroudi: As a pharmacist.

Solmaz Samae: No. [00:47:50] So privately I had a banqueting suite. So I went, I worked here, [00:47:55] I had some money and my mum was like, you should invest it. I was like, what do I do?

Payman Langroudi: And she [00:48:00] was like, do.

Solmaz Samae: Something in.

Payman Langroudi: Iran.

Payman Langroudi: Rewind, rewind. What do you mean? You had a banqueting suite.

Solmaz Samae: Banqueting suite where [00:48:05] they have weddings.

Payman Langroudi: Well, that was a business you started.

Solmaz Samae: That was a business I started. So [00:48:10] I had some money here and my mum was like, you should invest it. And I was like, okay, what do [00:48:15] I do? She was like, go to Iran and start a business there. I was like, I don’t know much about Iran. [00:48:20] She was like, go, it’ll be okay. I was like, okay. So I [00:48:25] got I bought a banqueting suite. So it’s.

Payman Langroudi: Where?

Solmaz Samae: In [00:48:30] Birjand I’d say it was on two floors and there was a little flat [00:48:35] on top. 700 people. Weddings in Iran tend to be segregated. So [00:48:40] one floor for men, another floor for women, and then a little flat on top. And [00:48:45] I was working here in the UK and the banqueting suite was busy. They [00:48:50] had weddings all the time, but I wasn’t making any money. And they like send money, [00:48:55] send money, send money. I was like, what is going on? So I went to Iran to see what was going on, and [00:49:00] I was in the flat and I was coming down and I [00:49:05] could hear the manager speaking to someone else, and he said, do whatever [00:49:10] she says. She is leaving in a couple of weeks and we can go back to doing what we [00:49:15] want. He didn’t say it as nice as I just said it, and I thought, nah, it’s [00:49:20] not going to work like that, mate. So I ended up staying, Yang. I [00:49:25] oversaw it and I was getting homesick, so I’d spend three weeks there, one [00:49:30] week in the UK, three weeks there, one week in the UK, and I was going back and forth [00:49:35] and my suitcase was empty every time.

Solmaz Samae: So initially I’d take stuff back for people [00:49:40] and then they said, I thought, okay, let me start taking [00:49:45] clothes. So I started taking clothes back and bought a little boutique. [00:49:50] And so the boutique was doing well and I thought, okay, we’ve got this banqueting [00:49:55] suite. People are getting married like we need wedding dresses. Region doesn’t [00:50:00] have like a lot of bridal shops. So I went to Turkey, bought some bridal dresses, [00:50:05] opened the little bridal shop as well, all on my own. And then one [00:50:10] day I went to pay my taxes. And there and there was [00:50:15] a gentleman, Hussein and Hussein Agha, and he was [00:50:20] the head. He was head of tax or something. For that reason, in [00:50:25] Iran. And the person my assistant had gone to pay the bill and I was just sitting [00:50:30] with him and I was like, look, just to clarify, this is not how [00:50:35] much I’ve earned, but this is how much I’m, um. Not [00:50:40] what is it called when you.

Payman Langroudi: Like.

Payman Langroudi: Showing that you’ve.

Payman Langroudi: Earned.

Solmaz Samae: This is what I’m. How much I’m declaring. [00:50:45]

Payman Langroudi: Declaring this.

Solmaz Samae: Is what? How much I’m declaring. He’s like, oh my God, why [00:50:50] are you telling me this? I was like, because it needs to be halal. It needs to be kosher, otherwise it’s [00:50:55] not going to go right. And he really liked me at the back of that. So we became friends. [00:51:00] He was an older gentleman around my dad’s age, and we’d go and I’d go and visit him [00:51:05] daily. And one day that I was there, a another gentleman came in [00:51:10] and he kept bowing at this man so much. And he was. And after he left, he was like, their [00:51:15] tax bill is millions and da da da. I was like, oh, okay. He was like, he [00:51:20] manages the tile company for Birjand. I was like, wow. He [00:51:25] was like, they’ve got three factories. Did you know their furnaces are on all the [00:51:30] time? And I was like, no, I didn’t know that. And he said, because their furnaces [00:51:35] are on all the time, they’ve got employees around the clock and in Birjand. If [00:51:40] you’re employing someone, you have to provide their lunch and their dinner. [00:51:45] And I said to him, who provides their lunch? And he said, I don’t know. I was like, [00:51:50] who provides their dinner? And he was like, I don’t know. I was like, well, I want that from you. I was like, if they [00:51:55] don’t have a kitchen, I want my kitchen for my banqueting suite to [00:52:00] supply them with their food. And he was like, okay. So the next day he arranged [00:52:05] a meeting and we went to the banquet to the tile place [00:52:10] to speak to someone. And as we went in, I saw a young [00:52:15] man. So I told a couple of weddings a month, and these would [00:52:20] be for people who can’t afford it.

Solmaz Samae: So, like the people [00:52:25] from the orphanage who’d gotten older and they couldn’t afford it, and the young guy that was there, [00:52:30] I had I held his wedding at my place like a gift from me [00:52:35] to him and his wife. And he was like, oh my God, what are you doing here? And I was like, I’m here for [00:52:40] this. And he was like, oh, amazing. And then another gentleman came and he was like, [00:52:45] I know you. And I was like, you do. He was like, yes. So what [00:52:50] I would do during the day, because I didn’t know many people there and I didn’t socialise. I used to go to [00:52:55] the old people’s home and they’re segregated in Iran. [00:53:00] So you have male and female segregated. Initially I went to the men’s bar, but I didn’t really like [00:53:05] it. I didn’t feel comfortable. So I went to the women’s one and they would [00:53:10] they would be sitting there and I’d go and I’d taken them some instruments [00:53:15] and stuff, and they would play and I would dance for them. So that’s how I used to spend [00:53:20] some of my days when I wasn’t working. And he said, my wife manages the old [00:53:25] people’s home that you go to. And she’s told me about you. I was like, oh, that’s lovely. [00:53:30] And he was like, why are you here? And I was like, for this. And at the back of that, [00:53:35] they spoke to the manager as well, and I ended up getting this amazing [00:53:40] deal where I was supplying the food for all three factories as well. [00:53:45]

Payman Langroudi: Wow.

