Soft Bites Podcast

The performance of a dental team can depend on many factors, but clear communication can make all the difference and should be a priority in a dental practice. In an ideal world, team meetings should be held regularly, but let's face it: it's not easy for everyone to attend. So why not implement a system with clear guidelines for written communication? Written communication is an easy way to improve any team’s communication, and allows both professional and practice to record, store, and access notes, instructions, and other written resources.

If you want your team to be more productive and successful, you should encourage effective written communication at your dental practice. In this episode, we’ll discuss the differences between synchronous and asynchronous communication, the benefits of asynchronous communication, and why dental teams should move toward asynchronous communication. We also talk about the WhatsApp group culture, used as a communication tool nowadays. Insights:

- If it's not written it doesn't exist.

- Dental practices already communicate asynchronously with their lab, they just need to establish the same protocols of communication in the team.

- In the end, being specific is a form of kindness.

Negotiating for work conditions in Dentistry should be a collaborative process, where Dentists and Dental Clinics can gain something. For this to happen both parties need to be flexible in their approach, and willing to compromise and adapt.

In this episode, we explore how Dentists can negotiate for better working conditions, keeping in mind that: - Experience counts; - Good work conditions don't always equal money; - Sharing the same values is essential; - Understanding the person across the table (and their constraints) is important;

Insights: 1. Photograph your work. Start documenting your cases. If you have a portfolio of your work to show, this will help the clinic owner to believe your worth (and to better understand why you deserve what you are requesting). 2. Negotiating a job offer and negotiating a salary are not the same. Don't get fixated on money. Focus on the value of the entire proposition: opportunity for growth, working hours, location.

Humanity in healthcare rests on an awareness of patients as human beings first, and patients second. We know that being a dentist can be an exhausting job. And with so many patients coming in and out of appointments, it can be surprisingly easy to drift into a more impersonal approach to each patient who walks through your office door. But it's important to remember that to be the best dentist you can be, you must give your technical best always but also treat every patient like a human being, not a number (even when you are tired).

One insight: it starts with you and your approach going to work every day.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment or connect with us on social media.

Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!

What is the ideal working time in Dentistry?

Until not so long ago it was considered normal for a Dentist to work for long hours 5/6 days a week. And still today, many dentists work under the 8-hour journey premise, leaving the majority feeling unsatisfied, disengaged, and in burnout.  The world is changing, the 4 days work week is here to stay and in Dentistry we see a change too. However, the quality of work will always be crucial.

In this episode, we discuss how to create balanced and healthy working hours for you and your dental practice.

The first step toward creating a sustainable truly satisfying career in dentistry is to have a vision of how you want your life to be, to have goals, and create a plan. In this episode, we discuss our personal productivity systems, hacks, and workflow, to get things done (and accomplish our goals) but most important how to let go once something is achieved. We hope you enjoy it!

We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment or connect with us on social media. Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!

Meditation is everywhere nowadays, it became mainstream, and the way we live our lives nowadays, filled with tension, stress, and stimulation, created an urgent demand for it. We are both meditation practitioners and enthusiasts. In this conversation, we talk about our personal approach to meditation and how it serves our life. We also discuss some of the most common myths and misconceptions about meditation and our take on it.

Are dentists being fooled by the dental industry?

This was the motto for our conversation with Dr. Alessandro Devigus and it didn't disappoint!

Dr. Alessandro is always ahead of his time and looking for innovation. But at the same time, he never forgets that the most important thing about our job is the people, and sometimes simplicity is the best option.

In our conversation he took us on a journey from the beginning of his career, passing through how he sees the dental industry nowadays and his vision of the future. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

If opening your own dental practice is something that you always dreamed of... go ahead! We fully support you! Just don't let it become your worst nightmare. Be sure you are prepared and aware of all it involves and the consequences. 

Starting a dental practice can seem overwhelming at first because of the legal and financial aspects of it (and those are just the beginning because there is a lot more to it than you might think).
But, if done in a conscious way, it's a beautiful and rewarding adventure. It's also a unique opportunity to practice the dentistry you love and believe in, to work according to your values, to create a positive work environment, and to make a positive impact on the dental community.
This episode discusses human skills and responsibilities when starting a dental practice, including personal and financial considerations.
We wish you the best on your journey. And remember, do not be afraid to reach out for help.

