Protrusive Dental Podcast

Ever wondered what it’s really like to study dentistry abroad?How different is it to train in Bulgaria, Slovakia, or Valencia compared to the UK?And what happens when it’s time to come back home — can you easily register with the GDC and start practicing?Dr. Hugo Medd joins Jaz for an honest and insightful conversation about taking the path less traveled — studying dentistry in Bulgaria after not securing a UK dental school place.They dive into the realities of living and learning abroad, including language barriers, different teaching styles, and how much clinical experience international students actually get. Hugo also shares how he navigated GDC registration, what it’s like finding work after graduation, and why he has no regrets about choosing this unconventional route.Highlight of this episode:00:00     TEASER01:21     Introduction02:49     Meet Dr. Hugo Medd: A Journey to Bulgaria06:09     Financial Considerations and Support Systems09:56     Why Bulgaria? DMD vs BDS explained13:13     Language Barriers and Communication Skill17:47     Tuition Fees, Cost of Living, and Financial Realities20:47     Navigating Post-Graduation and GDC Registration23:23     Accredited EU Universities and Recognition Rules25:09     Social Life, Culture, and Student Experience28:14     Midroll34:47     Differences in Teaching Styles Abroad40:54     Navigating the UK Dental Job Market43:03     Advice for New Graduates50:24     Pursuing a Master's in Oral Surgery54:45     Final Thoughts and Contact Information57:11     OUTROInspired to study abroad? Study Medicine Europe helps you land top dentistry and medicine placements in Europe and guides you from application to graduation.If you enjoyed this episode, check out “The American Dental Dream – PDP002”This episode is not eligible for CPD/CE points, but never fear, there are hundreds of hours of CPD waiting for you on the Ultimate Education Plan.#InterferenceCast #CareerDevelopment 

Have you ever removed plaque using a scaler or ‘air-polisher’ and notice that the demineralised enamel flaked away?Scaling and polishing is a routine part of preventive dental care — but could some of our traditional cleaning methods be doing more than we realise? A whitening specialist who works without a drill, scaler or air polisher argues that some approaches to cleaning may affect the enamel, and that hydrogen peroxide gel can remove plaque without touching the tooth surface.Dr Wyman Chan has done nothing but tooth whitening since 2002, when he closed his general practice for a dedicated whitening centre, and he developed the chemical-polishing gel which is at the centre of this episode. He is joined by Dr Niki Shah, a UK general dentist and practice owner whose company distributes the product in the UK, and who now runs most of his hygiene this way.In this episode, they explain which patients they believe may benefit most, walk through the full chairside protocol, and discuss the limitations of the approach and where it may not be appropriate.Protrusive Dental Pearl: Manicuring Worn Lower IncisorsWorn lower incisors sit sharp against the upper teeth, concentrating stress. Take a Sof-Lex disc and manicure them, rounding the edges from pointed to smooth. Show the patient in the mirror first and, borrowing Dr Michael Melkers’ framing, ask if you can make their teeth look a little younger. It is surface topography, changed for force management, and the patient feels it with their tongue.What You’ll Take From This EpisodeOn sound enamel, prophy paste and air polishing are low-risk; on demineralised enamel hidden under plaque, the same abrasion can flake the surface.Chemical polishing does not lift calculus; where calculus is present, ultrasonic or hand scaling is still required.Dr. Wyman Chan offers a 3% hydrogen peroxide gel as a plaque and biofilm adjunct, not a replacement for oral hygiene instruction.The strongest cases for this are anxious, paediatric, orthodontic, special-needs and geriatric patients who tolerate scraping poorly.The chairside protocol runs about twelve minutes and still ends with manual agitation using a single-tufted brush.No published evidence supports the product’s clinical claims yet; Dr. Wyman Chan describes studies in progress.Highlights of This Episode00:00     Teaser01:21     Rethinking How We Polish Teeth03:36     Protrusive Dental Pearl: Manicuring Worn Lower Incisors05:23     Meet the Guests: From Whitening to Chemical Cleaning12:10     What Is Chemical Polishing? Prophylaxis, Not Whitening20:05     Is Traditional Polishing Damaging Teeth?21:54     How Abrasion Harms Demineralised Enamel25:30     The Strongest Case: Anxious Patients29:09     Children, Adolescents and Orthodontic White Spots29:49     Midroll35:22     Managing Pericoronitis and Gingival Abscess38:15     Special Needs, Geriatric and Post-Surgery Care40:43     Where Is the Evidence? Studies in Progress43:59     The Cost and Business Case for Chemical Polishing50:16     The Chemical Polishing Protocol: Step by Step using Magic353:14     Why Manual Agitation Still Matters57:58     How It Changed a Working Day1:00:35   OutroStart offering Magic3Where to get Magic3: UK: directoralcare.comRegister for a free professional account. Approval unlocks the full shop, pricing, offers and their upcoming educational courses.Use promo code PROMAGIC10 at checkout to receive 10% off Magic3.Outside UK: Please enquire from Dr Wyman Chan's website.Orders are invoiced rather than purchased directly through the website.Quote promo code PROMAGIC10 when enquiring to receive 10% off