The video is an inspirational speech delivered at a TEDx conference by a dentist who transformed his career from an average dentist to the owner of a chain of clinics. The speaker shares his journey, highlighting the difficulties he faced as a new graduate looking for a job, his decision to further his education in orthodontics, and the medical challenges he faced that led to a period of depression.

This is a must-watch as it offers insight into the resilience and determination required to overcome adversity. The speaker finds inspiration from a friend’s story of overcoming his own severe physical limitations to lead a fulfilling life, sparking the speaker’s resolve to push through his struggles. He details his career progression, the strategy to become a leading Invisalign provider, and his eventual success in establishing and expanding his clinic business.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. orthodontics [ˌɔːrθəˈdɒntɪks] - (noun) - A branch of dentistry dealing with the diagnosis, prevention, and correction of malpositioned teeth and jaws. - Synonyms: (dental brace speciality, alignment practice, tooth straightening)

In dentistry, we have many specialties. We have surgery, we have pediatrics, endodontics, bedodontics and orthodontics.

2. paralysis [pəˈræləsɪs] - (noun) - The loss of the ability to move in part or most of the body. - Synonyms: (immobility, lack of movement, disability)

They decided that he has paralysis in all his extremities.

3. ventilator [ˈvɛntɪˌleɪtər] - (noun) - A machine that supports breathing in patients who are unable to breathe sufficiently on their own. - Synonyms: (respirator, breathing apparatus, life support machine)

He even cannot breathe without a ventilator.

4. anaphylactic shock [ˌænəfɪˈlæktɪk ʃɒk] - (noun) - A severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. - Synonyms: (acute allergic reaction, serious allergic response, hypersensitivity)

Studies say in 50% of cases with rupture cysts inside the lung, you will have something called anaphylactic shock.

5. hydated cyst [haɪˈdeɪtɪd sɪst] - (noun) - A cyst caused by parasitic infection, often found in the liver or lungs. - Synonyms: (parasitic cyst, echinococcosis, infestation cyst)

This cyst is called hydated cyst. It's a cyst growth inside your body somewhere.

6. depression [dɪˈprɛʃən] - (noun) - A mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities. - Synonyms: (gloom, low mood, melancholia)

I don't know why I developed a depression.

7. isolation [ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən] - (noun) - The state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others. - Synonyms: (seclusion, solitude, detachment)

I was isolated, completely isolated.

8. inspire [ɪnˈspaɪər] - (verb) - To fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially something creative or motivating. - Synonyms: (motivate, encourage, uplift)

After I visited Khaldun, I started thinking again, why I'm like this? Why I have this depression.

9. surrender [səˈrɛndər] - (verb) - To cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority. - Synonyms: (submit, give in, yield)

So as I told you, don't surrender to negativity

10. negativity [ˌnɛɡəˈtɪvɪti] - (noun) - The expression of criticism of or pessimism about something. - Synonyms: (cynicism, pessimism, defeatism)

Don't surrender to negativity.

From Dentistry to Business - Firas Salaas - TEDxYouth@AmericanSchoolDhahran

Good afternoon. Who love dentists? Of course. No one. Me neither. When I first was invited by my friend Sayed Zerman to be a guest speaker here in this TEDx conference, I was thinking what topic I I have to talk about with the young generations. Is it about dentistry and how to be a successful dentist and make too much money? I think it's not interesting for everyone. Some of you want to be engineer, scientists, maybe physician. So I decided to talk about a little bit about my journey from being an average normal dentist to now I own multi chain clinics.

After I finished my high school in the mom, Saudi Arabia, I went to Syria to study dentistry. At that time, it was really difficult to be accepted in any dental school in the world. In Syria, you have to have full marks in almost all subjects in your high school to be accepted in dental school. I was smart kid at high school, so I was accepted. Thank God. I studied dentistry for five years. So after I finished my dental school in Syria, as any dentist, I asked my father to open a small clinic for me and start my work. My father was kind of tough guys and he believes in you have to build your own character and your own future. Don't depend on me. So he refused to help me in buying a clinic or to open one for myself.

