Conversations with Dental Friends

Could saying yes transform your dental career? From safe beginner to paediatric leader
What if the next step in your career is not part of a carefully mapped-out five-year plan, but simply an opportunity you are curious enough to say yes to?
In this episode of Conversations with Dental Friends, Rachael is joined by award-winning dental hygienist and therapist Imogen Fox, whose incredibly varied career has taken her through foundation training, head and neck cancer care, special care dentistry, education, private practice and paediatric dentistry.
Imogen shares why becoming a “safe beginner” is the real goal when we qualify and how the right mentorship helped her build confidence in her full dental therapy scope. We also discuss why you do not need to feel completely ready before accepting an opportunity and how some of Imogen’s biggest career developments began with a leap of faith.
The conversation explores Imogen’s formative work as one of the UK’s first Macmillan dental therapists, what treating head and neck cancer patients taught her about compassionate empathy and the importance of knowing when to ask for help.
We also look at the huge opportunity for dental therapists within paediatric dentistry. Imogen explains how therapists can lead children’s examinations, prevention and restorative care, while sharing practical advice for creating a positive experience for young patients.
This is a wonderfully reassuring conversation about staying curious, building confidence, exploring your scope and creating a dental career that can evolve alongside the different seasons of your life.
In this episode
Why foundation training and supportive mentorship can transform early clinical confidence
Becoming comfortable with being a safe beginner
Saying yes before you feel completely ready
Building a varied career across oncology, special care, education and private practice
What head and neck cancer care taught Imogen about compassionate empathy
The opportunities available to dental therapists within paediatric dentistry
Imogen’s three practical principles for treating children
Creating a career that supports both professional fulfilment and family life
Links and resources mentioned
Imogen’s professional profile and dental articles
Head and Neck Cancer Care in the General Practice Setting, Imogen’s on-demand educational webinar
Progress and Headwinds for Dental Therapists, Imogen’s article on the future of dental therapy and paediatric care
Dentaid’s Uganda volunteering programme, for dental professionals interested in overseas volunteering
NSK Ikigai, where Imogen is an opinion leader and educator
Connect with Imogen
Connect with Imogen Fox on LinkedIn
Read more about Imogen’s clinical work at Refresh Dental
Continue the conversation
Follow Conversations with Dental Friends on Instagram: @conversationswithdentalfriends
Follow Rachael on Instagram: @homegirlhygienist
Visit the Homegirl Hygienist website
A huge thank you to Oral-B and NSK for sponsoring this episode and supporting Conversations with Dental Friends.
If this conversation encouraged you to explore more of your scope or say yes to a new opportunity, share it with a dental friend who might need that reminder too.
You can also download the free Conversations with Dental Friends Career Planning Workbook by commenting the word link on the episode, and I’ll send it directly to you.

Imogen Instagram @dental.hygienist.uk

Could dentistry prepare you for business? From clinician to founder
What happens when the career you worked so hard for no longer feels like the right fit?
In this episode of Conversations with Dental Friends, Rachael is joined by dentist, facial aesthetics practitioner and founder of Whip Belfast, Dr Ariba Karim.
Ariba shares the honest story behind her journey from dentistry into hospitality and entrepreneurship. We talk about cultural expectations, choosing dentistry, navigating difficult working environments and the realities of building a career as a self-employed dental professional.
After working across Northern Ireland and Dublin, Ariba began to recognise that her mental health was being affected by a career she no longer felt passionate about. Through therapy, travel and plenty of self-reflection, she uncovered a long-suppressed ambition to build something of her own.
That idea became Whip Belfast, a personality-filled concept café known for its açaí bowls, matcha, creative menus and distinctly “girly pop” energy.
This is a wonderfully honest conversation about career pivots, transferable skills, financial risk, resilience and what can happen when you allow yourself to pursue the work that genuinely lights you up.
In this episode
Why Ariba chose dentistry and what her early career really looked like
The realities of NHS dentistry, self-employment and associate life
Recognising when a working environment is not right for you
Investing in further training and exploring different niches
Mental health, therapy and losing passion for your profession
Starting a business, experiencing financial risk and rebuilding after setbacks
The skills dentistry gave Ariba that now help her run Whip
Building a memorable brand through creativity, social media and community
Ariba’s plans to grow Whip while protecting the quality of its original Belfast location
Links and resources mentioned
Study Dentistry at Queen’s University Belfast
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Watch Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action
Derma Medical, where Ariba completed facial aesthetics training
Connect with Ariba and Whip Belfast
Follow @whipbelfast on Instagram
Follow @whipbelfast on TikTok
Visit Whip on the Lisburn Road in Belfast
Continue the conversation
Follow Conversations with Dental Friends on Instagram: @conversationswithdentalfriends
Follow Rachael on Instagram: @homegirlhygienist
Visit the Homegirl Hygienist website
A huge thank you to Oral-B and NSK for sponsoring this episode and supporting Conversations with Dental Friends.
If this conversation made you think differently about your own career, share it with a dental friend who might need to hear it.
You can also download the free Conversations with Dental Friends Career Planning Workbook by commenting the word link on the episode, and I’ll send it directly to you.