Solmaz Samae: So the business ended up doing really, really well. And I must have been [00:53:50] 29. And I thought, okay, I’m making money, but I’m not [00:53:55] satisfied. And I spoke to my dad and I said, look, I really want [00:54:00] to go back and study dentistry. I feel like I’m just not satisfied. [00:54:05] And he said, you’re going to be working for another 3 or 4 decades if [00:54:10] you think it’ll make you happy. You have mine and your mum’s support. Go and do it. [00:54:15] So I applied for UK universities and I didn’t get a place. And [00:54:20] my sister told me about an agency that sent people abroad. [00:54:25] So I went and I wanted to go to Prague. And [00:54:30] when I got there, they said, look, we’ve got a new university that’s signed [00:54:35] up with us. Would you be interested in having a little look? And I said, of [00:54:40] course. They showed me the prospectus and it looked beautiful. It had this wonderful beach [00:54:45] and it was RSU in Riga, Latvia, [00:54:50] and there was a beach and there was sun and I thought, amazing. [00:54:55] The first winter it was -26 degrees.

Payman Langroudi: I was like, oh [00:55:00] my God.

Solmaz Samae: I’m like.

Payman Langroudi: Okay.

Solmaz Samae: So I started that September [00:55:05] and went, I was in Latvia for five years [00:55:10] and I remember starting and there was a dentist that sings, and he was [00:55:15] like, so you’re pushing 30. You should be pushing a pram, my love. Why are you going to uni? [00:55:20] And I thought, nah, I’m going. And a lot of people would comment like, you’re too [00:55:25] old for it and you’re never too old. There’s a beautiful Iranian saying that [00:55:30] says, as of today, whenever you catch a fish, [00:55:35] it’s fresh. Meaning it’s never too late. And so [00:55:40] I did. I graduated from Riga in 2018.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. [00:55:45] Okay. But you’re going to just say that about Riga. I’d like to know more about [00:55:50] like.

Payman Langroudi: What would.

Solmaz Samae: You like.

Payman Langroudi: To know?

Payman Langroudi: So. So did you have to learn the language?

Solmaz Samae: No, it was done in English. [00:55:55] The only Latvian I know is at Ludlow. Which means. [00:56:00] Please open your mouth. And I used to know a metre of tequila, please. [00:56:05] But all those metres of tequilas. I’ve forgotten how to say it now.

Payman Langroudi: So [00:56:10] Kush was there.

Payman Langroudi: From Dental? Yes.

Payman Langroudi: And salmon.

Solmaz Samae: And [00:56:15] salmon was.

Payman Langroudi: Their.

Payman Langroudi: New life in.

Payman Langroudi: Belfast.

Payman Langroudi: Good friends of.

Payman Langroudi: Mine.

Solmaz Samae: And [00:56:20] we were in the same class and it was amazing.

Payman Langroudi: Do you have.

Payman Langroudi: Fun?

Solmaz Samae: We had an [00:56:25] incredible.

Payman Langroudi: Because both of those two.

Payman Langroudi: Guys had a great time.

Payman Langroudi: And we.

Solmaz Samae: Had an incredible [00:56:30] time. It was so much fun. Amazing time. So many [00:56:35] memories. Crazy.

Payman Langroudi: But then, I mean, how would you treat patients without knowing the language other than open [00:56:40] your mouth?

Solmaz Samae: I didn’t know anything about consent until I got here. Consent was not [00:56:45] a thing. As soon as they sat in the chair, you had consent. In terms of what? Treatment [00:56:50] options? There was no treatment options for them. It was whatever you needed. Like to [00:56:55] get past the semester, you know, okay, I need composites. So that’s what we’re doing [00:57:00] I need amalgam, so that’s what we’re doing. I need a crown and that’s what we’re doing. And [00:57:05] I got here and I had to wait a couple of months [00:57:10] to get my GDC, and I was lucky enough [00:57:15] that the lady I was working with who was my, um, [00:57:20] I’ve forgotten what the role is now, but [00:57:25] she, instead of waiting for me to get the GDC and start working, [00:57:30] she said, look, during this time, would you like to shadow me? And I thought, yes, I’d love [00:57:35] to shadow you. Yeah, definitely. So I started shadowing her, and for two months. [00:57:40] And that’s when I learned everything from this wonderful human being. [00:57:45] Rachael Nichol, who’s a consultant paediatrics up in Up [00:57:50] North.

Payman Langroudi: Rotherham.

Solmaz Samae: In Sheffield.

Payman Langroudi: So [00:57:55] what do you think was deficient about that course? What did what did they teach well [00:58:00] and what did they not teach so well?

Solmaz Samae: Clinical side. Incredible. Amazing. Like surgeries. [00:58:05]

Payman Langroudi: He did quite a lot of hands on.