And I started thinking about something else. I went to Saudi Arabia to work here, wrote my cv, all the details, all the rupees, all the everything. And went to more than 20 dental centers and applied for a job. And guess what? Nobody called me. Of course, I had no experience. I'm fresh graduate, nobody want to work with a newly graduated dentist. So I went back to Syria again and I start looking for to lease a dental clinic, small office from any dentist who is not living in Syria. And there is plenty of them. I found one. This one was far away from my home. 1 hour and a half in public transportations going and 1 hour and a half going back. Worked there for two years and it was good opportunity for me to look for the next step in my life.

I believe that I need to do my master degree. And when you work after your graduations, you will discover what you want exactly in the future to be. So. In dentistry, we have many specialties. We have surgery, we have pediatrics, endodontics, bedodontics and orthodontics. For me, orthodontics was my patient. So I chose this major. I started writing letters for many universities. I wrote letters for over 100 universities in the world. US, Canada, Australia, you name it. And I didn't get acceptance from all of them. Finally, I get acceptance from Cairo University, Egypt.

Then I went there. So I started my master degree in orthodontics, which I love. It was amazing. Years, four years with hard work, enjoyment. I love orthodontics. orthodontics teach me how to be a patient, how to be organized, systematic, and how to build steps every time. In orthodontics, we do things now and we wait one month to see the results, and one month after one month, we see the results after two years. So you have to be focused, organized, systematic to achieve your goal and reach the best results for your patients. Everything was smooth and everything was nice.

Until in 2005, in my last year and master degree, I had a serious medical issue. Suddenly they admitted me to the hospital. I don't know why. Then they told me you had a cyst in your lung. This cyst is called hydated cyst. It's a cyst growth inside your body somewhere. In my case, it was in my lung. It growth silently with no symptoms, no pain, nothing. You just. If you are lucky, you can discover it by chance by a routine x ray. But unfortunately, I was not. This tests. If you are lucky and you discovered it by routine x ray, you can do a surgery and remove it. But in my case, it ruptured in my lung and it caused me serious medical issue.

Studies say in 50% of cases with rupture cysts inside the lung, you will have something called anaphylactic shock. It will cause death for 50% of people who have this issue. I was lucky and I survived. I lived for three months between doctors, hospitals, medications. Then finally, I did the surgery that I need, and I had two months of recovery. Everything was fine in my body, physically, but mentally it was not good.

I don't know why I developed a depression. After all these five months of sickness, I felt hopeless. I felt I don't need to do anything anymore. I isolated myself from my friends, my family. I left my master's degree after all this excitement and studying, my master and I like surrounded. So it took me like three months in this situation and nobody can help me, neither my family or my father, my mother, nobody.

Until one night, one of my good friends, his name is Fadi, he came to my house and he begged me to go with him to visit someone. Of course, I refused. I refused any contact with anyone. I was isolated, completely isolated. But he insisted to take me for this visit. And after too much asking, I agreed. So Fadi took me to visit my good friend Khaldun Sinjab.

Let me introduce Khaldun. Sinjab for you, Khalduna. He was brilliant at high school. He finished high school in Syria with full mars and everything. Almost everything. Then he went to the beach with his family to celebrate his success. He jumped into the sea. The sea was shallow, so he broke his neck. After examinations and hospital, they decided that he has paralysis in all his extremities. Khaldun has only his eyes, mouth and tongue working. He even cannot breathe without a ventilator.

So anyone in Khaldun's situation will give up for sure. Nothing for the future. He cannot do anything. He cannot move his legs, his hands. He cannot go out. He don't have any friends. But not my friend Khaldun. Khaldun hauled a life like this. He wanted to achieve something. Even with his situation. He insisted to be a successful person. So he started reading books with the holder. They put the box in the holder for him. He learned how to do software programming. C. I don't know if you're familiar with these computer programs. And he works with spacetune.

I'm not sure space tune still exists, but spacetune at that time was one of the major companies for. For cartoons for kids. One of Khaldun friends developed for him, keybad. It looks like the same keybad we use in our laptops. He was using it with his tongue to choose letters and browse Internet and design what he's designing for space tune. So Khaldun was supporting himself after all these struggles, he was supporting himself. This is when I saw Khaldun first time. He has this pad. I cannot hear him. He just moved his tongue, and that's it.