What if the answer to burnout isn’t simply doing less, but learning how to live, work and succeed in a completely different way?
In this episode of Conversations with Dental Friends, Rachael is joined by specialist periodontist, author, coach, international speaker and fellow podcaster Dr Rana Al-Falaki.
Rana was the first periodontist in the UK to begin using lasers in daily practice and has developed minimally invasive periodontal protocols that are now informing clinical trials around the world. Alongside her clinical and educational work, she is the creator of the NAIL-IT Leadership System, which helps professionals pursue sustainable success without sacrificing their health, happiness or relationships.
Behind Rana’s extraordinary career is an incredibly honest story of burnout. She shares what happened when years of overachievement, emotional trauma, professional pressure and never asking for help finally caught up with her.

Content note
This episode contains a personal discussion of childhood trauma and sexual abuse. This begins at approximately 26 minutes and 15 seconds within the original interview. Please be aware that the precise timestamp may move slightly following the addition of the episode introduction and sponsorship messages. Please look after yourself while listening and feel completely free to pause or skip this part of the conversation.
Find out more about Dr Rana Al-Falaki
Dr Rana’s official website:
https://www.drranaalfalaki.com/
Follow Dr Rana on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/drranaalfalaki/
Discover NAIL-IT Leadership and Rana’s coaching, workshops and services:
https://www.drranaalfalaki.com/nail-it
Find out more about NAIL-IT Leadership: Your Blueprint to Optimal Performance:
https://www.drranaalfalaki.com/nail-it-leadership
Listen to the NAIL-IT Podcast with Dr Rana Al-Falaki and Dr Bhavin Patel:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nail-it/id1824975541
Follow the NAIL-IT Podcast on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/nailit_podcast/
NAIL-IT events and education
Find out more about the NAIL-IT Leadership Experience and upcoming 2026 dates:
https://www.nailitindentistry.com/nail-it-in-dentistry-leadership-wellbeing-day-dental-team-professionals
Find out more about Rana’s periodontal and peri-implant courses:
https://www.nailitindentistry.com/perio-courses
Find out more about the periodontal and peri-implant masterclass taking place in London on 20 and 21 November 2026:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYeIAZNmhry/
Thank you to our sponsors
A huge thank you to Oral-B and NSK for sponsoring this episode and supporting Conversations with Dental Friends.
Find out more about Oral-B Professional:
https://www.oralbprofessional.co.uk/s/
Find out more about NSK UK:
https://mynsk.co.uk/
Stay connected with Conversations with Dental Friends
Follow the podcast on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/conversationswithdentalfriends/
Subscribe on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@homegirlhygienist2756?si=IfQgFNVLAMZu1rcL

https://substack.com/@conversationswithdentalfriends?r=57fuak&utm_medium=ios

Join us on Substack:

Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0TR0CyMSp9K3JHIg8eg9nQ
Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/conversations-with-dental-friends/id1802284203
Free Career Planning Workbook
If you would like some space to reflect on what you want from your own dental career, comment the word LINK on the episode post and I’ll send you my free Conversations with Dental Friends Career Planning Workbook.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a rating or review and share it with a dental friend who may need to hear this conversation.

From making blue-tack braces 🦷😂 to becoming a dental therapist, educator, content creator for 245k+ people, and working with some of the biggest brands in dentistry… Anna Peterson’s journey is a powerful reminder that you don’t always know where one decision will take you.

In this episode, we talk about career pivots, confidence, social media, and what it really looks like behind the polished dental Instagram world.

Anna shares how she didn’t get the A level grades she needed for dentistry, and how she only discovered dental therapy after that door closed. From there, she stepped into a role in restorative dentistry, learned new clinical skills years into practice, and eventually found her way into content creation and education online.

We also dive into the moment everything changed online, when her first viral video almost got deleted at just 10 views… before unexpectedly reaching nearly one million views in under 24 hours.