Solmaz Samae: Yes. So surgeries and extractions [00:58:10] are amazing. Um, we had moogs where you stimulators where you’d practice [00:58:15] on. And I remember the first session, we had a surgical [00:58:20] teacher who took us in, and she took us out of the room. The stimulating [00:58:25] room took us into the dental hospital. And she was like, no, you need to smell blood. [00:58:30] And we started seeing the dental emergency patients on [00:58:35] a Wednesday, after I would finish university, I would go upstairs and work in [00:58:40] the lab, and I would assist the lab assistants so that I could understand the lab aspects [00:58:45] of it. Saturdays during the day, I there was a max [00:58:50] FAC surgeon, and because I was older, he had a little crush on me and I [00:58:55] used this to my benefit and nursed for him on Saturdays so that I could [00:59:00] learn more about that aspect of it.

Payman Langroudi: Because your journey to dentistry was [00:59:05] a little bit more difficult?

Payman Langroudi: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: Do you feel like you were really going for it?

Payman Langroudi: Like 100%. [00:59:10]

Payman Langroudi: Trying to get the most.

Payman Langroudi: Out of it?

Solmaz Samae: 100%. I worked very, very hard, but [00:59:15] I partied very hard as well. You need a.

Payman Langroudi: Balance.

Payman Langroudi: I like that very few people in the world can [00:59:20] pull pull that off. You know, I was trying to get that in my son. I was saying, work hard, play hard. Such a [00:59:25] great way to play.

Payman Langroudi: Work hard, play harder.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. But when I got to dentistry aged 19. [00:59:30]

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: Spoilt kid. Yeah. First time away from home. Um, [00:59:35] you know, I didn’t make the most of it. I didn’t, I struggled at first. I [00:59:40] found it very hard. Um, and and I think, you know, that I [00:59:45] know so many people who’ve studied abroad. And when they come back, they want to really [00:59:50] make a big impact as well, you know? And Kunal Patel [00:59:55] talks about the idea that he studied in Prague, and he talks about the idea that when [01:00:00] you come back from there, you haven’t got the fear of the With the GDC in [01:00:05] your head, in the same way as UK graduates have, because no one’s ever told you about the GDC. [01:00:10] And he said that that actually was an advantage for him because he would just [01:00:15] jump in and do stuff without worrying that there’s going to be a problem. Whereas all the UK [01:00:20] graduates, especially at the time he was graduating, it was sort of peak GDC moment. So all the UK graduates [01:00:25] were so scared to do anything. So from that perspective, from that angle, [01:00:30] what would you say was the, you know, the big advantage of studying there? [01:00:35] And what would you say is the big disadvantage?

Solmaz Samae: The biggest disadvantage [01:00:40] is.

Payman Langroudi: People wouldn’t give you jobs.

Payman Langroudi: Here, I guess, right. Is that.

Payman Langroudi: Something. [01:00:45]

Solmaz Samae: The jobs aspect of it? I was lucky in that I did my foundation year. I [01:00:50] did a DCT course, but you.

Payman Langroudi: Managed to get into.

Payman Langroudi: That.

Solmaz Samae: I did, I managed to get [01:00:55] into it. So I’m very proud of myself for that. That was an incredible [01:01:00] achievement and that changed my router dentistry and my understanding of it because [01:01:05] I learned how it works in the UK. So all of the study [01:01:10] days really helped me. And because I was with other UK graduates [01:01:15] here, I learned more. But you constantly. There’s [01:01:20] this imposter syndrome that you cannot shake off when you’re from abroad [01:01:25] internally.

Payman Langroudi: Yes. Really?

Solmaz Samae: Yes. Because you constantly [01:01:30] think that I wasn’t good enough to get into a UK university. [01:01:35] I had to pay to go to university privately. So [01:01:40] you feel like you’re not smart enough. So when people ask you where did you study? A [01:01:45] little bit of you just kind of like, oh, you know.

Payman Langroudi: Latvia. You [01:01:50] know, because I wasn’t.

Solmaz Samae: Good enough for the UK.

Payman Langroudi: That’s interesting. [01:01:55]

Solmaz Samae: There is this, there is that. And so would it [01:02:00] be imposter syndrome.

Payman Langroudi: Or.

Payman Langroudi: Whatever you want to call it? What was the advantage [01:02:05] of studying?

Solmaz Samae: The advantage? Was that.

Payman Langroudi: Maybe.

Payman Langroudi: The same thing, right?

Payman Langroudi: The [01:02:10] chip.

Payman Langroudi: On the.

Payman Langroudi: Shoulder that.

Payman Langroudi: It gave you now drives you harder.

Payman Langroudi: No.

Solmaz Samae: It’s the [01:02:15] people and the experience. You’re in this very close community of [01:02:20] international students and the ones you build for life. I [01:02:25] shared a house with a medical student, Nico, and [01:02:30] we see each other, like, regularly. German students?

Payman Langroudi: Yes.

Solmaz Samae: So I go [01:02:35] to Dusseldorf and visit him. He comes here and I good friends, good bond. [01:02:40] Because you have no family there. Your friends and your classmates are your family. [01:02:45] They see you at your most vulnerable. So if you’re ill, [01:02:50] if you’re poorly, you know, even a cold. They’re there. Someone in Kush shared [01:02:55] the same house for many years, and they’ve seen different sides of each other, but it’s [01:03:00] nice, but also where you’re paying for your degree.

Payman Langroudi: How much was it?

Solmaz Samae: It’s [01:03:05] now 20 something [01:03:10] thousand euros. I think when I first started was €14,000, and then it started [01:03:15] going up a year, and where I was paying for it independently at the back [01:03:20] of my business, and I kept the business for a couple of years.

Payman Langroudi: Oh. Did you?

