At what level of work could you do dentistry indefinitely?

[ortho20255]

I am starting to feel burnt out from dentistry doing 5 days a week. I don't feel this is sustainable. Just wanting to hear from people as to whether dropping their days, or working shorter hours, or being an associate rather than practice owner, or anything that they did that helped get back on top of work to allow them to be in a position where they don't feel the need to rush towards retirement.

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[Pablo Sanchez]

I’m sorry that you’re experiencing some burnout. Just listened to a podcast about this today. Bulletproof Dental Practice: Find Your Goldilocks in Dentistry. There are an infinite amount of pathways that you can take in dentistry. You could work part time. You could go out of network and get paid more for your work, but work less. You could stay in network and build a business where you can stay out of clinical dentistry and mentor associates while doing the business stuff. You’re not locked in to working five days a week forever. Good luck!

 

[bahter]

Sorry to hear this. I too, felt like this at one point. One thing that helped was cutting back from 5-6 days to 4. Also establishing boundaries. I do not sacrifice lunch nor do I squeeze in long procedures at the end of the day. Surprisingly, my income increased while dentistry become more enjoyable again. A mentor of mine mentions how this a marathon and not a sprint. Find your sustainable pace. Best of luck.

 

[TanMan]

I am starting to feel burnt out from dentistry doing 5 days a week. I don't feel this is sustainable. Just wanting to hear from people as to whether dropping their days, or working shorter hours, or being an associate rather than practice owner, or anything that they did that helped get back on top of work to allow them to be in a position where they don't feel the need to rush towards retirement.

It is a cyclical burnout. It depends on the types of patients you deal with and the amount of workflow you have. Crazy patients come in waves and that's when you get burned out. I shorten my hours, but I am getting more efficient as I see the same amount or more patients with less hours. Right now, I have 29-32 hours spread along 5 days, depending on consumer demand.

 

[Saddleshoes]

I am at the end of a 40+ year career...
I found my "sweet spot" by never doing private practice 2 days in a row. I found working in public health and teaching on Tuesdays and Thursdays was great therapy for the private practice grind.


(I also support bather's comment about NEVER sacrifice lunch!)