DentaltownUK July 2017 - 83

The physiological stress response,
showing both the underlying hidden
effects of threatening stimuli and
their noticeable effects.

It's important to understand that each of us
is different; factors which increase my stress
levels may or may not increase yours by the
same amount. But any potentially harmful or
threatening stimulus in the dental setting is
likely to increase stress levels to some degree.
On a personal level, we need to prioritise
our stress-relieving activities and hobbies. I
ensure that in my personal schedule I always
have slots where I can go to the gym and my
dance classes. If you don't currently have a
hobby, find something you're passionate about
and balance these activities with your work
life. You should also give yourself a break by
taking holidays when the pressures of dentistry
start to fill-in; these will re-energise you and
allow you to be more enthusiastic when you
return to work. Ensure you put aside time to
spend with family and friends and maintain
these personal, intimate relationships. Talking
with loved ones or close friends and colleagues
can help minimise anxiousness and stress.
In the professional setting, ensure you're
sitting comfortably with correct posture.
Many dentists suffer from back, neck and
eye problems because of poor posture. Place
your feet flat on the floor with your legs apart,
sit right back into the chair, keep your back
straight, ensure forearms are parallel to the
floor, and make sure the patient's head is
at your abdominal region. If checking the

more financial gain if performed well, or
more likely to poor-quality procedures and
feelings of professional inadequacy. (Also,
these procedures will need to be corrected at a
later date and the patient will be unimpressed.
Keeping realistic targets and planning well
in advance is clearly the way forward.)
The third point I wish to talk about is
about your working environment. Many
practitioners have poor management systems,
which lead to them having patients waiting for
long amounts of time. Invest in a good system
and you will reap the rewards immediately.
Your schedule will be better planned,
appointments will be more effectively allocated and patient recalls will be automatic,
leaving you able to focus on what you are
best at-clinical dentistry.
Also optimise lighting, equipment and
heating for your own personal preference.
Wear comfortable clinical wear when doing
dentistry. You feeling confident will translate
into better quality of work.
I hope that implementing the above methods in your day-to-day routine enables you
to feel more confident with your work and
excel in your clinical endeavors. Remember
that a less-stressed dentist is a more successful
practitioner! ■

maxillary teeth, tilt the patient's head up,
and for mandibular teeth tilt the patient's
head down. Understanding good posture
may seem like a basic task, but is absolutely
imperative because it maintains good health
and professional fulfillment, and improves
your efficiency and quality of work. In the
real world, correct positioning is very often
overlooked. Get into good habits straightaway!
Also, try your best to avoid conflicts and
arguments by quickly coming to a resoluResources:
1. How does the body respond to stress, http://psychorevision.blogspot.
tion of any issue which may arise. Delegate
co.uk/2013/01/how-does-body-respond-to-stress.html (Fig. 1)
effectively so each team member knows his
2. Wikiwand: the Yerkes-Dodson Law, http://www.wikiwand.com/
en/Yerkes-Dodson_law (Fig. 2)
or her role, which will in turn improve efficiency and reduce the
likelihood of conflict
occurring in the first
place. Predetermine
your workload and
prevent overload in
your professional life.
The last point is
crucial for achieving stress reduction.
Because dentistry
operates like all other
businesses, you will at
times try to do lots of
The Yerkes-Dodson law of anxiety, indicating that the optimal
work in unrealistic
performance level is at a medium level of stress. Poor performance
is caused by either too low or too high stress levels, indicating that
time limits, which
some level of stress has positive attributes.
will lead to either
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