Dental Leaders Podcast

This week Payman chats with Payvand Menhadji, a newly qualified specialist periodontist who's navigating the delicate balance between clinical excellence and impending motherhood.  At 30 weeks pregnant, Payvand reflects on her journey from general dentist to specialist—driven by a competitive streak and a love for surgical challenge that emerged during her VT year.  The conversation weaves through everything from the realities of private practice economics to why she'd rather perfect her surgical skills than chase Instagram fame, touching on mentorship, imposter syndrome, and the art of staying humble when success comes knocking. In This Episode 00:01:00 - Finishing specialist training whilst pregnant 00:04:20 - Why four days feels necessary 00:05:10 - The moment surgery clicked 00:07:10 - Competitive from birth 00:08:20 - Hospital jobs and surgical confidence 00:11:45 - Decision to specialise 00:14:50 - Choosing between ortho and perio 00:18:30 - Training structure and challenges 00:22:15 - Learning from the best 00:26:40 - Private practice reality 00:30:20 - What patients actually pay 00:34:45 - Imposter syndrome 00:38:20 - Building a reputation 00:42:15 - Surgical complications 00:46:30 - Blackbox thinking 00:51:45 - Treatment planning philosophy 00:56:20 - Working with implantologists 01:00:15 - Referral relationships 01:04:30 - Social media approach 01:08:45 - Learning from Instagram 01:13:35 - Fantasy dinner party 01:15:20 - Last days and legacy About Payvand Menhadji Payvand Menhadji is a specialist periodontist who completed her training in September 2024. She works across multiple specialist practices focusing on periodontal surgery and implantology, having developed her surgical interest during VT under the mentorship of implantologist Victor Keyhani.