My best friend asked me one day when I was describing a day that just sucked the lifeblood out of me: “What’s so hard about cleaning someone’s teeth Karen?” She’s an attorney. Clueless. Let’s see, even with the best ergonomic intentions there’s the strain on your neck, shoulders, back, arms and wrists with repetitive, vibrating, intense movements.
Let’s add to that patients that arrive late, talk too much, and are hyper-sensitive just at the sight of the mouth mirror. Additionally, let’s add a sizable dose of patient objections over the fees associated with diagnosed treatment, coupled with insurance roadblocks at every turn, and the clock that never forgives. Looks to me as though someone would really have to love this environment to stay in it because this doesn’t even include overhead pressures, rising costs of dental materials and lab fees, a competitive marketplace, and employee shortages. There it is in a nutshell – the dental profession - devoted to taking care of one tiny part of the body that impacts every other part of the body with stressors that take a toll on the body and the mind.
May is mental health awareness month. Simply being a part of the dental profession ensures rewards that are fulfilling, yet also include stressors that can increase anxiety, and depression. The American Dental Association produced the 2021 Dentist Well-Being Survey Report to shed light on some of the challenges facing dentists.1 Key findings identify that the percentage of dentists diagnosed with anxiety more than tripled in 2021 (16% of dentists surveyed) compared to 2003 (5%). Additionally, 84% of dentists surveyed reported pain associated with work. Dentists younger than 40 years of age scored higher on the depressive risk assessment questions than older dentists with lower perceived self-confidence.
Rising anxiety levels and even depressive feelings aren’t openly discussed in the healthcare profession as much as it needs to be - because taking care of others is the preeminent focus! After the suicide of a brilliant and caring emergency room physician, Dr. Lorna Breen during the pandemic, congress later approved the Dr. Lorna Breen Healthcare Provider Protection Act which provides grants to help health care organizations offer behavioral health services for front-line health care workers. Heartache such as this became the springboard to better protect those enduring chronic work stressors.
Within the dental profession, accomplished speaker and writer, Dr. Maggie Augustyn has been a refreshing voice to shine a spotlight on the stressors of dentistry, as well as depression, anxiety and even suicide idealization that few professionals want to openly admit struggling with. She is a columnist for Dentistry Today with her column “Mindful Moments” and a co-host on Everyday Practices Dental Podcast. The recent podcast titled, “This Too Shall Pass” confronts one of the most painful topics in dentistry to discuss: suicide and mental health. Are you aware that a staggering 50% of suicides show no warning signs to family, friends and co-workers? Mindful Moments column titled: The Silence That Nearly Cost Me Everything: Why I Didn’t Reach Out Before Attempting Suicide (Twice) is insightful and authentic, shining a light on the darker side some professionals struggle with silently.2
The American Institute of Stress published their American Psychological Association Annual Mental Health Poll and revealed that adults were 43% more anxious in 2024 compared to the previous year.3 Social isolation, lack of sleep, and work/life stressors accounted for the increase in reported anxiety. It is important to keep in mind that while anxiety disorders are highly treatable, only about 1/3 of those suffering, seek treatment. A recent publication also reported that with those living with anxiety disorder and depression are at a significantly higher risk of periodontal diseases.4
For dental professionals, as well as the patients we serve, striving to commit to work/life balance, offsetting stressors with healthy movement and mindfulness, and seeking professional resources can help to preserve or restore joy to daily life. In some cases, we may just need a compassionate listening ear to offset anxiety. Being able to share with my friend Brenda about stressors related to taking care of one tiny part of the body enabled me to share with someone I knew that cared about my well-being. Sometimes our patients use our compassionate listening ears to share their stressors or anxious thoughts too, don’t they?
Use the month of May to consider your own mental health and be aware of the following resources: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) https://nami.org and The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) https://nimh.nih.gov , and Mental Health America (MHA) https://mhanational.org.
1 2021 Dentists Well-Being Survey Report https://ebusiness.ada.org/Assets/docs/101863.pdf. Accessed April 15, 2025
2 The Silence That Nearly Cost Me Everything. Why I Didn’t Reach Out Before Attempting Suicide (Twice) by Maggie Augustyn https://www.dentistrytoday.com/the-silence-that-nearly-cost-me-everything-why-i-didnt-reach-out-before-attempting-suicide-twice/ Accessed April 15, 2025
3Stress in adults. https://www.stress.org/who-gets-stressed/adults/. Accessed April 15, 2025.
4Wang J, Wang Y, Li H, Wang W, Zhang D. Associations between oral health and depression and anxiety: A cross-sectional and prospective cohort study from the UK Biobank. J Clin Periodontol. 2024 Nov;51(11):1466-1477. doi:10.1111/jcpe. 14039. Epub 2024 Jul 1. PMID: 38952070.