Solmaz Samae: Yes. I would go back [01:03:25] like Christmases. I would go back to Iran, summer holidays when everyone [01:03:30] else is out partying. I would go back to Iran and I would work, you know. [01:03:35]

Payman Langroudi: So you so you.

Payman Langroudi: Paid the whole fees yourself out of your business.

Solmaz Samae: I paid three the first three [01:03:40] years, and my parents paid the last two because I had to close the business down and they [01:03:45] paid the last two.

Payman Langroudi: So the kind of person who manages to pull [01:03:50] that off. Yeah, it’s not a joke. Not a joking matter.

Payman Langroudi: Like across.

Payman Langroudi: Three [01:03:55] countries. A business in Iran. And even people I know, people who’ve got gigantic businesses [01:04:00] in Iran that when they talk about what it is to have a business in Iran, it’s a very, very [01:04:05] difficult. A woman not there from abroad. Yeah. Like like that’s a massive [01:04:10] achievement to to even do that one piece. But then to take that and [01:04:15] go to a third country, study dentistry, you know, I feel like you’re sort [01:04:20] of like pure bread winner.

Solmaz Samae: You’re too.

Payman Langroudi: Kind.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah, [01:04:25] but but but the what I would expect is now for you to make some massive move, like [01:04:30] open a clinic or whatever it is. Now, I know you’ve got the Harley Street thing, but. [01:04:35]

Payman Langroudi: Have you got plans.

Solmaz Samae: To open a dental? Everyone wants me to open a dental clinic, [01:04:40] and I would do at some point, I think. I’m still. It’s [01:04:45] nice to work for someone else.

Payman Langroudi: It’s nice.

Payman Langroudi: Being an associate is one of the best positions. [01:04:50]

Payman Langroudi: In the world.

Solmaz Samae: You leave, you take your lips off.

Payman Langroudi: And.

Solmaz Samae: That’s it. There’s no stress.

Payman Langroudi: Dress. Yeah. [01:04:55]

Solmaz Samae: You’re done. Is someone else’s.

Payman Langroudi: Especially if you’re a successful associate. You know, like, there’s some [01:05:00] associates. I call them super associates. Right. Probably someone like you. You’ve got a [01:05:05] following. Patients come to them so they can move practices. They can negotiate [01:05:10] percentages with practices.

Payman Langroudi: Is it.

Solmaz Samae: When patients move.

Payman Langroudi: Practices?

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. So, [01:05:15] you know, I’m thinking of, uh, Matty Parsons. He’s got such a powerful social [01:05:20] media presence that wherever he goes, it would be full filled with patients. Cosmetic [01:05:25] patients. And he doesn’t have to do any CQC or run the business or anything. I [01:05:30] can understand someone like that saying, listen, I’m so happy in this situation. I don’t want to ever do anything else. Yeah. [01:05:35] But someone like you. Yeah. Who did what you did? Yeah. Which is much harder than opening [01:05:40] a clinic in the UK. Much harder. Yeah. You’d pull it off. You’d [01:05:45] pull it off in a really serious way. And I’d be interested with your sort of experience, [01:05:50] your outlook. What kind of clinic [01:05:55] that would be. So indulge me. Like, let’s let’s say [01:06:00] a friendly billionaire came over and said, go for it. Do do your worst. Like, what [01:06:05] would you do? What?

Payman Langroudi: What clinic is in your head?

Solmaz Samae: A few investors that are dying for me to open [01:06:10] a clinic. And I don’t know why I’m not.

Payman Langroudi: You’re too.

Payman Langroudi: Happy.

Solmaz Samae: Do you think that’s [01:06:15] what it is?

Payman Langroudi: You seem too happy.

Solmaz Samae: I’m very happy.

Payman Langroudi: Thank you.

Payman Langroudi: It’s a weird thing. Yeah, [01:06:20] because contentment, right? Contentment is beautiful. But, you know, [01:06:25] especially in our culture, there’s a there’s almost like a resentment of contentment almost means, oh, you’re decaying. [01:06:30] You’re not you’re not moving forward because you’re you’re too you’re too comfortable. Yeah. [01:06:35] And it shouldn’t be that way. I mean, contentment should be what your peace should [01:06:40] be what your you’re chasing, right? And I think about my life now, I think about every [01:06:45] single decision. I think, is this decision going to bring me more peace [01:06:50] or more disturbance. You know, whatever the decision is, I’m going [01:06:55] to hire someone, fire someone, bring in a new product, whatever, whatever the idea is, you [01:07:00] know, go on holiday, not go on holiday. You know, I was explaining to you, is this going to bring me [01:07:05] more peace or not? And so that hasn’t always been the way for me, right? I’ve always confused [01:07:10] joy with happiness. Yeah. And they’re not [01:07:15] the same thing at all, right? They’re totally different things. But I have made made that mistake [01:07:20] for the first 40 years. So. So how do you look at that question [01:07:25] now? I mean, especially with that 30 minute closed II spa moment [01:07:30] that you have, are you less inverted commas, ambitious [01:07:35] than you were? Are you now seeking peace? And, [01:07:40] you know, how do you think about what I’m just saying.

Solmaz Samae: Sorry. [01:07:45] Um. My [01:07:50] sisters. Don’t let me not be ambitious. They inject that in me. [01:07:55] So whenever I do stagnate a little bit, they do. There is [01:08:00] no value high enough for your peace. Your peace is. My peace [01:08:05] is worth so much to me. So much to me. It’s not [01:08:10] that I’ve lost motivation or ambition. No, I still I’m [01:08:15] very driven. But I feel like I need this period. [01:08:20] This is my calm now, and I’m just going to enjoy my calm. And the rest [01:08:25] of it will come and it’ll come at the right time. But for now, I just need to [01:08:30] enjoy this peace and enjoy this calm.