Is there a generational gap in dentistry? We think yes and that we should be aware of it. Not to divide but to improve and learn from each other.

Each generation has its own characteristics regarding workplace attitudes, general consciousness, and ways of life. In this episode we discuss the new generation:

- Sense of fairness

- Work hours

- Acknowledgment

- Work environment needs

- Mental health awareness

- Human and social skills

- Boundaries

- Work-life balance

- Work responsibility

Our goal is not to label the new generations, is simply to put things in perspective and aknowledge change. Diverse perspectives are a strength, but they can also cause tension, especially if members of different generations often have very different expectations of one another and approach challenges in very different ways.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment, connect with us in social media or email us directly at mindfuldentistry@gmail.com

Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!

This is a surprising conversation. We already knew Diogo Guerreiro as an exceptional endodontist and speaker, known all over the world. What we didn't expect was the honest and vulnerable human being.

Diogo took us through his career journey and how he got to the point where it's all about taking care of people and doing your best. He also discussed how we look for validation on social media nowadays, how certain experiences change you, work-life balance, success, mindset and motivation.

Thank you Diogo for showing us the power of authenticity and human connection in Dentistry. It's all about the people and making people lives a little better. Sometimes we get wrapped around ego boosting dentistry and we forget it.

In Dentistry we tend to look at perfectionism with positivity. We know perfection doesn't exist, because it's subjective, but we continue to set unrealistic goals and standards based on it. At a certain moment, if we are not self-aware, we may even start to assess self-worth based on achieving unrealistic results.

Why do we hide behind perfectionism? The truth is, we can't move forward without feeling vulnerable, and for Dentists to show vulnerability is not easy. But if we dare to open up and be authentic we might be surprised by the positive reaction of others.

In this episode we talk about perfectionism, why Dentists continue to impose the pressure of perfectionism on themselves, how that leads them to frustration in so many ways, and we give you some tools to deal with the perfectionism trap we all fall into.

"We have to stay very grounded, but at the same time aim for the stars" Phil Stutz.

Our inspiration for this episode came from watching "Stutz", a beautiful film by Jonah Hill available on Netflix. Phil Stutz is Jonah Hill’s friend and therapist, and this film invites you to explore Dr. Stutz’s Tools for life in an effort to get real, get personal, and get better. If you haven't seen it, go see it, it's worth it.

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Parul Dua Makkar. 

Parul is a fellow American dentist and the owner of PDM Family Dental in Long Island, NY.

As a Dentist, at one point or another, you’ve probably faced the challenge of how to make sure you leave work at work and not bring work stress home with you.   

In this episode we talk about: 

- The importance of the transition from holidays to work and how it could contribute to your success 

- The power of setting intentions 

- How to successfully manage the mental work-home transition  

- Effective ways of switching off after work   

Keep in mind: physical presence doesn’t always equate to mental presence. You could be sitting at your work chair but more preoccupied about a home situation than the patient at your care, or you could be at the kitchen table thinking more about the treatment that didn't go according to plan than the people eating dinner with you. That’s why transitions from work mode to personal mode are so essential.   

Our Tip: Get conscious about it and establish a healthy work-home transition activity or routine that works for you and serves you better over the long term. Because due to the mental demandings of Dentistry it's very common for Dentists to choose an unhealthy way to completely absorb mental energy to transition away from work stress like overdrinking, overeating, overspending, over-scrolling social media or binge watching netflix.  

We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment, connect with us in social media or email us directly at mindfuldentistry@gmail.com 

Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!  

All the best, 

Manuela and Jorge André  

In this episode we welcome international lecturer, tech entrepreneur and mental health in dentistry advocate, Dr. Kyle Stanley.

Dr. Kyle Stanley, named "The Next Generation of Cosmetic Dentistry" by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, “The Top 10 Young Educators in Dentistry” by the Seattle Study Club, and "World's Top 100 Doctors in Dentistry" graduated from USC and then went on to complete a dental implant residency and dental implant specialty in Brazil. He is a researcher who has published in some of the top dental journals about esthetics, implants, and plastic surgery topics. With his company Pearl, he is changing the way patients are treated through artificial intelligence and is a leader in this field. Dr. Stanley is the most prominent advocate of mental health in dentistry and through his Light Side community has helped countless dentists reduce stress and anxiety. He maintains a private practice in Beverly Hills where he focuses on implant surgery and prosthetics. 

