This week, Payman chats with Niki Keyhani, a newly qualified specialist prosthodontist who's already built something remarkable. Seven years out from qualification, she's opened a squat practice, completed her specialist training at King's, and somehow managed to do both simultaneously during a pandemic.
What really stands out isn't just the clinical achievement—it's the way she talks about passion versus ambition, about choosing to do everything at once rather than waiting for the "right time." There's a refreshing honesty here about being underestimated as a young woman in dentistry, about that first complaint that knocked her sideways, and about why true kindness matters more than just going through the motions.
Whether she's discussing optimal achievement over high achievement or explaining why she'd rather wait for the right person than rush into marriage, Niki brings a perspective that feels both grounded and aspirational.
In This Episode
00:01:15 - Introduction and background
00:01:55 - Passionate versus ambitious
00:03:00 - Sibling dynamics and guidance
00:04:40 - The "wanting it all" approach
00:05:50 - Sacrifice and balance in career building
00:10:00 - Growing up as a dentist's daughter
00:15:00 - Starting a squat practice during COVID
00:21:15 - Opening during the pandemic
00:22:20 - Decision to pursue specialist training
00:24:00 - Neil Nathwani's encouragement to specialise
00:25:30 - Getting into specialist training first try
00:27:45 - Clinical capabilities and full mouth rehabs
00:36:00 - Patient selection red flags
00:37:40 - Blackbox thinking
00:56:15 - Challenges as a woman in dentistry
01:06:15 - Business development mindset
01:07:10 - High achievers versus optimal achievers
01:09:15 - Child of a dentist privilege
01:10:10 - Building the perfect patient journey
01:13:50 - Spanish lessons and tennis
01:15:30 - Best lectures and courses
01:16:50 - Creating a thousand-page prosthodontic textbook
01:21:25 - Fantasy dinner party
01:24:00 - Last days and legacy
About Niki Keyhani
Niki Keyhani is a newly qualified specialist prosthodontist who graduated from King's College London in 2017. She completed her postgraduate diploma at the Eastman and her specialist training at King's whilst simultaneously opening and running her own squat practice from 2020. The daughter of a dentist, she's passionate about prosthodontics, teaching, and breaking down perceptions of what young women in dentistry can achieve.
