Built to Last: How Wellness Sustains Excellence in Dentistry

By Dr. Akeadra Bell

Dentistry is an incredible profession. It’s meaningful, respected, and allows us to change lives every single day. But if we’re being honest with each other, it can also be exhausting, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Long hours in the chair, the pressure to be perfect, anxious patients, business responsibilities, and the constant demand to show up at our best can quietly wear us down.

Burnout in dentistry is real. Studies consistently show that a significant percentage of dentists experience burnout, emotional exhaustion, and mental health challenges, with many reporting chronic stress and fatigue throughout their careers. Some research even highlights concerning rates of depression and suicidal ideation among dental professionals. These statistics aren’t meant to scare us. They’re meant to wake us up.

Because here’s the truth: you can love dentistry and still struggle within it.

My First Four Years in Practice

I’ve been in practice for four years now, and looking back, I can clearly see two very different seasons.

During my first two years, I was doing well on paper. I was productive, learning, growing, and “making it.” But I was also often tired. I felt like I was constantly pushing, pushing through long days, pushing through physical discomfort, pushing through mental fatigue. I was surviving, not necessarily thriving. Burnout didn’t always show up as dread. Sometimes it just felt like being perpetually drained.

Then came the last two years, where everything changed.

I began to truly understand the importance of wellness, not as a luxury, but as a necessity. I learned that rest is not something you earn after burnout. It’s something you build into your life to prevent it. I leaned into fitness, movement, and intentional recovery. Slowly, the shift happened.

Wellness Changed My Trajectory

Once I committed to my wellness, especially fitness, I became a better clinician.

I noticed that I had more focus throughout the day. My posture improved, which meant less back and neck pain. My stamina increased, so I wasn’t counting down the hours until I could sit down or go home. I was able to do more and do it with a smile.

Even more importantly, my mood and outlook improved. I approached patients with more patience and empathy. I handled stressful situations with more clarity. I wasn’t just technically better. I was emotionally better.

When we are well, we do our best work.

What Wellness Really Looks Like

Wellness is not one-size-fits-all. It’s not just going to the gym or drinking green smoothies. It’s holistic.

Wellness includes:

• Mental health, including therapy, journaling, or simply giving yourself space to process stress
• Physical health, through movement, stretching, strength training, and recovery
• Rest, which includes sleep, boundaries, and saying no when needed
• Community, surrounding yourself with positive, supportive people
• Joy, through hobbies, creativity, and self-care

Dentistry can attract perfectionists, and while that serves us clinically, it can be dangerous if we don’t have healthy outlets. Wellness creates safety. It creates space to release stress rather than internalize it.