In our conversation we talked about:

- Why mental health is still a taboo topic in dentistry

- The Light Side Course: how it started and how it has evolved, how it helps dentists to overcome stress and burnout

- The right mindset in dentistry

- Work-life balance and how dentists can live a more successful and balanced life

- The future of Dentistry - how can AI help life quality of dentists

Here are all work related links and social media contacts of Dr Kyle Stanley:

In the first episode of 2023 we talk about the importance of taking time off in Dentistry.

Due to Dentistry being a very stressful profession all dentists feel the need to take real breaks and rest. The need to press pause and slowdown is not only about physically stopping but, more importantly, the desire to put a stop to the incessant internal agitation that seems to control the state of dentists lives.

The goal is to get away from your normal schedule and take time to do something just for yourself.

Taking a trip (short or long), getting away from the weekend every now and then, going to a retreat, these are all activities that can make a huge difference in your life.

They can help you disconnect, relax and feel rejuvenated.

You can have a break from work, from your family or even from your mind. Yes, from your mind. Our mind is brilliant and extremely useful: it gets things done, helps us solve problems, allows us to achieve our goals, enable us to learn and memorize information, and empowers us to achieve our wildest dream. However, we can get “stuck” in the goal-setting mood, and it can be difficult to let go of expectations, comparisons, or judgments of how things should be. If you give yourself the opportunity to take breaks and disconnect you will be able to connect with yourself and access your being mode. In this mode there is no need to monotonized, evaluate, judge or compare. Instead, the focus is “accepting” and “allowing” what is, instead of changing it. This brings a sense of freedom and freshness to life and you can take these insights to your work.

Taking a break also changes our perspective on life and work: not only you get to know yourself better, but you also realize that the world didn’t end, and is still the same when you get back. You return and appreciate everyone and everything even more and you will move forward with peace and clarity.

Go ahead and give yourself the happy, healthy pause you deserve this year!

We hope you enjoy it.   

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, dm or email us. Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And if you liked it don't forget to subscribe.     

Second part of our conversation on how to cope with failure in dentistry.

As dentists, we all have times when we have to cope with failure.  

Some of us seem much more able to pick themselves up after these experiences than others, but usually we find it hard to cope. To develop some positive habits and skills that can help overcome failure and turn it into a more positive experience is possible. In fact, we can use failure as a way to learn and improve. 

In this conversation we discuss and explain some of these skills and show how you can develop an ability to deal more gracefully with failure. Because let's face it: we all make mistakes and we all fail.  

We hope you enjoy it.  

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, dm or email us. Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And if you liked it don't forget to subscribe to the channel.    

As dentists, we all have times when we have to cope with failure.  Some of us seem much more able to pick themselves up after these experiences than others, but usually we find it hard to cope. To develop some positive habits and skills that can help overcome failure and turn it into a more positive experience is possible. In fact, we can use failure as a way to learn and improve. In this episode we discuss and explain some of these skills and show how you can develop an ability to deal more gracefully with failure. Because let's face it: we all make mistakes and we all fail.

We hope you enjoy it.  

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, dm or email us. Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And if you liked it don't forget to subscribe to the channel.    

In this podcast episode we welcome our dear friend André Mariz de Almeida.

André is specialized in temporomandibular disorders, orofacial pain and sleep. He is also a teacher, lecturer, researcher, volunteer, traveler and an inspiring human being. In this podcast we talk about what made him fall in love with dentistry, his passion for helping people, career choices, mental health, personal development, intuition, and so much more.

This was a heartwarming and delightful conversation where we discussed the challenges every dentist goes through, and how you can take better care of your mental health. Because it’s easy to look at successful dentists but oftentimes we forget that to be really successful and to perform at our best, we need to work on ourselves and rest.

This is the SECOND part of an interesting conversation with Dr. Christina Radics.  

