How stressful is being a dentist?
It is a pretty stressful occupation, but a very rewarding one too. I am only a lowly assistant but see the effects on my employers. I also get stressed from time to time. Dealing with the public is stressful, especially when they are at a place no one wants to be and having to pay for it. Nobody likes going to the dentist, even if they really like their dentist. The most difficult part is, like the DDS said, is the office politics. Hiring, firing, training, dealing with petty staff misunderstandings, insurance and billing. For some reason dentistry is listed as the occupation with the number one suicide rate, but I have yet to hear of one. And I have come to know many dentists in my years in the field. Most of them learn to love life and enjoy themselves outside of the office. The key is not letting the patients run your life. You must dictate your own hours and policies. Your patients will indeed become like family, if they are so treated. To work in the field you should be an outgoing and personable person.
How stressful is it to be a dentist?
Every dentist practices differently and what constitutes stress for one person is another's small obstacle. I will just say that dentists among all other healthcare providers are known to have more stress and in my opinion it is not so much because of the practice of dentistry but more so for the business aspect of running a dental practice. A dentist graduating from dental school has a hefty amount of loans then add to that the cost of acquiring and managing a dental practice and all the mandatory regulations etc. and you have a large monthly overhead to deal with. So every dentist deals with the practice aspect and the business aspect of the profession differently and when one's goals are aligned with one's passion hopefully there is less stress and more joy and vice versa!
Why are dentists in the UK so stressed?
Thanks for the A2A.I would not say that dentists in the UK, in the whole, are more stressed than those elsewhere. That being said, it can be very stressful, as a lot of pressure is planted on you to please many different parties: the patient, the practice, the community and the NHS, if they apply.If you do a poor job on an NHS patient, they will be frustrated and voice that to the practice (and perhaps other people). The NHS will also not be pleased, as redoing the treatment will cost taxpayers even more money.The dentists I know, however, are pleased in their jobs and proud of all the good they can do.
Dentists/Orthodontists: Is your job stressful?
It can be very stressful. It can be also calming. The more I practiced the more it became calming. Doing precise work is akin to a Zen experience. It was never automatic and one's concentration has to be extremely intense. At the same time, the patients had to be entertained and have their minds kept off what was going on, so there was a kind of fun exchange going on between me and the patient. I kept a list of jokes on the inside of a cabinet that I would refer to when the atmosphere needed to be lightened.I got pretty good at telling jokes and while it is difficult to explain, having a patient laugh while being worked on helped them with their stress and broke a routine into stress reducing parts for me... and for them.I suppose that some dentists are less well equipped to deal with stress, but I was never one of them. I just would deal with it to the point where I never showed it if something turned out to be more difficult than I first thought it would be.New technology was in the last years of my practice somewhat stressful, but then I looked at such things as Cad/Cam dentistry and creation of restorations by machine as more fascinating and interesting than stressful. I just got even more into what I was doing, as a mind filled with thought does not have room for stress.Even when I had invested 150,000 dollars in new technology and was integrating it into my practice, I continued to enjoy rather than stress by just making what would later be an hour appointment into a two or three hour appointment so that it would go smoothly.The closest I came to stress was when my Cerec (my Cad/Cam Dentistry)machine created on its screen a tooth that looked more like black ice crystals, which I had never seen before or was told existed by my trainers.Instead of stressing, I just took new images and my issue went away and never felt stress. I was actually wondering more about how the machine did that.I also knew my limitations and so knew when to refer those patients who had issues I knew would stress me. Super difficult extractions and endodontic procedures on molars were referred, as were patients with behavior issues.I always looked forward to my private practice and still miss it. For me it helped to reduce my stress.
Why would someone want to be a dentist apart from the clichéd reasons like my parents were dentists, I loved/hated my dentist or I had traumatic/wonderful experiences with dentists as a child?