your Magic3 order.FREE Wyman Dental RetractorsWith your first Magic3 order, you’ll also receive 1 Wyman Dental Retractor free.The Wyman Dental Retractor is a multi-use, autoclavable retractor (up to 100 uses) designed for comfortable and effective soft-tissue retraction.Order 1–2 Magic3: Get 1 free Wyman Dental RetractorOrder 3+ Magic3: Get 3 free Wyman Dental RetractorsLearn more about their other products: https://protrusive.co.uk/magic3Want more?New to Dr Chan’s work? Start with Trayless Whitening Technique Part 1 with Dr Wyman Chan - PDP277, on his whitening approach, sensitivity and how to let patients pick their target shade.Tags#PDPMainEpisodesListen, subscribe, and earn CPDListen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and inside Protrusive Guidance.Earn CPD: This episode is eligible for 1 CE credit via the quiz on Protrusive Guidance.Compliance: GDC Development Outcome C. AGD Subject Code 490 Periodontics.Aim & Learning OutcomesAim: To give a mechanism- and evidence-aware view of chemical polishing as an adjunct for plaque and biofilm removal: where mechanical polishing can harm demineralised enamel, which patients the approach suits, how the chairside protocol runs, and the limits of the current evidence.By the end of this episode, dentists will be able to:Describe how the abrasivity of prophylaxis pastes and air-polishing powders interacts with sound versus demineralised enamel.Identify the patient groups for whom a non-mechanical approach to plaque removal is most appropriate, and the situations, such as calculus, where it is not.Evaluate the current evidence base for a 3% hydrogen peroxide chemical-polishing protocol, and apply appropriate attribution and consent where the evidence is not established.

Full mouth reconstruction — is the aim really the flawless before-and-after you scroll past on Instagram, or is that a trap?How do you actually know you’re ready to step up from single teeth to a whole mouth?And when your comprehensive treatment plan keeps getting declined — psychologically, financially — is that the patient’s problem, or yours?This one is a “your questions answered” episode: the community sent in far more FMR questions than we could cover, and we put the best of them to two prosthodontists who literally wrote the book on it.This is a full-mouth reconstruction deep dive with Prof Riaz Yar and Dr Łukasz Lassmann — co-authors of the new Quintessence textbook Full-Mouth Reconstruction (foreword by Jeffrey Okeson). We cover screening before you commit, knowing when you’re ready, getting big plans accepted, choosing materials, setting the bite in centric relation, sleep apnea, and the honest truth about “perfect” versus “acceptable.”Protrusive Dental Pearl: Always Present the Best AdviceWhen you present a complex case, offer three tiers. Best advice — take time and money out of the equation and describe the ideal: what would truly get this patient to the right result (gum grafting, orthodontics, the lot). A compromise — a good result without the parts the patient won’t consent to or can’t fund. And the minimum — the least that still helps, with the non-negotiables named.The most important of the three is the best advice. It’s tempting to self-censor — to decide a plan is too elaborate or too expensive and quietly leave it out. But if you never present the best option, you’ll never get to do those cases. Present the ideal option first, then offer the compromises. Don’t limit the patient — or yourself.What You’ll Take From This EpisodeScreen before you plan — a green / orange / red system that sorts patients before treatment planning even starts, so you know which cases are yours.How to get big plans accepted — why case acceptance is a confidence problem before it’s a skills problem, and how to present the best advice, compromise and minimum.Choosing materials — why it’s the case, not the material: repairability vs aesthetics vs durability, and why erosion changes the answer.Setting the bite — why centric relation is the reference position, what a night guard can do to it, and how sleep apnea changes the plan.Perfect vs acceptable — defining success and failure honestly, and knowing when you’re actually ready to take a full-mouth on.Highlights of This Episode00:00     TEASER00:53     Full Mouth Reconstruction: Your FMR Questions Answered05:08     What Actually Counts as a Full Mouth Reconstruction?10:48     Screening Patients for Full Mouth Rehab: Green, Orange, Red18:48     Is Perfect the Goal of Every FMR? Success vs Failure26:53     How Do You Know You're Ready for Full Mouth Dentistry?36:23     Is the Dahl Concept a Good Segue Into Full Mouth Rehab?38:50     Midroll42:49     How to Get Patients to Accept Full Mouth Treatment Plans49:34     Best Advice, Compromise, Minimum: Presenting the Options55:04     Give Yourself Permission to Fail in Big Cases56:14     FMR or Selective Restorations? Where's the Line on Tooth Wear?58:49     interjection 11:04:52   Composite, Ceramic or Zirconia? Choosing FMR Materials1:09:53   interjection 21:12:40   Centric Relation, Sleep Apnea and Setting the Bite1:17:25   Anteriors or Posteriors First in a Full Mouth?1:26:00   Does DTR Change How You Finish an FMR?1:27:35   The Full-Mouth Reconstruction Book & Where to Learn More1:30:37   OUTROFrom the GuestsProf Riaz Yar is a specialist prosthodontist and Visiting Professor in Prosthodontics, with a 25-year focus on TMD, occlusion and full-mouth dentistry. Dr Łukasz Lassmann is a prosthodontist (DDS, PhD) whose PhD is in occlusion and the temporomandibular joint; he focuses on