Dentology hosted its first live podcast in London recently, with the charismatic Dr Milad Shadrooh, aka ‘The Singing Dentist’, taking the chair to give a snapshot into his rise to dental ‘stardom’.
During his live Dentology Podcast appearance, Milad described an Iranian tradition of his childhood which involved surrounding an infant with various ‘props’. Each one represented a potential profession, and whichever the child selected was believed to be an indication of their destiny.
The toy syringe intrigued Milad, so medicine it was! Fortunately, he had a natural flair for sciences and excelled at school. An enjoyable internship with a maxillofacial surgeon swayed Milad to pursue dentistry as a career.
Milad spoke of his deep love for his homeland and his frustration at the current turmoil. His social media platform enables him to highlight what’s going on and counter some of the stigma associated with Iran.
‘It is a country rich in natural resources, with a mixed climate and the most hospitable people in the world,’ he explains. ‘One day, I hope I will be able to return and show my children their roots.’
Milad studied at Queen Mary’s Dental School, after which he decided not to do a vocational training year (which wasn’t compulsory at the time) but instead opted to be a ‘dental assistant’ at a practice based in Basingstoke. The principal, confident in Milad’s ability, sold the practice to him six years later. Nearly 19 years on, Milad is still there.
The rise of ‘The Singing Dentist’
The cost of owning a practice was a sound investment for him personally and professionally. It allowed him to pursue other interests outside of dentistry, hence the rise of ‘The Singing Dentist’.
Left with time on his hands when an endo patient failed to attend, Milad entertained himself by playing around with lyrics to a Drake song that came on the radio. When he shared it with the team and a few friends, they advised him to share a video of it online.
He set up a YouTube account and ‘The Singing Dentist’ became an internet sensation. His videos include parodies of tunes such as ‘Happy’ by Pharell and Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’.
The purpose of the videos was never about marketing, but a desire to change public perception of dentistry, which often has a bad press. From his online platform other opportunities have also arisen. He is now a regular on a celebrity football team, which has been hugely fulfilling. The fundraising matches support local charities so he gets to meet the beneficiaries, all of whom have powerful and heart-breaking stories to tell.
What’s next for the dentist who appears to have it all?
Not one to sit on his laurels, Milad told the Dentology Podcast that he is about to publish a book called ‘The Whole Tooth’. It will explain the experience of being a dentist with a mix of funny stories, myth busters and insight into the history of dentistry.
Milad also produced an audio version of the book. This was great fun, although he wasn’t allowed to sing any of his parodies for copyright reasons!
As for the future, he’s happy working part-time in his surgery in Basingstoke. He will also continue posting details of his life inside and outside the practice regularly. A natural comedian, Milad is now working on a comedy ‘medical’ pilot. He’s cautiously optimistic about the show. Whatever the outcome, he’s loving the journey and is equally as comfortable in a studio as in his surgery.
Milad’s passion for his profession is evident. Asked where he would choose to be if he could be a fly-on-the-wall, he immediately said in parliament when discussions are taking place on the future of NHS dentistry.
‘How can they get it so wrong?’ he asks. ‘Who’s advising them?’ and more importantly, ‘What’s the plan to fix it?’
This article is written from a live episode of Dentology Podcast featuring Dr Milad Shadrooh. It is one of a series in which Frank Taylor & Associates’ Chris Strevens and Andy Acton discuss ‘all things non-clinical in the dental world’ with their special guests.
You can view and listen to this and more episodes here.