Christina is one of those rare authentic persons about her work and life. She attended the first edition of our Conscious Leadership in Dentistry Course and we had the opportunity of spending time with her and she does carry that warm and friendly vibe. It's quite rare to find some in dentistry that is just not into impressing you and being defensive but just be damn open!   

We talked about self-expression and creativity, the impact that the conscious leadership course and self discovery journey she took, early/late family and motherhood, female energy self expression and dealing with it at work (including patients hands on your legs ☠️😎), trying to please every staff member and patient, saying no, DJing, social media love/hate relation, esthetic pumped up lips (and other body parts) on younger generations, but also the HOPE in younger kids, organization as the discipline of freedom, music, future plans, being open to change and mistakes, books, music, dancing and so much more.   

Dr. Christina Radics graduated in 2005, at the faculty of Odontology in Malmo, Sweden. Very early in her career she moved to Spain, she is the owner of the Nordic Dental Centre, a Boutique Dental Clinic in Fuengirola, Málaga. Her specialties are surgery, dental implants, aesthetic dental treatments and aesthetic treatments with hyaluronic acid. In her spare time she enjoys being with friends, family, dance, volunteer work, travel and djing.  

You can follow Christina here:  

@NordicDentalCentre Fuengirola   

@dr.christina_radics 

@christinaradics.dj  

We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment, connect with us in social media or email us directly: mindfuldentistry@gmail.com Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!

 All the best, 

Manuela and Jorge André 

This is the first part of a long and interesting conversation with Dr. Christina Radics. We had so much fun talking to her.  

Christina is one of those rare authentic persons about her work and life. She attended the first edition of our Conscious Leadership in Dentistry Course and we had the opportunity of spending time with her and she does carry that warm and friendly vibe. It's quite rare to find some in dentistry that is just not into impressing you and being defensive but just be damn open!   

We talked about self-expression and creativity, the impact that the conscious leadership course and self discovery journey she took, early/late family and motherhood, female energy self expression and dealing with it at work (including patients hands on your legs ☠️😎), trying to please every staff member and patient, saying no, DJing, social media love/hate relation, esthetic pumped up lips (and other body parts) on younger generations, but also the HOPE in younger kids, organization as the discipline of freedom, music, future plans, being open to change and mistakes, books, music, dancing and so much more. 

This is the first part, be sure to check PART II when it comes out. Christina is a rare authentic character.   

Dr. Christina Radics graduated in 2005, at the faculty of Odontology in Malmo, Sweden. Very early in her career she moved to Spain, she is the owner of the Nordic Dental Centre, a Boutique Dental Clinic in Fuengirola, Málaga. Her specialties are surgery, dental implants, aesthetic dental treatments and aesthetic treatments with hyaluronic acid. In her spare time she enjoys being with friends, family, dance, volunteer work, travel and djing.  

If you are a Dentist, you probably know Jaz Gulati. Jaz is the creator and host of Protrusive Dental Podcast, which is THE reference in dental podcasts. We were both guests of Jaz's podcast and now tables have turned and he is the one answering our questions.

In this conversation we get to know the other side of Jaz: his journey from refugee to creating one of the most impactful podcasts in dentistry, some of his difficult moments and lessons, how he works on his mindset, his passion for education, his challenges as a father, and so much more. Start listening, you will love it!

Thank you Jaz for your contagious energy and generosity!

You can find Protrusive Dental Podcast @protrusivedental on Instagram 

This is the second part of a conversation about emotional awareness in dentistry. It's a personal conversation where a hard day of dentistry is described, including failures, and management difficulties and doubts are shared.   

Generally dentists have no emotional awareness, but one of the biggest transformations leading to stress reduction in dentistry occurs when dentists start to develop emotional awareness and they start to realise that the cause of their stress is not the anxious patient, it is the way they react to the anxious patient.  

Or when they discover that they can be themselves when they are working, they can be vulnerable, and by being themselves that does not make them weaker but it’s the other way around, it becomes their strength. Because the awareness that comes with it will lead to aligned action, and they start to create their days, their everyday dentistry practice according to their values, their boundaries, their needs and they serve their patients better.  

We hope you enjoy it.  

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, dm or email us. Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And if you liked it don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a review.    