tooth wear, TMD and full-mouth rehab and founded Lassmann Education, whose multi-day “summer camp” FMR/occlusion course runs in Poland.Interested in Full Mouth Reconstruction? Check out their book: Full-Mouth Reconstruction (Lassmann & Yar, Quintessence Publishing, 2026; foreword by Jeffrey Okeson) — a general-practitioner workflow from screening through orthodontics, perio, preparation, and cementation. References & Further ReadingSources and further reading from this episode:Lassmann Ł, Yar R. Full-Mouth Reconstruction. Quintessence Publishing, 2026 (foreword by Jeffrey P. Okeson). ISBN 978-1-78698-153-0.Lassmann Ł, Calamita MA, Blatz MB. The “Smile Design and Space” (SDS) concept for altering vertical dimension of occlusion and esthetic restorative material selection. J Esthet Restor Dent. 2025;37(1):56–67.Loomans B, Opdam N, Attin T, et al. Severe tooth wear: European consensus statement on management guidelines. J Adhes Dent. 2017;19(2):111–119.Bartlett D, Ganss C, Lussi A. Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE): a new scoring system for scientific and clinical needs. Clin Oral Investig. 2008;12(Suppl 1):S65–S68.Okeson JP. Management of Temporomandibular Disorders and Occlusion. Elsevier (8th edition) Want more?If you enjoyed this episode, check out: https://protrusive.app/posts/free-podcast-videos-pdp225-occlusion-myths-and-red-flags-with-lukasz-lassmannTags#PDPMainEpisodes #OcclusionTMDandSplints #OrthoRestorativeListen, Subscribe, Earn CPDListen: Subscribe to the Protrusive Dental Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.This episode is eligible for 1.5 CE credit via the quiz on Protrusive Guidance.This episode meets GDC Outcomes C.AGD Subject Code: 610 Fixed Prosthodontics.

When you walk through the door after work, are you actually present or are you still running the day’s to-do list in your head?Is there ever a “good” time to have a baby in the middle of specialist training and how do you fund it?How do the best dentist-parents you know protect time with their kids without their careers stalling?And can technology actually give you hours back — or is that just another thing to feel guilty about?This is one for the dads. In this Interference Cast episode, Jaz sits down with Dr Sunny Marwaha — a dentist completing part-time specialist training in prosthodontics at Guy’s, who became a father right in the middle of it. It’s not a clinical episode. It’s an honest conversation about doing the hardest career stretch (training, buying practices, building a name) at the exact same time you’re raising young children — the sleep, the money, the guilt, and the strategies that actually help. Two dentist dads, comparing notes.What You’ll Take From This EpisodePriority management, not time management — Decide what this season of life is for, and protect it; priorities shift as the kids grow.Leave the day at the door — both directions — The driveway is dad mode, the clinic is showtime; you can’t take work home or home to work.Run the family like a small business — Regular family meetings and a “mind like water” system can help carry the load without living in your head.Use AI to buy back time — Make use of dictated notes, auto-drafted letters, and turning papers into audio for the commute. This is leverage, not cheating.Specialise or self-direct? — An honest filter for whether a structured training pathway or private courses and mentorship suits you better.Highlights of This Episode00:00     Teaser00:42     Daddy Dentist: Balancing Fatherhood and Dentistry03:42     Should You Specialise or Learn Through Private Courses?10:12      How to Time Having Kids Around Specialist Training13:32     Paternity Leave for Dentists: What's Realistic?16:42     Funding Specialist Training With a Young Family20:02     Why Family Support Is a Privilege, Not a Given22:57     Time Management vs Priority Management23:42     The Two Moments With Your Kids That Matter Most29:12      Protecting Sleep, Fitness and Your Mental Health30:13     Midroll39:03    Top Tips for Dentist Dads41:53      Using AI to Buy Back Time for Your Family45:53     Run Your Family Like a Small Business53:33     How to Cut Kids' Screen Time (and Make It Stick)59:23     Life After Specialist Training: A Shorter Week59:57     OutroFrom the GuestDr Sunny Marwaha is a dentist completing part-time specialist training in prosthodontics at Guy’s (King’s College London). He’s passed the MProst (Royal College of Surgeons), with his final MClinDent and GDC specialist listing still ahead. He became a dad to son Kabir midway through training; his wife Amrit is also a dentist.👉  Follow Sunny on Instagram: @dr_marwahaReferences & Further ReadingListed for reference (mentions, not endorsements):NotebookLM — Google’s AI research tool; can turn a source document (e.g. a paper) into an audio, podcast-style discussion for the commute.Trello, Inkpad Notepad, and Google Calendar — The “mind like water” offload system. Loom — screen/video-message tool, mentioned as an alternative to written tooth-by-tooth reports.Want more?If you enjoyed this episode, check out: [Screen Times and SmartPhones for Children – Best Practices – IC061]. The screen-time reset comes up near the end of this chat; that episode goes deeper. Tags#InterferenceCast #CareerDevelopment #BeyondDentistryListen, Subscribe, Earn CPDListen: Subscribe to the Protrusive Dental Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.This episode is eligible for 1.0 CE credit via the quiz on Protrusive Guidance.This episode meets GDC Outcome B.AGD Subject Code: 770 Self-Improvement.

