As the demands of the dental industry continue to increase, dentists are increasingly at risk of burnout. Working long hours, sometimes as the only dentist in your office, handling anxious patients, and managing the business side of your practice, it's no wonder that many dentists suffer from the emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that comes from prolonged stress.¹
Dr. Laura Brenner, a Certified Professional Coach and founder of Lolabees Career Coaching, is no stranger to dentisting burnout. After experiencing it herself, she has dedicated her career to helping dentisting humans navigate the very real and very scary reality of burnout.
“I was completely burnt out in dentistry and because no one was talking about burnout at the time, I didn't know what it was. I thought I hated (dentistry), so I decided to quit. Years later, I learned that everything I was feeling was the classic signs of burnout. So I began to question... Did I hate my career, or was I just burnt out?”
Dr. Brenner shares that burnout is often not caused by an aversion to the profession itself, but by the daily repeated stressors. “Over and over I kept talking to burnt out dentists, and in those conversations, it sounded like many of them hated their work- not job or career - but the actual day-to-day work and all the challenges with it.”
Once Dr. Brenner noticed the pattern of what caused dentisting burnout, she was able to diagnose and draft the appropriate “treatment plan.” She cites methods like taking breaks and getting the right support as ways to prevent and treat.
“Just like in dentistry, if we can properly diagnose our burnout, then we can create the right treatment plan.”
Preventing burnout is so critical to not only the dentist themselves, but to the culture of their work environment. This is why Dr. Brenner explains that dentists “need to begin to take care of themselves, so they can be energized and engaged in their work environment. They create the culture, and they can create a culture of respect, care, friendship, happiness.”
Want to hear more from Dr. Laura Brenner on how to prevent dentisting burnout, or what to do if you feel like you’re already there? Dr. Brenner's lecture Diagnose your Burnout to Choose the Right Treatment from Super Dentist Boost Camp 2023 is now available on our Nacho On Demand CE platform. Click here to purchase a pass or become a Dental Nachos Supreme member.
1. Melinda Smith, M.A. “Burnout Prevention and Treatment.” HelpGuide.Org, 24 Feb. 2023, www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm#:~:text=a%20healthy%20diet-,What%20is%20burnout%3F,unable%20to%20meet%20constant%20demands.