This is the first part of a conversation about emotional awareness in dentistry. It's a personal conversation where a hard day of dentistry is described, including failures, and management difficulties and doubts are shared.

Generally dentists have no emotional awareness, but one of the biggest transformations leading to stress reduction in dentistry occurs when dentists start to develop emotional awareness and they start to realise that the cause of their stress is not the anxious patient, it is the way they react to the anxious patient.

Or when they discover that they can be themselves when they are working, they can be vulnerable, and by being themselves that does not make them weaker but it’s the other way around, it becomes their strength. Because the awareness that comes with it will lead to aligned action, and they start to create their days, their everyday dentistry practice according to their values, their boundaries, their needs and they serve their patients better.

We hope you enjoy it.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, dm or email us. Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And if you liked it don't forget to subscribe.

A detailed initial patient assessment is a critical component in Dentistry. All dentists learn and know this. Not all dentists perform it.

In this episode we discuss the importance of having a well oiled protocol for new patients in your daily dentistry practice and how this can help lead you to success.

Key points:

- How to establish an initial patient examination protocol in your daily dentistry practice.

- Should you charge for the initial examination or perform any treatments in this appointment (and why more important that charge it or not is to do it).

- How to deal with patients that tell you "it's not needed".

- Why the initial examination can be a positive differential in your clinical practice.

- How it helps you build connections and gain patients' trust.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, dm or email us. Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And if you liked it don't forget to subscribe.

This is a very special episode with Dr. Jasper Thoolen! Jasper has been a dentist since 2016, one of the five founders of the online education movement Karma Dentistry, lecturer in cool dentistry, teacher at several post-doc, key opinion leader and author, musician, philanthropist and so much more.  

In this episode, Jasper shares why he became a dentist and how he found his passion for dentistry, tells us about the Karma movement and the Karma Tour, and his best tools and advice for creating a life and everyday dentistry practice that lights you up — and as you know, this is crucially important as a dentist. You’ll learn:  

-  How your values can be expressed in your daily work

 - The courage you need to practice the dentistry you believe in

- The power of authenticity in dentistry

- The secrets to work-life balance  

Listen and discover rock'n'roll dentistry!

Working in Dentistry apart from the clinical practice is a reality nowadays. Working as a practising dentist is the most common option, but there are many other career options for dentists that don't always require patient contact.  

We are the perfect examples of that and that's why we wanted to tell our story and normalize considering pursuing an alternative to better fit your career goals, work preferences and lifestyle needs. As Dentists we are highly qualified professionals (we have to start being our own biggest supporters!) and we can use our education and experience to transition into a related field like education, public health, health literacy, human resources, product development, research, consultants, management or administration. The possibilities are endless.  

Learning about alternative careers for dentists can help you find the right job for your skills and occupational goals. In this episode, we cover alternative careers in dentistry that you can pursue, with tips on how to change your dental career.    

And for this one we have a special request: if you are considering continuing in dentistry but on an alternative path or even thinking about changing your career and don't know where to start, reach out. We can help! Just send us a message or an email.  

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, dm or email us. Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And if you liked it don't forget to subscribe.  

Season 2 of Soft Bites Podcast is here! 

In episode 1 of this new season we answer this important question: Who's more important: Your patients or your staff? The idea for this episode came at our Conscious Leadership in Dentistry Course when Jorge André Cardoso was saying his team is the most important thing in his practice. During our conversation we talk about on how that is the foundation for a truly patient cantered dentistry.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, dm or email us. Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return.

Stay tuned for season 2. It will come with surprises!  

On the last episode of the first season of Soft Bites Podcast we discuss stress and anxiety in dentistry.  

Chances are that you are probably experiencing a little bit of both during your work day, but one may be more overwhelming and distinguishing between anxiety and stress can make a difference.  

Stress always has a negative connotation in our minds because in dentistry we are daily bombarded with emotional pressure. However, not all stress is bad and not all stress causes anxiety.   

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, connect with us in social media or email us directly: mindfuldentistry@gmail.com  

Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!  

Stay tuned for season 2. It will come with surprises!  

All our best,  

Manuela & Jorge André  

As we all know dentistry is special because it’s medical but it’s also commercial. It has the technical component, and it has the human emotional component. And if you just look or focus on one of these (in private dentistry) you will be for sure missing a part. Dentistry is an act of caring and a service.  