Payman Langroudi: I mean, in any event. [01:08:35] Yeah. Let’s say you decide to open a practice, which you’re going to indulge me on what that practice is, and [01:08:40] then someone will come along and say, well, what about three practices? [01:08:45]

Solmaz Samae: Where do.

Payman Langroudi: You start?

Payman Langroudi: Yeah, I mean, I had Anoushka from, uh, Mira [01:08:50] Dental sitting where you’re sitting. 46 practices and three children.

Solmaz Samae: I’ve [01:08:55] spoken to her. She interviewed me for a job.

Payman Langroudi: I couldn’t.

Solmaz Samae: Take it. She [01:09:00] is incredible.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: What a lovely human being. [01:09:05]

Payman Langroudi: Lovely. You’d imagine someone who’s pulling.

Payman Langroudi: That off could be quite.

Payman Langroudi: Hard. But she’s very soft, [01:09:10] mother. Yeah. You know, and she does all of this.

Solmaz Samae: She’s super.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. [01:09:15] She’s super woman.

Payman Langroudi: But then. But then. But then I had the CEO of Bupa sitting [01:09:20] where you’re sitting. Yeah. 400 practices. Yeah. My point is, it never ends.

Payman Langroudi: No. [01:09:25]

Payman Langroudi: So this question of peace and ambition and contentment, [01:09:30] the kind of in intention with each other, aren’t they?

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: And it’s [01:09:35] nice that you’re saying, look, right now, you are where you are and you’re happy.

Solmaz Samae: Do you know where it’s going to end for you? Where is [01:09:40] the. So you’ve got the podcast now. You’ve got incredible enlightenment. You’ve got the mini [01:09:45] smile makeovers. What do you know? Yours?

Payman Langroudi: Um, for me, it’s like. As long as I’m enjoying, [01:09:50] I’m very enjoyment. Joy based, unfortunately.

Payman Langroudi: So good.

Payman Langroudi: I’ll [01:09:55] carry on doing this until I stop enjoying doing it. I enjoy doing this a lot.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. Good.

Solmaz Samae: And you [01:10:00] can tell you enjoy it.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: But, but but it is for lack of other hobbies. [01:10:05] Like, I don’t have lots of hobbies. And so now this. This, I’m really hooked on to it [01:10:10] because it feels like a hobby, you know? Like, what the hell is a hobby? You know, like.

Payman Langroudi: Something you enjoy, something. [01:10:15]

Payman Langroudi: You enjoy, something you’re trying to get better at, something that you do regularly.

Payman Langroudi: You know, YouTube.

Payman Langroudi: Your [01:10:20] YouTube, your gym side.

Solmaz Samae: I started writing as well.

Payman Langroudi: Horse riding.

Solmaz Samae: Yes, [01:10:25] I love that.

Payman Langroudi: Where.

Solmaz Samae: You know.

Payman Langroudi: Um.

Solmaz Samae: Thrift near [01:10:30] Thrift Lane and near Whetstone.

Payman Langroudi: Oh, [01:10:35] okay.

Solmaz Samae: Beautiful. I really enjoy that.

Payman Langroudi: I want to talk about the charity. Yes, [01:10:40] I want to talk about your dream practice.

Payman Langroudi: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: Which order do you want to go?

Payman Langroudi: Up. [01:10:45]

Solmaz Samae: Whichever one you decide.

Payman Langroudi: Let’s [01:10:50] talk about practice.

Payman Langroudi: Okay.

Solmaz Samae: Dream practice.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: I have. I’ll [01:10:55] show you my phone later. I have a picture on my phone, and it’s my vision [01:11:00] board of what I want. And I do a vision board every year of what I want. And [01:11:05] I’ll show you my vision board later. And it’s got a picture of the practice. [01:11:10] I want some other people come in and they [01:11:15] bring their children like it’s a family event where they come in for their dental check-ups. [01:11:20] I want the nurses, the reception staff to actually enjoy coming [01:11:25] in to enjoy the practice. It’s a safe haven for them, and [01:11:30] I want it to make money for me so I can do all the stuff that I love. I don’t know how I’m going to do [01:11:35] it. I don’t know how I’ll get there, but that’s what I want.

Payman Langroudi: Like a safe [01:11:40] location for Okay. Where are we?

Solmaz Samae: I love Harley Street.

Payman Langroudi: That’s not. But that’s not a family. [01:11:45]

Payman Langroudi: Practice, is it?

Payman Langroudi: It’s not.

Payman Langroudi: Although, by the way, when I used to, I was a kid. I used to go to my dentist [01:11:50] in Harley Street. I didn’t realise it was Harley Street. So kids do go to dentists [01:11:55] in Harley Street. They do. But when you say family, it doesn’t sound like a family setting.

Payman Langroudi: Doesn’t [01:12:00] somewhere.

Solmaz Samae: Like, you know where Nicola has her practice? Nicola [01:12:05] go. Whetstone. Not so much whetstone, more Totteridge I’d love that. Hers [01:12:10] is opposite Whetstone and Totteridge Station. Like near that.

Payman Langroudi: So we moved there from [01:12:15] Harley Street.

Solmaz Samae: That would be another nice location because it’s not too far from where [01:12:20] I live.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah, but.

Solmaz Samae: I really like Harley Street. I don’t know if it’s because as [01:12:25] Iranians like Harley Street’s just kind of being cemented in our head from [01:12:30] a very dentist.

Payman Langroudi: Right? Yes. As dentist.

Solmaz Samae: Harley Street, Wimpole.

