Dentistry catches up with Simmi Daryani about the importance of a healthy mindset, magical moments and staying open to opportunities.
Please introduce yourself.
Hi, I’m Dr Simmi Daryani, a cosmetic dentist working in private practice in London. I’m most passionate about orthodontics and provide both fixed braces and Invisalign. The positive psychological impact that orthodontic treatment has on a patient is what drives me every day at work – it’s my ‘why’.
After qualifying in 2014, I spent my vocational training year working in a sedation clinic providing treatment for anxious children and adults under RA and IV sedation, respectively. It got me off to a great start in the working world and taught me the most invaluable lessons on patient management and dealing with dental phobia.
My trainer was an oral surgeon and pretty much shaped me into an extraction machine! He was an outstanding mentor and I’ll always be grateful for my first year of work. From there, I spent another three years working within the NHS before I transitioned to private practice full time.
Five years ago, I found my passion in orthodontics and this now makes up the majority of my day-to-day work.
I’m also an ambassador for Aligner Consulting, key opinion leader for Enlighten, partner for Zooki liposomal supplements and an alumni mentor at South Hampstead High School (SHHS). I love to write and have been featured in numerous magazines, including this one!
How did you first get into dentistry?
I wasn’t someone that knew I wanted to be a dentist from a young age and there are no dentists in my family.
I achieved AS Levels in maths, physics, chemistry, further maths and economics; I aspired to study physics at university. However, after sitting in on some lectures at university open days, I realised that it wasn’t for me!
I did various work experience days in different professions and was blown away from shadowing an implant surgeon on Harley Street; the dentist’s technical ability, meticulous attention to detail and rapport with patients – all in this incredibly high-tech working environment – made dentistry seem like the coolest thing to 17-year-old Simmi!
I’d also had life-changing orthodontic treatment by this point and thought of my orthodontist as a magician!
Being exposed to both fields made me realise how vast dentistry really is and inspired me to apply.
What’s your strangest professional experience?
Any fellow dentists that have experience in treating patients under sedation will know that sometimes midazolam has a peculiar effect on the patient’s behaviour and the things they might say while under the influence. Let’s just leave that there!
Away from dentistry, what are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about all things health, wellness, skincare and my favourite workout – Pilates! I am a Zooki partner, which is a liposomal supplement brand that I rave about to everyone!
Health and wellness, to me, isn’t just physical but also mental, emotional and spiritual – a healthy mind is key, and I am extremely conscious of my mindset. I work on this daily to ensure that I’m always maintaining a positive mindset with tools like manifestation, meditation and taking time out to actively relax.
Women’s empowerment is a huge part of my core DNA; I’m lucky to have attended SHHS, a girl’s school that nurtured us all into independent thinkers and definitely cultivated the development of strong, unapologetic women.
Those early years shaped me tremendously. I’ve recently been back at SHHS, helping with mock interviews for prospective dental students, which really made me feel that I’ve come full circle; it was a magical moment!
Tell us something nobody else knows about you
I attended theatre school as a teenager; that is where my love of jazz and Motown music comes from. I was also in a West End Motown production when I was 14 years old, singing and dancing on stage.
During my early 20s, I wrote a beauty blog, working with PR companies and writing about new beauty and skincare products.
This was pre-Instagram and Tiktok, when people read blogs! It was my escape from university work.
One of the highlights of my blogging days was having lunch with Liz Edlich, the founder of Radical Skincare, an LA-based skincare brand founded by her plastic surgeon father, who was exposed to the science of skin rejuvenation and wound repair working at a burn unit.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
I see life as something abundant, infinite and exciting – you never know what opportunity will come your way!
I don’t define myself with one singular metric – I am a dentist. I’m a daughter, a sister and a wife (as of a few months ago!) I am a friend and a mentor, as well as a health and wellness aficionado!
I see myself as all these things and I have hopes and dreams to progress in each of these areas in my life. Whether it’s opportunities and growth within dentistry or in the health and wellness industry, I’m open to it all!
Catch up with previous 90 seconds with…
Follow Dentistry.co.uk on Instagram to keep up with all the latest dental news and trends.