Since then, social media has opened doors she never expected, including collaborations with Oral-B and NSK, lecturing opportunities, presenting, and educating thousands of people about oral health.

But beyond the viral moments, this conversation is really about something deeper.

💡 Key themes we cover:

Not getting the grades you expected — and what comes next
Discovering dental therapy and building confidence clinically
Learning new skills later in your career (yes, even rubber dam!)
The reality of going viral on social media
Building a personal brand in dentistry
Working with major dental brands like Oral-B and NSK
The pressure vs reality of dental social media
Why you don’t need to have everything figured out
The importance of kindness in dentistry

🧠 Anna’s biggest reminder:

You are allowed to ask questions.
You are allowed to not know everything.
You are allowed to build confidence slowly.
And you absolutely do not have to follow a traditional route.

Because behind every perfect composite, viral video, and polished Instagram feed… there’s a human being figuring it out too.

And as Anna beautifully puts it:
“We’re all in it together.” 🫶🏼

⸻

🔗 Links & Resources

👩‍⚕️ Follow Anna Peterson:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annapetersondental?igsh=MWhyNWk5ZHYycXY2eQ==&igsi=MWhyNWk5ZHYycXY2eQ==

📱 Conversations with Dental Friends:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conversationswithdentalfriends?igsh=bTh4ZWRlank3dWJs

💙 Sponsored by Oral-B
Explore Oral-B professional products & resources:
👉 https://www.oralbprofessional.co.uk/s/login/

🦷 Sponsored by NSK
Discover NSK dental equipment & solutions:
👉 https://mynsk.co.uk

⸻

✨ In this episode, we also mention:

Rubber dam training and clinical confidence
Dental photography and content creation
Career progression in dental therapy
Social media growth and unexpected virality
Education, lecturing, and presenting in dentistry

In this episode of Conversations with Dental Friends, I’m joined by Dr Ambrish Roshan, dentist, educator and dental photography enthusiast, for a conversation about finding your direction in dentistry, building a career around the things you genuinely enjoy and why photography can completely change the way you practise.

Ambrish shares the story of moving from Singapore to Ireland to study dentistry, the challenges he faced as an international graduate trying to enter the Irish workforce, and how taking a leap of faith has shaped his career.

We talk about:

📸 Why dental photography is so much more than before-and-after photos
Ambrish explains how documenting each stage of treatment has become one of his most valuable learning and reflection tools, allowing him to identify where things went wrong and continually improve his clinical work.

🦷 Treating the patient, not just the tooth
From his early training in implant dentistry to his current restorative work, Ambrish talks about the importance of looking at the patient as a whole and understanding what they actually value when planning treatment.

💬 Putting the patient in the driving seat
We discuss listening to patients, understanding their priorities and balancing the three big costs of treatment: time, biology and money. Ambrish shares how he approaches consultations and why understanding a patient’s values can completely change treatment planning.

📷 Creating a simple photography workflow
Ambrish talks us through his approach to photographing new patients, including his baseline photographic records, how he uses photography to communicate with patients and why he believes taking 15–20 photographs doesn’t need to take more than two minutes once you have a system.

🎓 Investing in yourself and learning through reflection
We talk about his postgraduate training, the photography course that changed his approach and why sometimes the biggest learning comes from reviewing your own work rather than simply completing another course.

📱 Social media, photography & attracting the dentistry you want to do
Ambrish shares how posting his clinical photography organically led to patients finding him and explains why showcasing the work you want to do can be such a powerful marketing tool.

🤝 Working with dental brands
We also chat about becoming a KOL, choosing brands that align with your values and why authenticity and genuinely using the products you talk about are so important when building trust with your audience.

And, of course, we talk about what’s next for Ambrish, including his plans for composite and photography education and some exciting projects coming later in 2026.

🔗 Find Ambrish

Instagram: @dr.ambrish.roshan

Courses / education: EduDental.ie

DON’T FORGET ADD RACHAEL10 AT CHECKOUT FOR 10% OFF

💡 Mentioned in this episode

Focus Photography Course – Minesh Patel
Michael Crilly
Michael Crilly episode
Ivoclar
DMG / Icon
Invisalign
If you would like to sign up for Oral-B iO testdrive click here
To Sell Is Human – Daniel H. Pink

Don’t forget Ambrish has very kindly offered a 10% discount off his upcoming photography course with the code RACHAEL10

Click the course link and add the discount code here

⸻

🦷 This episode is proudly supported by Oral-B

🦷 This episode is also supported by NSK