Payman Langroudi: Street, but there’s massive I mean, [01:12:35] I used.

Payman Langroudi: To do some work there, and I.

Payman Langroudi: Found.

Payman Langroudi: That, like, the problem is once you’re there, you [01:12:40] realise that it’s got its own very peculiar problems. [01:12:45] Yeah, like number one. Harold de Walden. Like the estate? [01:12:50] Yeah. Like what a nightmare. Yeah, but number two, no walk by traffic [01:12:55] at all. Yeah. No. Like, for instance, how are you filling this facial aesthetic centre with patients? [01:13:00] I mean, is it is it literally friends and family? And then suddenly it just each [01:13:05] patient sends more.

Payman Langroudi: Patients.

Solmaz Samae: That I do. No advertisement at all for it. Like [01:13:10] very nothing. And it’s booked.

Payman Langroudi: Does the YouTube bring patients? [01:13:15]

Payman Langroudi: It does. Oh, so there is a tactic there.

Payman Langroudi: There is a.

Payman Langroudi: Tactic.

Solmaz Samae: Youtube does, the Instagram [01:13:20] does my sister’s YouTube and Instagram does. I did my younger [01:13:25] sister’s, um, Invisalign some years back. And [01:13:30] at the back of that I got so many Invisalign patients [01:13:35] a couple months back.

Payman Langroudi: Oh, because you YouTube the whole thing?

Solmaz Samae: Because she.

Payman Langroudi: Youtube. She’s got a huge thing. [01:13:40] That’s it.

Solmaz Samae: So at the back of that, I got an influx of patients, [01:13:45] and she really wanted me to do her bonding for her. And I really didn’t want to because I [01:13:50] love her teeth and I love the shape. And but she three years down, she [01:13:55] forced me and I did it recently for her. At the back of that I got loads of bonding [01:14:00] just so I’m getting a lot of patience from her YouTube and her [01:14:05] Instagram. So I’m feeding off that, which is beautiful.

Payman Langroudi: So yeah, [01:14:10] I.

Payman Langroudi: Just want to talk about the practice.

Payman Langroudi: The practice.

Payman Langroudi: Okay. Family. So what what else what [01:14:15] are we talking? Facial aesthetics. Multidisciplinary.

Payman Langroudi: No, I.

Solmaz Samae: Don’t like mixing the two I [01:14:20] don’t like.

Payman Langroudi: Really?

Solmaz Samae: No, I don’t like.

Payman Langroudi: You think they should be separate?

Solmaz Samae: Definitely. Like you [01:14:25] don’t understand how protective I am over dentistry. Like it’s so protective. I [01:14:30] worked so hard to get here. Those five years in Latvia, as fun as they [01:14:35] were, they were How a woman in her 30s. I gave up five years of [01:14:40] my life. Where? 30 to 35. Where it’s [01:14:45] your peak years, where everyone else is meeting people, settling down, [01:14:50] having family. I gave that up for dentistry because I love dentistry [01:14:55] that much. So I’m so protective of dentistry, I can’t have [01:15:00] anything mixed with it.

Payman Langroudi: I be careful a [01:15:05] little bit, insomuch as you put that much love. Love. But but, [01:15:10] you know, like that much of your hopes and dreams into the notion [01:15:15] of a job, you know, and I know we all do. We define ourselves as our job, [01:15:20] a lot of us. Yeah. Um, but, you know, God forbid something [01:15:25] happens GDP wise. Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: I’ll move to a different country.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. But [01:15:30] all I’m saying, all I’m saying is, all I’m saying is. That. Okay, [01:15:35] I understand you had a difficult journey to get to dentistry, but anything [01:15:40] worthwhile is full of sacrifice, isn’t it?

Payman Langroudi: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: Like I think about the number [01:15:45] of times I’ve missed birthdays and holidays and things [01:15:50] just because of enlightenment, for whatever reason it was. Or even, you know, my [01:15:55] five years in Cardiff was a sacrifice in its own way. So [01:16:00] my my point is don’t over put emphasis on it. Yeah, [01:16:05] I get it. I get the.

Payman Langroudi: Reason why you’re saying.

Payman Langroudi: But it’s almost like investing, like over [01:16:10] investing in the notion, you know, I’m so protective of dentistry [01:16:15] thing. Let it let that be organic, you know.

Payman Langroudi: Thank you. [01:16:20]

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. Let’s get to the charity.

Solmaz Samae: The charity?

Payman Langroudi: Now, I don’t know, every time charity [01:16:25] comes up on this pod, I always try and ruin it a little bit.

Payman Langroudi: Okay.

Payman Langroudi: And and I’ve. I [01:16:30] don’t want to do that this time, But there is.

Payman Langroudi: You can.

Solmaz Samae: Ruin [01:16:35] it.

Payman Langroudi: There is.

Payman Langroudi: This.

Payman Langroudi: Question.

Payman Langroudi: There is this question I have. I want you to tell me about your charity. But this question I have about [01:16:40] the act of charity.

Solmaz Samae: We do it because it makes us feel [01:16:45] good.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: And of I did, um, I [01:16:50] had broken up with a partner and I wasn’t in [01:16:55] an amazing place in my life, and, um, I [01:17:00] just needed to do stuff to make me feel good. And [01:17:05] I volunteered for CMA Crisis Management [01:17:10] Association, and I did it purely to make myself [01:17:15] feel good. That was it.

Payman Langroudi: So honest.

Solmaz Samae: It’s the truth.

Payman Langroudi: So [01:17:20] honest.

Payman Langroudi: Well, I.

