Are the dentists happy?

Dentists are below average when it comes to happiness. At CareerExplorer, we conducted an ongoing survey of millions of people and asked them how satisfied they are with their careers. It turns out that dentists rate their professional happiness 3, 0 out of 5 stars, which places them in the bottom 36% of careers. It's also quite common for dentists to feel exhausted, so it's important to surround yourself with great staff and give yourself time off when you need it.

The practice of dentistry is sometimes quite stressful, and stress impedes happiness and subjective well-being. Several studies have reported on stress among dental professionals and its various effects; however, studies evaluating the level of happiness (happiness index) among dentists are few and are lacking in this geographical region. I have encountered some dentists, especially young dentists just out of school, who seem disappointed and disillusioned. This forces some dentists to use cheaper labor and equipment to get more benefits from insurance reimbursement.

The retention rate for dentists is lower than in other medical fields, so there may be a shortage of dentists at this time. Most people are afraid of the dentist and I understand that, because I too was scared of the dentist before I became one. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that nearly one-third of Americans have untreated cavities, but don't go to the dentist because they don't think it's a big deal. Going to the dentist doesn't have to be a painful experience, but often, people associate dentistry with times when they've felt a lot of pain or felt very anxious.

You may be the best dentist in the world, but no one will come to see you if you don't like people who work in your main office. I know people who studied all four years of dental school, got their diploma, and then, after a year or two of working as dentists, quit because they realized they hated work. However, for most dentists, they graduate from high school, go straight to college, then dental school, and eventually their first full-time professional job is working as a dentist.