Negative emotions arise easily when life doesn’t go as planned. What makes it even worse is when you’ve done your homework, thought through potential roadblocks, and prepared the team by sharing expectations. Still, things can go south. When this happens it evokes senses of failure, disappointment, and regret. There is another way to look at…
Read MoreYour sitting next to the patient waiting for their response. You’ve done it right. Showed them all the x-rays with the bone loss. Described the hygienist’s findings of 5-6 mm pockets, bleeding, the pus. Providing them a pamphlet of periodontal disease and the oral-systemic consequences was the final touch in gaining their buy-in for their…
Read MoreThe stress closet. A euphemism for all things scary, dark, and feared. A place we shove unwanted items or things we don’t want to deal with in a given moment. The closet is such a visual representation of all things deep and dark we have cliches about being in them, where our skeletons lie, and…
Read MoreHow stressed are dentists, really? The American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Dental Association used the same Likert scaling question* to determine the perceived stress levels of the American population and that of dentists, respectively. On the 10 point scale, Americans claim stress levels equal to a rating of 4.9 (mild-moderate) while dentists report…
Read MorePulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Ellen Glasgow wrote, “The only difference between a rut and a grave are the dimensions.” This makes me wonder if business owners find themselves in so many daily ruts, why do they keeping digging? What’s the cause behind the compulsory attitude and behaviors commonly repeated by owners that kills their practices,…
Read MoreProgressive Relaxation has been scientifically proven to help with reducing stress. It can be done anywhere and takes just moments to complete. Tips for Dental Pros: The dental chair is the perfect chair to practice progressive relaxation. Get to the office 15 minutes early, take out segments of your lunch hour, and stay late…
Read MoreYour ability to manage stress is equal to the number of tools, resources, and coping methods you can tap into to navigate your stressors. This is easily done when stressors happen one at a time or when a trigger is perceived as a minor threat. Utilizing common coping methods such as deep breathing or relaxation…
Read MoreHow Stressed are Dentists? Short answer: Severely! Long Answer: In completing a thorough literature review of the relevant studies available 86% of dentists experience moderate to severe stress. Considering less than half of the general population claims moderate to severe stress levels (48.1%), dental professionals are definitely the outlier. I also found no statistical difference between…
Read MoreInfluences on Stress In all my work with dental professionals and the massive amount of reading I do around the topic of stress management, I have found consistently four really big factors that influence stress levels and the data to go with it. Feeling of control You can call this control, autonomy or ownership. What…
Read MoreTop 5 Stressors Each dentist has their own stress triggers depending on their ability to resolve a situation and the number of tools and resources they can mobilize to create solutions. Keeping that in mind, there are the Top 5 stress triggers that are common. Just read through any message board or eavesdrop on a…
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