Sometimes after the war in Syria, we had many blackouts there. So because Khaldun lived on ventilators, this blackout stops his family need to do manual ventilation for him, to keep him alive for many long hours. So Khaldun, after that, moved to Beirut, which has better situation for electricity to keep him alive. And this time, Khaldun get married, and he has now two kids, two beautiful kids. And one time, the royal family and Emirates heard about Khaldun. So they sent him private jet and bring him to Emirates, and they admitted him to Cleveland hospital in Abu Dhabi. They check Khaldun, everything in Khaldun, and they try to help him as much as they can.

Now, my friend Khaldun can sit without a ventilator. He can speak, he can communicate, he attends conferences, his speaker sometimes. It's amazing, after all of that, Khaldun graduated from Sharka University, and his loved subject, computer science, which was amazing.

Back to me. After I visited Khaldun, I started thinking again, why I'm like this? Why I have this depression. I'm fully recovered now. I have my health, I have my family, my friends. My master's degree is waiting me. Khaldun have nothing in his fighting. He didn't give up. So why I'm like this? So I decided I have to start again. And I back on track, went back to Egypt, finished my master's degree. It was nice.

Then I came again to Saudi Arabia to start working. Now. I wrote a new CVD with orthodontics in it. And I go to the same center as I went before. And I applied my cv. I hoped that maybe two or three will call me to start negotiations with me. But next day all of them called me. Imagine, first time nobody called me. Now all of them called me. Why is that?

Because now I know more things about dentistry. That's why you have to improve your skills, study more, don't stop where you are now, even in university. Improve your skills, do courses, do everything you can to impress your anywhere you will work. So I start working in dental clinic in the mom. And it was nice, I had many patients.

And also I started improving my skills in orthodontics. I heard one time a speaker was coming from us. He talked to us about in 2005, talked to us about a new company in us called Invisalign. Starts there and it's doing good. So I tracked invisible invisalign. I waited for it to come to the Middle east. It was expanding in us, in Canada and Europe. And once it started in Saudi Arabia, I signed in to. And at the same time I set a new goal for myself. I don't want to stay as an employee for the rest of my life. I wanted to open my own business.

So I started establishing chime clinics. I opened it in 2010, and at the same time I was working in the old clinic. Before, the business was tough. It was not easy. The expenses was much more than the income at that time. And I depended on my income from my work to support my business, because it was not enough, the income there wasn't enough. And one day my boss and my clinic, he knew that I'm opening my own business. And he was angry and he fired me immediately. So another obstacle in my life, how I'm gonna support my business.

I think it's difficult now. So I decided to move on my own clinic and run it myself. And this is very important. When I settled in my clinic and they started controlling it. And I have really micromanagement skills. So the care start going up. This is very important. Don't depend on anyone. You have to control your things yourself. Nobody can do your things better than you.

So sham clinics start going up. As I told you, more doctors, more employees, everything was nice. And at the same time I was improving myself with invisalign. I become now number one invisalign provider in the eastern region and maybe number two in Saudi Arabia. I have over 2000 successful cases with invisalign. Say it. One of my patients and as you can see. And the top ranking of invisalign in Saudi Arabia. Thank you. 1%, they call me. They call this level as Diamond Ebex. They give it to 1% of doctors who is invisalign provider.

And Europe and Africa and eastern region, sorry, Middle east. So I'm one of them. There are 40,000. Maybe I'm one of 1% of them. Top providers. Lately I opened my fifth branch for sham clinics. Now I have five branches for sham centers and Derma and dental centers and KSM Bahrain. 400 employees, 80 doctors. And we are treating over 100,000 patients monthly.

In life we may face many struggles, many difficulties. Some people can say to you, you cannot do this or that. You may face medical issue. You may try to do some business for yourself and you will hear many negative voices. Don't listen to them. Believe in yourself and do what you want to do. Achievements and successful is not for normal people.

You have to work hard to achieve your goals. Luck maybe help 1% of the successful persons, but 99% of them, they work hard to do their things and achieve them. I work sometimes I work in six clinics at the same time just to make my business working.

So as I told you, don't surrender to negativity. Achieve what you want to achieve and work hard for yourself, for your family. I love my kids. My son Yusuf is here. Lately I had my daughter, I named her sham on the same of my clinics. Each time you hear negative voices, don't remember my story. Remember my friend Khaldun and how he moves from this situation to this situation. And I hope better luck for all of you. Thank you so much.

Entrepreneurship, Motivation, Inspiration, Leadership, Overcoming Adversity, Inspiration Stories, Tedx Talks