Solmaz Samae: Did it to make myself feel good. It was brilliant that other people [01:17:25] benefited from it, but it was for selfish reasons. I needed to [01:17:30] do it for me. And I went in and [01:17:35] I was there and I was on my own. So during the day I would see [01:17:40] patients in Lesbos. This was in Lesbos.

Payman Langroudi: So were you staying in the camp? [01:17:45]

Solmaz Samae: No, I stayed in a hotel. Okay, so I stayed in a hotel. I didn’t want to rough [01:17:50] it. Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: Like you’re.

Payman Langroudi: Doing it for yourself.

Payman Langroudi: Anyway. That’s it.

Solmaz Samae: So [01:17:55] in the evenings, after we’d finished, I would go back to my nice hotel. I would have [01:18:00] my nice meal.

Payman Langroudi: My protein, you know.

Solmaz Samae: And [01:18:05] actually seafood.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah. I’m sure.

Payman Langroudi: Lesbos is.

Solmaz Samae: Amazing. [01:18:10] Like octopus. Oof! I’m such a foodie.

Payman Langroudi: Like I’m a fat.

Solmaz Samae: Person.

Payman Langroudi: Inside. [01:18:15] I’m a fat person outside.

Payman Langroudi: But. Okay, let’s talk about the patients.

Payman Langroudi: The patients? [01:18:20]

Payman Langroudi: What were their stories like? What were some of the heartbreaking stories.

Payman Langroudi: That you must have.

Payman Langroudi: Come.

Payman Langroudi: Across? [01:18:25]

Solmaz Samae: One of the first patients on the first day, I’m doing a medical history, and he tells me he has one kidney. So [01:18:30] because I speak Farsi, I didn’t need a translator. But I had a translator, [01:18:35] a lovely, lovely young man that I still speak to. And [01:18:40] for this one, the patient was Afghan. He could speak [01:18:45] Farsi. We conversed in Farsi, took a medical history. I have one kidney now. [01:18:50] Why? I sold it to pay the smugglers to come over.

Payman Langroudi: Wow.

Solmaz Samae: And [01:18:55] you’re like, let that digest. And you’re like, you can’t think about it. You’ve got patients waiting [01:19:00] outside. Task at hand.

Payman Langroudi: Wow.

Solmaz Samae: Okay. Then [01:19:05] there was a Somalian lady who on the boat was coming over. I [01:19:10] didn’t see her. I heard about her. Four of her children [01:19:15] drowned while she was coming over on the boat.

Payman Langroudi: Wow. [01:19:20]

Solmaz Samae: Like, the stories were horrific. We went to. I [01:19:25] went to a place where they have the they keep the young, vulnerable [01:19:30] children. So those who have come over on their own, their parents [01:19:35] have passed away, or they’ve come over with a family member, but the family member cannot [01:19:40] show that they’re related. So it was a little homes, [01:19:45] sorry. It was a little house they had with not very [01:19:50] tight security, but a hidden location and some [01:19:55] of the kids again, Afghan. I could converse with them in Farsi and hearing their stories [01:20:00] like some their parents didn’t have enough funds to send [01:20:05] them over because to pay the smugglers at the minute, the fee is [01:20:10] €1,500 to pay to come over. [01:20:15] That’s how much they paid the smugglers. So they didn’t have the parents didn’t have enough money for [01:20:20] themselves, so they paid just to send the kids over.

Payman Langroudi: How old?

Payman Langroudi: Are you? Eight. [01:20:25]

Payman Langroudi: Oh my goodness. I mean, look, you’re [01:20:30] the stories you’ve told have all been the stories of how they got there.

Payman Langroudi: How they got.

Payman Langroudi: There, but [01:20:35] the why they got there question for me is even more interesting. I mean, [01:20:40] one of one of our family members works at the UN, and she was saying, sometimes in the refugee camps [01:20:45] you come across like a doctor and a lawyer whose kids [01:20:50] can’t read or write because they’ve been in war for the last 6 or 7 years. [01:20:55] And the guy’s a doctor, right? He’s he’s, you know, sometimes you’re guilty [01:21:00] of thinking refugees or refugees. There’s almost a status assigned [01:21:05] to them by themselves. Um. Did you what surprised [01:21:10] you? Like, did you come across anyone like that? Like.

Payman Langroudi: Um.

Solmaz Samae: Payman. [01:21:15] I’ve got some photos of the camp. What was those [01:21:20] stories? Yes. There was a gentleman who had his own private [01:21:25] plane that flew him somewhere. Well that’s [01:21:30] it. And then he was a thief. Beautiful. Beautiful [01:21:35] crowns, oral hygiene. Amazing gums. Beautiful. You [01:21:40] know.

Payman Langroudi: Stuck.

Payman Langroudi: In a refugee.

Payman Langroudi: Camp. And it’s. Yeah.

Payman Langroudi: Well. And what [01:21:45] was the treatment mostly? Was it mostly extractions or.

Payman Langroudi: Was it.

Solmaz Samae: Mostly extractions? Extirpations. [01:21:50] I did a couple of, um, composite bondings [01:21:55] on ones and just purely for aesthetics, because why [01:22:00] not? Like, it’s their front teeth.

Payman Langroudi: And just.

Solmaz Samae: Because they’re stuck in a refugee camp, [01:22:05] they want to smile. I’ll make that time for you, darling. Not [01:22:10] a problem.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah, yeah.

Solmaz Samae: Come.

Payman Langroudi: There’s a humanity in that.

Payman Langroudi: That’s it.

Payman Langroudi: We’ve [01:22:15] come to the end of our time.

Payman Langroudi: I’ve enjoyed.

