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EP29 Harley Street & Hairy Teeth – Interview with Dr Mike Heffernan

In this episode, Mike is joined by Dr Mike Heffernan – Specialist in Prosthodontics, Harley Street practice owner, and Co-Founder of Dr Heff’s Remarkable Mints. Mike’s remarkable career has taken him to the US where he specialised at the University of Iowa, led him to part-owning a prestigious dental practice on London’s Harley Street, and drove him to build a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brand.

Mike kicks the episode off by sharing details of his childhood. The son of immigrant Irish parents and one of five brothers, Mike’s family owned and operated a bakery. He says it was brilliant growing up surrounded by delicious cakes, but less brilliant for his teeth with an endless supply of sugar.

Keen to pursue a career that utilised his hands – but didn’t give him unlimited access to sticky buns and sugar coated doughnuts – Mike trained as a dentist and graduated from Guy’s Hospital in 1990. He worked as an associate for several years before deciding to become a Specialist. He relocated to the US to specialise in Prosthodontics.

When it was time to move back to the UK, Mike made the crazy decision to invest in a Harley Street dental clinic that he’d never set foot in. He learnt a lot as a Co-Principal, but after 5 years of living in central London, Mike had had enough and was presented with an excellent opportunity to relocate his young family to the South Coast.

In 2018, Mike took a 9-month sabbatical which saw him and his family exploring South America. They learnt Spanish in Costa Rica and were captivated by Argentina.

Various commitments brought Mike back to the UK and he soon split his time between an associate role and renting a room on Harley Street. It’s during this time that he co-founded Dr Heff’s Mints with Dr. Toby Edwards-Lunn.

Mike’s wife was really into juices and smoothies, but would often complain about her teeth feeling “hairy”. Mike being a dentist knew this was actually the sugars in the juices and smoothies breaking down her teeth enamel. This inspired him to create a dental supplement in the form of mints.

Dr Heff’s Remarkable Mints is researching new products and looking to expand beyond the UK. Mike’s love for research will likely see him devote more time to the business and less time practising dentistry.

Towards the end, Mike briefly describes the content marketing company he and his wife have launched; Praxis Content. For a one-off fee or monthly subscription, dental practices can get access to a monthly newsletter full of useful oral health information that they can send to existing patients to improve communication, boost loyalty, and, ultimately, increase sales.

Dr Heffernan shares his number one piece of advice for any associate dentists thinking about buying or starting their own dental practice.

If you have any questions regarding practice ownership or you’d like to learn more about Dr Heff’s Remarkable Mints, then reach out to Dr Mike Heffernan.

Visit the Growing A Dental Practice podcast page for more details and links to streaming platforms > patientboost.dental/podcast

This episode is brought to you by PatientBoost – The Business & Marketing Growth Consultancy for Dental Practices.

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Have a story to share?

If you’d like to share your knowledge and experience of growing a dental practice, the we’d love to get you on the podcast as a guest!

We’re especially interested in speaking with established practice owners, dental marketers, business consultants, and associate dentists who want to own their own practice one day.

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