Overbooked diaries. Forms filled in twice. A queue at reception before the day has even started. For practice owners, this friction doesn't stay at the front desk. It shapes how patients feel about the practice, how long the team stays, and how well the business grows. 

At Dentistry Show London this year, a new session asks what it would take to design that friction out, and what it looks like when you get to build a practice that way from scratch.

The session 

Calm by Design brings together two dentists who look at the same problem from different sides of the desk. 

Dr Mide Ojo, principal dentist at Refresh Dental in Twickenham and co-founder of SmileFast, brings nearly 20 years in aesthetic and restorative dentistry, along with first-hand experience of running his own practice. He'll share his journey into ownership, what he has learned about creating a calm environment for patients and teams, and what it takes to open a squat practice, built from the ground up. 

Joining him is Dr Lochan Sidhu, dentist and Product Manager at Dentally, bringing the technology lens. As a dentist himself, he understands the clinical realities that any system has to fit around. His work at Dentally focuses on the full patient journey, from the moment a patient books to the moment they pay, and on where small points of friction add up to a stressful day. 

Together, they'll explore how joined-up reminders, digital forms, AI-assisted tools and diagnostics can take friction out of the day for patients, teams and owners, without losing the human side of care that keeps patients coming back. They turn a familiar frustration into a genuinely useful working session. It’s an honest conversation between two dentists about what makes a practice feel calm, and what owners can build in from the start rather than fix later. 

What you'll take away 

Mide will share his route into ownership and the lessons he'd pass on to anyone considering a practice of their own. The conversation then turns to what a calm environment looks like day to day, for patients and the team alike. 

From there, the pair will look at starting from scratch, and the role technology plays when you design a squat practice from day one. Finally, they'll explore how technology and AI can remove friction for staff and patients without losing the human touch. 

Who it's for 

If you own a practice, or you're a senior associate thinking about taking the leap, this is a practical, peer-led look at how the way a practice is designed shapes how it feels to work in and how it performs. 

Everyone who attends will be entered into a prize draw to win three months of Dentally Vision AI* (*Dentally Vision AI is powered by Second Opinion AI), with the winner announced at the end of the session. 

The details 

Whether you're rethinking your own practice's patient journey, curious what "calm" looks like when it's genuinely designed in rather than hoped for, or simply want to hear two dentists speak plainly about a problem you live with daily, this is one to put in your DSL schedule. Join Dr Lochan Sidhu and Dr Mide Ojo for Calm By Design, Saturday 10 October 2026, 14:00-14:30, in the Practice Owners & Business Management Theatre.