Oooh, that's an easy one. I actively chose dentistry over medicine and I had a degree in mechanical engineering that I opted not to work in, either. Here are some of the salient points for me. 1. Good income2. Less school/residency than going into medicine3. Like to do hands on procedures4. A lot of autonomy to live wherever you want5. Less insurance hassles in your life than medicine.6. The "work of your hands" satisfaction (related to #3). A lot harder to get that kind of feeling in internal medicine or in my case engineering where a lot of what you do has a very small overall contribution to the work (if you work for Boeing, etc.)7. I liked the idea of developing life long relationships with my patients. This is probably the best part of my work.On the downside patients are usually pretty negative about seeing you and you don't always get a lot of appreciation for the effort (physical, artistic, problem solving, etc.) that goes into the job.
I see dentistry as a low stress high gain job, am I under estimating it? Or should I pursue this career path?
Dentistry is very subtly a high stress job. Please look up the suicide rates and nervous disorders associated with the profession. It actually has one of the higher suicide rates of all professions. It may seem odd, because the profession on the surface appears to be a well paying position that allows you to help people who are hurting.I have a theory as to why because I never received an answer to the question when I asked mental health professionals or dentists. I thought it very odd this phenomena could occur and no one had a viable answer.I view it as similar to the Chinese water torture test. That’s where you drop one little drop of water in the area of the third eye or between the eyebrows about every 30 seconds. After about 5 to 10 minutes you will tell the torturer anything they want to know. I think we develop a lot of our self worth by how others treat and react to us. Sociologists call this being other directed.No one likes going to the dentist and it would be a rare thing for anyone to tell you I like going to the dentist. Well after so many years of the dentist picking up this vibe from people he or she begins to feel very poorly about themselves. This leads to depression and feelings of very low self esteem. The resulting feeling is to end the pain and misery with an act of violence against themselves.If after reading this you do not feel threatened by the possibility of stress entering in your life, then go ahead because we need more and more healthcare professionals.
My dentist said my gum disease is caused by stress. What is it?
I have terribly sore, bleeding gums with a lot of tartar- they are red and hurt so bad. When I went to my dentist he prescribed me antibiotics and a toothpaste and mouthwash for gum disease (cordysol), plus he cleaned my teeth with a "scale and polish" (although he didnt clean that much I felt. I still have tartar). It hurts like hell and its been over a month and its STILL not getting better. It keeps bleeding and hurting. Dentist siad it probably isint a virus or damage to the teeth (i had braces on) because it would start healing. I was having important exams (gosh i was so stressed out) and he said that people under stress may develop particular form of gum diesease. Also, he said that my front teeth were loose. Can someone tell me the name of this? He said it in initials like CH something. And that it happens when your stressed. Its not gingivitis he told me. So can someone please help me? Thanks thanks and 10 points for who can answer me correctly!
I have a reciding gums how do you fix it..it’s very stressful and I don’t want to have surgery I get it from brushing to hard and I’m?
No one wants to consult the dentist about this stuff, i understand, but if your gums are unhealthy it could impact your general health. Believe me, it can. And use a soft bristle tooth brush. There is an over the counter mouthwash called TheraBreath which is supposed to be good for gum disease. And there are also prescription mouthwashes if you want to consult your dentist. Surgery is elective, so you don't have to have surgery, if the dentist suggests it. It's up to you, and you can ask the dentist what your alternatives might be
Is being a dentist a good career option?
(My boyfriend is in dental school and I helped him get in so I'm going from that) -Hours are not really flexible, most dentists work from 8-5 Monday-Friday. -You can ease anxiousness by demonstrating on a plastic model and/or explaining what you'll be doing. You'll figure out what it best for your client. -It can be stressful at times. Maybe not so much with your clients but opening your own dental clinic is like running a small business (you have to gain clients, advertise, pay your employees, manage time, money etc). To get into a dental school: -You apply *a year* in advance! -Great overall GPA -Great Science GPA -A personal statement of why you want to be a dentist -At least 3 references (2 from professors/employer, and one from a dentist you have been observing) -You must volunteer your time to observe a dentist, also go to those free dental clinics -Have a great interview with the school (they contact you for this part) This website helped my boyfriend a lot when he was applying (Stats on all the different schools): http://www.predents.com/ -Lastly, sometimes you won't get into dental school on the first shot after you get your undergrad degree. Don't be discouraged, just get all your stuff together early and apply the next year. Schools LOVE experience: volunteer, volunteer, volunteer! Good luck to you!