Around half of the UK population have dental phobia, and 12% have severe anxiety. Few clinicians understand this as keenly as this week’s guest, Laleh Sharifian, who now spends her time as a sedationist.

 

Laleh recounts her journey pursuing a lifelong vocation into dentistry and sedation from being an early entrant at Guy’s, aged just 17. 

 

She lets us in on the experiences that promoted her to decide that practice ownership wasn’t for her, discusses a day in the life of a sedationist and talks about her love of scents and fragrances. 

 

Enjoy! 

In This Episode

02.20 - Patient management

10.23 - Favourite practices

15.28 - Focusing on sedation

19.38 - Heavy duty Vs shorter treatments

23.04 - Introducing sedation to patients

27.26 - ICS Guidelines

31.15 - Sedation for children and young people

33.45 - Medical histories, contraindications and complications

39.11 - Challenging scenarios

48.00 - Blackbox thinking

53.52 - Backstory

01.00.49 - Why dentistry

01.03.57 - Parents, flavour and fragrances

01.09.40 - Guy’s and London

01.14.55 - Student life

01.17.21 - Specialising

01.20.20 - VT, first practice, ownership and beyond

01.31.37 - Regrets and failures

01.34.37 - Instagram and spirits

01.36.56 - Fantasy dinner party

01.45.21 - Last days and legacy

 

About Laleh Sharifian 

Laleh Sharifian graduated from Guy’s Hospital in 1999, where her final year of research working on sedation and dental anxiety won the Malleson prize.

 

She completed a postgraduate diploma in sedation at GKT in 2002 under Drs  David Craig and Carole Boyle.

 

Laleh is part of the faculty of the Society for Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry (SAAD) and practices sedation under the Ivy Sedation brand.