The financial conversation is an important conversation that happen in the dental practice. Yet, so many dentists are uncomfortable discussing fees and payment options with patients, which can impact the way their days and the way they live the profession.  

In this episode we reflect on some of the reasons for this disconfort and give practical tips to help overcome it with real work situations from everyday dentistry.  

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, connect with us in social media or email us directly: mindfuldentistry@gmail.com  

Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!  

All our best,  

Manuela & Jorge André  

Difficult patients cannot only create unpleasant situations but also have a negative effect on us and the clinic staff.

In this episode we reflect on how responding in an appropriate way to difficult patients helps to keep the stress away and prevents situations from escalating.

Here are some of the tips we discuss to handle difficult patients:

- Keep your communication assertive and professional

- Remain calm, speak in a calm way.

- Don't get defensive

- Be mindful of your verbal and non-verbal cues

- Be mindful of your internal bias

- Practice active listening

- Set boundaries

- Don't take things personally

- Ground yourself

- Be proactive: Seek a solution 

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, connect with us in social media or email us directly: mindfuldentistry@gmail.com  

Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!  

All the best, 

Manuela and Jorge André  

In this episode we talk about the 3 main proven skills that contribute to your happiness at work as a dentist: presence, gratitude and resilience.

Presence will allow you to remain centered and aware and be less reactive, gratitude grounds you and it's a great way to balance the negative mindset, resilience will allow you to recover from adversity and thrive. All of this with practical examples and real work situations from everyday dentistry.

To enjoy your Dentistry journey it's possible, if you learn and train these 3 skills we guarantee you will be a happier and (even) better Dentist.

Here is a gratitude exercise for you to try: when you find yourself stuck  in a constant state of worry, try to pause for a second and ask yourself one or two of these questions:

- What have I learned recently that helped me grow in  my job?

- What physical abilities do I have but I take for granted?

- What did I see today that was beautiful?

- Who at work am I happy to see and why?

- What opportunities do I currently have that I'm grateful for?

- What am I better today than I was a year ago?

By doing this you immediately change your attention and you will feel lighter and happier (due to the release of dopamine and serotonin).

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, connect with us in social media or email us directly: mindfuldentistry@gmail.com

Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!

All our best,

Manuela and Jorge André

When you start off as a dentist, you feel thrilled. And you want to do as much as you can and see as many patients as you can. You give yourself entirely to the job because you want to learn and grow.

What happens is that, over time, though, this strength becomes a weakness. And at a certain point in our career as dentists something has to change if we want to avoid burnout.

This is our starting point for our conversation.

Some notes from the episode:

- Burnout occurs when the demands you face on the job outstrip the resources you have to meet them.

- Certain types of demands in dentistry are much more likely to lead dentists to the point of exhaustion:

1- Especially heavy workload.

2- Intense pressure.

3- Role conflict, which occurs when the expectations of one role that’s important to you conflict with those of another: This might happen, for example, when the demands of your job make it impossible to spend adequate time with your loved ones, or when the way you’re expected to act at work clashes with what you believe in.

- Analyze your current situation. Perhaps you already understand what’s burning you out.  If not, try this: track how you spend your time for a week (you can either do this on paper, in a spreadsheet, or in one of the many apps now available for time tracking).   

- Take the opportunity to reassess. Some things about your job are in your capacity to change; others are not.   

- Good time management is key in dentistry. To  achieve a realistic time management you need solid boundaries.  

- We all have a limited amount of time and energy to give. By not setting healthy boundaries, we avoid speaking our truth. Boundaries are the limits you set for yourself that determine what you participate in and when to remove yourself. They dictate YOUR choices.  

- Saying no is an important boundary because it gives you control of your time and energy. But it does not mean it will be easy. It's important to remember that saying no isn’t selfish or inconsiderate to your patients. It's actually the other way around.

- Setting boundaries and saying no may feel uncomfortable at first but with time these boundaries can become the new normal. Always start small to gain confidence. The most surprising lesson about saying no is that most people will accept it.

- Analyzing your current situation includes bringing awareness to your financial situation.

