Wellness Is Preventive Care: Parallels From the Dental Chair to the Profession Caring for Ourselves, Our Teams and Our Profession
By Mina Ghorbanifarajzadeh, DMD
ADA Wellness Ambassador & Co-Chair, Florida Dental Association Wellness Committee
Fluoride, sealants, twice-daily brushing, and the six-month recall are all prevention protocols. Patients hear it at every visit, because prevention works. Somewhere along the way, though, that same logic stopped applying to the people, us, delivering the advice.
Sept. 10 marks National Suicide Prevention Day, a fitting moment to borrow a page from our own playbook. Conversations about suicide matter, but prevention starts long before a crisis — before the cavitation. It starts with the daily habits that keep small problems from becoming big ones, which, as it happens, is a concept dentistry has been preaching for decades.
The job itself is not exactly relaxing. It calls for physically demanding positions, sustained concentration, and a daily standard of precision within the opening of a disposable cup if you are lucky. Add complex patient needs and the general chaos of running or working in a practice, and it is no surprise that burnout shows up often in this field. A significant share of dental professionals report symptoms of emotional exhaustion. Burnout, like tooth decay, rarely happens overnight. It builds gradually, one skipped checkup at a time.
The good news is that support exists, and using it is not a sign of weakness. It is simply good maintenance.
Well-being is increasingly recognized across the profession as foundational to good patient care and sustainable careers, for the same reason a chipped drill bit cannot deliver a clean margin. Depleted people cannot pour from an empty cup, no matter how good their technique.
One of the most useful tools available to Florida Dental Association (FDA) members is the Member Assistance Program (MAP), which offers confidential support through text, phone, video and virtual counseling. These services are available not just to members, but to their immediate families and staff as well. Confidential, accessible support tends to get used, which is the whole point.
It’s the little consistent daily actions that yield incredible results, like compounding interest. They come from small, repeated actions, the mental health equivalent of flossing. Nobody skips brushing for a week and expects a clean bill of no plaque at the next recall visit. The same principle applies here. Checking in with a colleague, taking a real lunch break, or using an available resource before things feel dire are the daily habits that add up.
Beyond MAP, the American Dental Association (ADA) offers additional resources worth knowing about: the anonymous Dental Well-Being Index, wellness-focused continuing education, ergonomic guidance, podcasts and directories connecting dentists with local support programs. Anyone in crisis can also reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by call or text, at any hour.
This September, consider one small step. Check in honestly. Reach out to a colleague. Prioritize rest. Schedule the appointment. Use the resource.
Wellness is not a reward for good behavior, and it is not something earned only after everyone else has been cared for. It is preventive care, required of persons, us, providing the care.
The same maintenance so readily prescribed to patients is worth prescribing to ourselves.
For information on all wellness resources available for FDA members and their teams, visit floridadental.org/healthydentist.