The double life of a dentist and TV presenter

Trishala Lakhani’s BBC documentary on ‘Turkey Teeth’ was the most watched by 16-25-year-olds last year – she explains how she juggles being a dentist and TV presenter.

Your documentary on ‘Turkey Teeth’ sparked a massive national conversation. Did you expect that level of impact?

I always knew it was an intriguing topic that closely correlated with the rise in popularity of reality television.

But did I think it would go on to become the most-watched documentary of the year on the BBC among young audiences? No!

I also never expected it to be nominated for awards such as Most Impactful Journalism at the BBC News Awards, or for myself to be nominated as Debut Presenter. It was an honour.

The morning the documentary was released, a car came to pick me up early, and by 6am I was sitting in a soundproof booth at BBC Broadcasting House doing the media rollout, with around 20 interviews.

I vividly remember that being the moment I realised the true scale of the documentary’s impact and the conversation we had sparked.

My aim in making the documentary wasn’t to convince people to go to Turkey or not, but to inform and educate them with all the tools and information they needed to make the right decision for themselves.

From the responses we received, I’m so glad we achieved what we set out to do.

You’ve worked in an oral cancer department and a special care unit. How did that shape you?

First and foremost, the patients I worked with inspired me every single day. Their resilience was second to none, and I feel incredibly lucky and proud to have been part of their journey as one of their clinicians. This experience has had a long-lasting impact on how I live my life.

Personally, I sometimes struggle to live in the moment, as I’m often focused on the next goal. But it’s so important to be present, because tomorrow isn’t promised.

It’s a constant reminder of how precious life truly is, and it has taught me to live with gratitude every day – for my family, my health, opportunities and even something as simple as waking up in the morning!

And this is also something my parents have always taught me, always be grateful for what you have, and I ensure not a day goes by without me feeling thankful.

It also taught me that you never know what someone else is going through, so it’s important to treat everyone with kindness and compassion.

Doing something small can have a huge impact on someone’s day.

How do you handle the ‘dental influencer’ label?

In all honesty, I don’t really consider myself a ‘dental influencer’, so I don’t think about it!

I’m simply very grateful to be able to use my platform to educate, entertain and inform audiences on both dental and non-dental topics, particularly through television.

I love being able to have a positive impact on my audience.

I believe television has a huge influence on people’s quality of life, it’s more than just switching the television on – it can provide company to someone who is feeling lonely at home in the evening, to offering entertainment and humour and knowledge.

It gives me a great sense of fulfilment to have this platform, and I’m very grateful for that.

What is the biggest challenge in balancing a media career with clinical practice?

That’s a great question – sometimes it really does feel like I’m living a double life!

Funnily enough, last week I was asked to present an award at the BAFTA Television Craft Awards, which was surreal, and less than 24 hours later I was back in clinic seeing patients. But I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Dentistry is a great career in that it allows you to balance two paths and offers a lot of flexibility.

However, my biggest challenge has been overcoming my own self-limiting beliefs – thinking I had to choose between being a TV presenter and being a dentist.

I’ve since learned that you can do anything you set your mind to, and you don’t have to fit into just one box!

Because I’m deeply passionate about both, that makes all the difference and motivates me to strive to be both an excellent dentist and an excellent presenter.

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