- Many resources are vital for our performance and well-being, from personal qualities like skills, emotional stability, and good health, to supportive relationships with colleagues, autonomy and control at work, constructive feedback, having a say in matters that affect us, and feeling that our work makes a difference.

- Prioritize taking care of yourself to replenish personal resources: good sleep habits, nutrition, exercise, connection with people you enjoy, and practices that promote calmness and well-being, like meditation, journaling, talk therapy, or simply quiet time alone doing an activity you enjoy. 

One final note about burnout: If you think you might be experiencing burnout, don’t ignore it and reach out for help; it won’t go away by itself.   

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, connect with us in social media or email us directly: mindfuldentistry@gmail.com

Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe! 

 All the best,

Manuela and Jorge André

In this episode we  give more precise information about our upcoming Conscious Leadership in Dentistry Immersion Course: What are the key learning points in your 3 day course, how will our course impact the attending dentists, how will it make their days better and change their dentist career.  

Last year we hosted a live online event on the theme "Overcoming The Stress of Treatment Presentation: What every dentist should be aware of". 

This was the first time we worked together and we thought it would be of value here in the podcast. 

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, connect with us on social media or send us an email ata mindfuldentistry@gmail.com

Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. 

And, if you like it, please subscribe!  

All the best, 

Manuela and Jorge André  

Communication awareness is especially important in dentistry because dentistry it's a job that tends to become our whole identity, making it easy to have reactive communication by feeling personally threatened.   

In this episode we talk about the difference between reactive communication and proactive communication in Dentistry with practical situations.  

Some notes from the episode: 

 - To communicate is to have an union of minds. This does not necessarily mean agreement. It means seeing the situation as a whole and understanding the other person’s view as well as one’s own.   

- When both sides in a relationship expand the domain of their thinking and are willing to consider the other side’s point of view and keep in mind the system as a whole, then extraordinary new possibilities emerge.   

- A stressful communication is not only a discussion. A stressful communication is when emotions are involved. Is when you are worried about an emotional response either from you or others.  

- A simple way for you to bring awareness to your reactive communication is to keep a stressful communication journal. At the end of the day, remember a conversation that brought you stress, and: 

1. Describe the communication. With whom? Subject? 

2. How did the difficulty come about? 

3. What did you really want from the person or situation? 

4. What did the other person(s) want? 

5. Is this issue resolved or unresolved? 

6. How do you feel now writing about it? 

- The first step is never action but awareness. Awareness will bring you the pause. That magical pause where you choose not to react. That is when change can start. 

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Viktor Frankl 

- Proactive communication is based on the assumption that you can be in touch with what you are actually feeling. The most important part of effective communication is to be mindful of your own thoughts, feelings, and speech as well as of the situation.   

- It is also crucial to remember that you and your “position” are part of a system. If you expand the field of your own awareness to include the whole system, this will allow you to see and honour the other person’s point of view as well.   

One of the secrets for stress reduction is to accept what you cannot control. That’s our starting point today.  

Either you are a practice owner or not, a specialized dentist or a general dentist wanting to start doing specialized work, or maybe a general dentist wanting to delegate certain parts of the work (endodontics, pediatric patients, orthodontics, for example) you have to be able to delegate with trust.

If you are a very good technician that will bring success for sure. Success will bring complexity, and complexity can be the worst thing that can happen to you because it can put your success at risk.

We start by discussing how you can explain to your patients you are sending them to another colleague and tricks on how to do it in an effective way.

In the second part of our conversation we talk about how to achieve a team culture where people hold themselves accountable, rather than have a false accountability attempt forced on them. The result will be enhanced productivity and agility in the face of today's pace of change, leading to individual as well as business growth and success. 

In the end we discuss accountability and the 7 Keys to Developing a Positive Accountability Culture: 

1. Practice what you preach on accountability

2. Effectively communicate your expectations

3. Provide assessments based wholly on facts

4. Delegate control commensurate with accountability

5. Align accountability with organizational objectives

6. Be an advocate and promoter for team members

7. Provide a safe place for difficult issue discussion

We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment, connect with us in social media or email us directly: mindfuldentistry@gmail.com  

Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better, so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe! 

All our best, Manuela and Jorge André