In a quiet corner of Fulham, behind the glass frontage of Pure Smiles, the traditional narrative of dentistry is being challenged. Not through slick advertising or conveyor-belt treatments, but through a deeply personal philosophy: that a smile is identity, that confidence is currency, and that dentistry can be the bridge between the two.
Dr Ayzaaz Akram and Dr Shiraz Akram, principal dentists and brothers, are rewriting expectations. Their practice is not a cosmetic studio peddling quick fixes. It is a clinic grounded in trust, empathy and the conviction that confidence can be rebuilt, provided biology is respected and patients are treated as partners in their own care.
When asked whether cosmetic dentistry risks becoming a pursuit of vanity, Dr Shiraz leans forward with quiet emphasis. “Dentistry is not vanity,” he says. “The way a patient smiles changes how they enter a boardroom, how they order a coffee, how they carry themselves through life.”
Ayzaaz adds that the pandemic altered everything. “Zoom changed people’s perceptions. They spent hours looking at their own faces on screen. That was when many realised their smile didn’t represent who they felt they were.”
The point is not trivial. The UK cosmetic dentistry market is forecast to expand steadily over the coming decade, with growth driven by aligners, veneers and digital smile design. Industry estimates project annual increases of between five and eleven per cent depending on the segment. Yet behind the surge is a dangerous temptation: to offer quick, fashionable results that collapse under the strain of daily life. The brothers reject that temptation. “We refuse to build confidence on shaky biology,” says Ayzaaz. “A smile has to last ten, twenty, thirty years.”
Not every patient arrives ready to embrace change. Many, in fact, arrive paralysed. Ayzaaz recalls a man who had avoided a dental chair for twenty years. “He sat silent, rigid with terror. We began with breathwork, with slowing things down. By the end, he was telling us how he wanted his smile to look.”
It is this inversion – the fearful becoming the confident – that defines the culture of Pure Smiles. Shiraz reflects: “Empathy is the most underused clinical skill in dentistry. Before we touch a single tooth, we earn trust.”
Their process is neither hurried nor prescriptive. Hypnotherapy, calm voices, breaks in conversation and what they describe as “slow dentistry” all form part of their method. Patients are never rushed, never pushed. They are instead invited to participate. That approach has turned individuals who once avoided clinics for decades into regular attenders, actively engaged in their own treatment plans.
Technology is central to the way Pure Smiles builds confidence, but it is never allowed to overshadow the human response. Their Digital Smile Design software enables patients to preview how their teeth could look. “The reactions are extraordinary,” Shiraz explains. “People cry, laugh, sometimes cover their mouths in disbelief. They say, ‘I can’t believe that’s me.’”
For the Akrams, this moment of revelation is not a gimmick. It is a psychological milestone, helping patients bridge the gap between fear and possibility. Aligners, too, are approached differently. “Invisalign isn’t just a piece of plastic,” Shiraz notes. “It has to be biologically stable. We will reprogramme a case several times to make sure the final result is predictable and long-lasting.”
The brothers resist the idea that dentistry can be reduced to aesthetics. Ayzaaz is blunt: “Function matters as much as looks. You cannot create confidence if the bite is unstable or the gums are diseased.”
Shiraz has seen what happens when cosmetic shortcuts fail. Patients arrive with collapsed bites or painful veneers fitted abroad in pursuit of instant results. “We never build on shaky foundations,” he says. “If biology isn’t respected, confidence cannot endure.”
This stance places them in quiet opposition to some of the market. Private dental fees in the UK have risen sharply, with some procedures costing thirty per cent more than they did three years ago. In that environment, the lure of cheap fixes is real. Yet Pure Smiles has positioned itself as a clinic that will not cut corners, even when demand is high.
The story of Pure Smiles cannot be told without reference to the relationship between the two brothers. They have, in their own words, “different personalities but identical values”. Ayzaaz explains that their partnership flourishes under pressure. “We anticipate each other’s decisions. We don’t need to speak sometimes. Patients feel that continuity.”
It is a rare dynamic in dentistry: two clinicians who move as one, who build on each other’s strengths, who treat the patient not as a case file but as part of a shared enterprise. Patients describe the experience as cohesive and family-driven – a duet rather than two soloists.
Perhaps the most striking quality of Pure Smiles is its refusal to trivialise its own work. “A confident smile is empowerment made visible,” says Shiraz. The stories they tell confirm it. A woman unable to face dating until she saw her new smile. A professional muted in meetings until his aligner treatment gave him confidence to speak. Patients who wept when handed the mirror.
These are not anecdotes about cosmetics. They are examples of dentistry as a tool for identity, agency and self-expression. As Ayzaaz puts it, “Patients don’t invest in vanity. They reclaim themselves.”
Dentistry in Britain is at a turning point. The NHS is shrinking in capacity, private demand is rising, and expectations of quality and transparency are increasing. The brothers believe this shift demands integrity. Their ethos – empathy first, health first, biology first – is deliberately unfashionable in a world of social media veneers, yet precisely what patients need.
Their patients are not buying a service. They are investing in themselves, often for the first time. In Fulham, two brothers are proving that dentistry can be more than clinical care. It can be the restoration of confidence, the repair of identity, and the subtle but decisive force that changes the way a person lives.
To see how Pure Smiles can transform your smile – and your confidence – visit www.puresmiles.co.uk or call 020 7736 6276 to book your personal consultation.