Complete Dentures That Actually Work: Impressions, CR & AdaptationYou don’t have to suck at complete dentures — there’s a science to them, and an art you gather with experience.Why do complete dentures feel so unpredictable — when a crown prep or an endo doesn’t?What’s the number-one impression mistake dentists make — and the tissue-conditioning step most of us skip?And when a new denture comes back painful — is it the extension, or the occlusion?This one is a whistle-stop tour of complete dentures with Dr Leif Stromberg — a Dallas general dentist who learned removable prosthodontics directly from the legendary Earl Pound and has taught it for decades. Recently nominated for the Texas AGD’s 2026 Texas Dentist of the Year™ Award, Dr. Stromberg brings a wealth of clinical experience, leadership and mentorship to the profession.Rather than drilling into a single appointment, Jaz put a stack of Protrusive Guidance community questions to him and covered the whole arc, from choosing the right patient to troubleshooting a painful denture at delivery. Expect breadth over depth — a lot of ground, a little from each stage — with plenty of technique, nuance and communication tips to take back to the chair.Protrusive Dental Pearl: Pick the Patient Before the DentureYou don’t have to treat everyone. Before promising anything, work out whether you can meet the patient’s expectations — because you can build the world’s best denture and they still may not adapt to it. The single strongest predictor of success is the patient’s own adaptation, not the technical quality of the prosthesis.So read the markers of adaptation. The patient who has worn a technically poor, flimsy denture happily for years — and only needs a new one because the old one is worn out — is a home run: improve the retention and stability and they’ll do brilliantly, because their neuromuscular adaptation is already proven. The patient who has hated every set they’ve owned is the warning sign. Assess adaptation right from the first appointment; it matters more than the articulator you own.What You’ll Take From This EpisodePick the patient, not just the denture — the markers of adaptation that predict success before you start.Where the teeth actually go — Pound’s lingual control lines, and why “lingual” means stable.The number-one impression mistake — coverage versus overextension, plus pre-impression tissue conditioning.Records without the wobble — recording centric relation with a gothic arch tracer, and why the facebow ranks low.A painful denture at delivery — how to tell overextension from occlusal overload, and what to do about each.Highlights of This EpisodeFrom the GuestDr. Stromberg teaches  the fundamentals of predictable complete dentures through a run of CE courses on Dentaltown — a five-part written series and a video series that walk through the exam, impressions, records, try-in and delivery.👉  Stromberg’s “Keys to Complete Denture Success” CE courses on DentaltownLearn more at: https://www.strombergdentistry.com/articlesWant more?If you enjoyed this episode, check out: Occlusion for Complete Dentures – PDP162Tags#PDPMainEpisodes #ProsthoPerio #Communication Listen, Subscribe, Earn CPDListen: Subscribe to the Protrusive Dental Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.This episode is eligible for 0.75 CE credit via the quiz on Protrusive Guidance.This episode meets GDC Outcomes CAGD Subject Code: 670 Removable Prosthodontics.Aim & Learning OutcomesAim: To give clinicians a predictable, appointment-by-appointment approach to complete dentures — patient selection and adaptation, accurate records, functional tooth position, and troubleshooting at delivery.Learning Outcomes — by the end of this episode, dentists will be able to:1. Assess a patient’s suitability for complete dentures and their likely adaptation, and manage expectations before treatment begins.2. Describe the sequence of clinical appointments for complete dentures and the key objective of each — impression coverage, recording centric relation and vertical dimension, and functional tooth position.3. Differentiate the common causes of pain at denture delivery (overextension versus occlusal overload) and apply an appropriate method to identify and correct each.