They take the fear out of getting your teeth checked, encourage you to eat for better teeth and reveal the secrets of healthy pearly whites - get your teeth into this lot
Oral health isn’t the sexiest of subjects but the dental industry has had quite the makeover of late - from rapping dentists encouraging both kids and adults to get in the chair to food-loving practitioners whipping up recipes for stronger teeth, a new collective of Insta-famous dentists are making it cool to get a check-up. Which is just as well seeing as, according to a 2017 YouGov poll, three in ten of us don’t brush our teeth twice a day, while a 2018 Bupa Dental Care Report revealed that 34 per cent of Brits never floss. If anyone can convince you to pick up the dental tape, it’s these pros…
Dr Uchenna Okoye, @druchennaokoye
Much sought after by celebrities for her subtle, quite literally uplifting approach to cosmetic dentistry, Dr Uchenna is responsible for some of the best gnashers in the business but you won’t find TOWIE perfect teeth in her clinic - she’s more about the ‘can’t quite put your finger on it’ treatments and maintenance that make your entire face look fresher. She’ll take a good pair of Invisalign braces over fillers any day and is full of nuggets of dental wisdom - for instance consistently using a retainer can make aesthetic treatments redundant and she often turns down those seeking a selfie perfect smile.
Follow her for: Positive vibes that prove that visiting the dentist needn’t be a stressful experience - she’s all about the scented candles and mini massages if required to get patients in the zone. She also films reguar troubleshooting videos straight from her clinic on issues ranging from how to deal with sensitivity to whether the activated charcoal toothpaste trend is a load of cr*p.
Dr Rhona Eskander, @drrhonaeskander
An award-winning London-based dentist, Dr Rhona is making her mark on a traditionally male led industry in almost every sphere of her profession, from lecturing to emergency dentistry to nuanced cosmetic work. She’s amassed almost 30K followers thanks to her ‘dentistry from the inside’ style posts, honest accounts of what dental work really involves, plus her style is more than a little Ariana Grande-esque which can’t hurt. She’s smart, she’s damn good at her job as her testimonials and images testify and she’s very cool with it.
Follow her for: ‘Before and afters’ that demonstrate why she’s such a hot shot, career advice for budding young female dentists in particular and doses of perspective regarding perfectionism in cosmetic dentistry.
Dr Desiree Yazdan, @dryazdan
From perspective to pure Hollywood smiles, Dr Yazdan is an OC based cosmetic dentist whose feed looks glossy and American dreamy on the surface, but the captions speak of the reality of what goes on behind the scenes in a dental clinic. From 5am starts to correcting a fair few dental horror stories, Dr Yazdan keeps it real while also presenting some gleaming examples of the work that has made her so popular. Her Instagram stories take you into her lab where she fits everything from dental implants to blingy grills (she’s the creative type) and blends the perfect colours for veneers to match patients’ skin tones and individual tastes. I’m dubbing her a dent-artist.
Follow her for: Immense dental detail, case studies and a lot of heart - Dr Yazdan doesn’t hold anything back from her 127K followers.
Anna Middleton, @londonhygienst
If dentistry is unfairly considered to be a dry career path, becoming a dental hygienist surely fares even worse, but like others on this list, acclaimed hygienist Anna is polishing up the public image of the oral healthcare industry, one deep clean at a time. She has clinics in Clapham and Chelsea but you don’t need to live in London to benefit from her wisdom - she gives her 7K+ followers a sneak peek into innovative new treatments that can dramatically decrease appointment times (her new ‘airflow’ demo takes a hygienist session from the usual 20 minutes to a mere seven) and her ‘before and after’ Stories prove that good hygiene can quite literally work wonders. You might want to rethink pricy whitening after seeing what's possible with a few nifty habit changes.
Follow her for: Sound, sensible dental advice delivered with sparkle. Don’t come near her with lemon water or so-called “whitening” toothpaste…
Dr Serine Sehgal, @thefoodie_dentist
A dentist with a passion for cooking and keeping her mouth as healthy as poss re: what she puts on her plate, Dr Serine combines expert dentistry knowledge with delicious recipes and a big dollop of balance. If you’re assuming that she lives on crudités and doesn’t touch a dessert, you’d be very wrong. A scroll through her feed brings you waffles, curries, fish dinners and the odd cake, with an emphasis on quick and convenient meals and dental facts that might inspire your next dinner. For example, she advocates making smoothies at home with a balanced fruit and vegetable ratio and as a better option vs. shop bought for long term tooth health, and recommends investing in a reusable straw to minimise your risk of acid erosion. She correlates dental health with nutritional know-how neatly, and if nothing else, come for the food - it’s colourful and there’s many a guac attack.
Follow her for: Dental Q&As by day and quite literally toothsome food inspo for when you get home.
Dr Milad Shadrooh, @dentistsinging
If you’re yet to come across Dr Milad , aka, The Singing Dentist , you’ll likely find him rapping to Holly and Phil on the This Morning sofa or reframing Despacito to ‘breaking your tooth on a Dorito’ in dead time between appointments. I’ve met him and can confirm that his eyebrows do indeed dance along to the beat, and he’s as talented when it comes to dropping bars as he is at dentistry - his practice is seriously in demand and he’s particularly driven by improving dental health care for children. Kids love his ‘flossing’ dances and pop hits parodies (‘gappy’ instead of ‘gappy, ‘return of the plaque’...you get the idea), but there’s a serious message behind the silliness where prioritising children’s health and wellbeing and setting them up for a good future comes in. He achieves comedy, charity and expert dentistry in the day job, and he was once actually offered a record deal, but he turned it down for teeth.
Follow him for: Tunes about teeth. It’s a simple formula but there are regular new bangers to inspire your next trip to the dentist’s.