Payman Langroudi: It. It’s gone so quick. Um, we normally [01:22:20] end on the same questions.

Payman Langroudi: Yes.

Payman Langroudi: Fantasy dinner party.

Payman Langroudi: Yes. Three guests. [01:22:25]

Solmaz Samae: I thought about this. I’d like for four guests.

Payman Langroudi: Dead or alive?

Solmaz Samae: All alive. [01:22:30] My parents and my sisters.

Payman Langroudi: No.

Solmaz Samae: You [01:22:35] don’t.

Payman Langroudi: Understand. I know you’re.

Payman Langroudi: Close. I know you’re.

Payman Langroudi: Close. It’s not.

Solmaz Samae: That.

Payman Langroudi: I know your story, but.

Payman Langroudi: That’s [01:22:40] not a fantasy dinner. But that’s a that’s a dinner. That’s tonight.

Payman Langroudi: That is. That’s not tonight. Because they’re travelling [01:22:45] tonight.

Payman Langroudi: That’s the day after. That’s. That’s not a fantasy dinner.

Payman Langroudi: That’s who I’d like. Honestly, [01:22:50] I thought about why I’m.

Payman Langroudi: Not allowing.

Payman Langroudi: It.

Payman Langroudi: I’m not allowing [01:22:55] it because. Because you have that dinner every night. That’s not fantasy. Where’s the fantasy in that?

Solmaz Samae: Can [01:23:00] I have dinner with Kylie Jenner? I really want to learn how to speak like her.

Payman Langroudi: Sure.

Payman Langroudi: Who [01:23:05] else comes to mind off the top of your head?

Solmaz Samae: The [01:23:10] Dalai Lama.

Payman Langroudi: I [01:23:15] met the.

Solmaz Samae: Dalai.

Payman Langroudi: Lama before. I have. Oh, wow.

Solmaz Samae: And I love [01:23:20] his teachings. I really like his teachings. I try and follow it as much as I possibly [01:23:25] can. I would love to have dinner with the Dalai Lama.

Payman Langroudi: There you go.

Solmaz Samae: Yes. [01:23:30]

Payman Langroudi: Anyone else?

Solmaz Samae: Um. Anyone [01:23:35] else? I really thought I had [01:23:40] an answer with my parents and my siblings. I had that answer for you already. And [01:23:45] I.

Payman Langroudi: Had.

Payman Langroudi: You know, you know, you could be trying to be smart and say, oh, my, my younger self [01:23:50] or whatever.

Payman Langroudi: Or I would love to.

Solmaz Samae: Have dinner with Pharrell. Pharrell. [01:23:55]

Payman Langroudi: Pharrell.

Payman Langroudi: Pharrell.

Payman Langroudi: Empress Farah.

Solmaz Samae: Of Iran. [01:24:00]

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: She inspires.

Payman Langroudi: Me. Yeah. She’s a.

Solmaz Samae: True lady. And I would [01:24:05] love to hear her stories. I would love to hear her stories with the Shah.

Payman Langroudi: Yeah.

Solmaz Samae: I [01:24:10] love her more than the Shah.

Payman Langroudi: I would.

Solmaz Samae: Love to have dinner with.

Payman Langroudi: Her.

Payman Langroudi: She seems like such, like a sweet, [01:24:15] basic.

Payman Langroudi: Person, a.

Payman Langroudi: Simple person.

Solmaz Samae: And she looks like she smokes. I’d like to vape.

Payman Langroudi: With her [01:24:20] over a coffee. You might want to wipe that.

Solmaz Samae: Bit.

Payman Langroudi: Out. But [01:24:25] she’s.

Solmaz Samae: Incredible.

Payman Langroudi: Final question. It’s the deathbed question. [01:24:30] Three pieces of advice on your deathbed for your friends and family.

Payman Langroudi: What [01:24:35] would they be?

Solmaz Samae: Um. Live with no regrets. In the sense that how you treat people. Don’t [01:24:40] say or do anything. That if, God forbid, [01:24:45] God forbid, that person was to die tomorrow, you’ll regret saying to them like [01:24:50] you don’t want to carry for selfish reasons. You don’t want to carry that for the rest of your [01:24:55] life. You’ll relive it time and time again. So [01:25:00] every time you open your mouth and you say something to someone, would you be happy if that was your [01:25:05] last words with them? So be careful what you say.

Payman Langroudi: Interesting.

Solmaz Samae: That’s [01:25:10] it. And do everything you want to do and enjoy it. People are going to judge [01:25:15] regardless, so you might as well have a great time. You want to go to that [01:25:20] beach club in Mykonos and dance on that table.

Payman Langroudi: Do it. You know. [01:25:25]

Payman Langroudi: I’ve got permission.

Payman Langroudi: There. Yes.

Payman Langroudi: It’s been a massive pleasure.

Payman Langroudi: Thank you so much. [01:25:30]

[VOICE]: This is Dental Leaders, the [01:25:35] podcast where you get to go one on one with emerging leaders in dentistry. Your [01:25:40] hosts, Payman Langroudi [01:25:45] and Prav Solanki.

Prav Solanki: Thanks for listening, guys. If you got this far, [01:25:50] you must have listened to the whole thing. And just a huge thank you both from me and pay for actually [01:25:55] sticking through and listening to what we had to say and what our guest has had to say, because I’m [01:26:00] assuming you got some value out of it.

Payman Langroudi: If you did get some value out of it, think about subscribing. [01:26:05] And if you would share this with a friend who you think might get some value out of it too. [01:26:10] Thank you so, so, so much for listening. Thanks.

Prav Solanki: And don’t forget our six star rating.