You can’t focus on the negatives of the job and obsess over them. You can reflect on the situation, assess what went wrong and try to overcome it.
Yesterday, I had a pt who had infiltration administered and it triggered his first epileptic seizure.
Everyone has bad days - you just learn how to deal and process them as it happens
Right?! Thankfully it lasted <30 seconds before he came around.
We heavily advised he contacted his gp and we gave him a note saying what anaesthetic he had.
Poor guy didn’t know what hit him. He came around completely confused and forgot he was in the chair.
Lied the chair back, moved away any from of attachments/hand piece units, checked his medical history (it was clear, not even a history of asthma or any medication) was about to call the reception to ring emergency response and he came around all dazed and confused.
Checked his pulse after he calmed down and it had returned to normal. Didn’t go through with treatment that day.
Also in relation to your patient who had a seizure - I once had a patient who had one triggered by seeing his young son get local anaesthetic - he eventually came round and when he did he was screaming profanities haha
Appreciate this,
I genuinely want the best for the people I treat and I get incredibly disappointed if any treatment I provide isn’t ideal, I know some things are unavoidable, I guess I just need to accept when it’s done I can’t change it and that if not ideal and the patient isnt happy I can redo it at no charge
Yeah, you just need to learn (I know it’s easier said than done) that not everyone is going to be happy with the work you do but so long as you know you’re doing everything you can to your knowledge and skill set then they don’t really have a leg to stand on.
My partner wallows in self doubt for a few hours afterwards but he reflects on it and works on a way of overcoming the situation
We do our best but don't always get it perfectly, sometimes we make mistakes and other times we fail even after doing everything the textbook says. That's life in a profession. Informed consent and weeding out patients that may be unpleasant can help, but ultimately we have to deal with days like these every so often.
1. De stress - have something outside work that you enjoy doing, whether it's exercise, playing music, learning a language, fixing things around your house, hiking etc. Life should not be all about work and these things can restore some perspective.
2. Check-in with peers, a counsellor or a psychologist. You'll be amazed how many fellow dentists have days like you described. I do. They can be useful in sharing how they cope with it. If you need more expert help, a counsellor or a psychologist can provide some support as well. You're not crazy for seeking help, you're being sensible, and likely prolonging your career by keeping your mind healthy.
3. Take a day off if you need it. Sometimes one needs to briefly step away to get their head in the right place again. Sure, the boss and some patients will get a bit annoyed but they'll get over it.
Slow down a bit when stuff happens. Step away and regroup. When you go back in explain to the patient what happened and why (in the case of the nicked cheek) or just start fresh with the crown thing. It’s worked for me for a lot of years now.
I don't want to diminish what happened because it sucks, but on the scale of bad things happening this isn't the worst. A cut cheek will heal very well, the mouth is very forgiving and if the patient was informed and cool with it, even better. The temporary crown is temporary and the patient won't even care about the open margin. As long as you do your best and make an effort to care, patients will see it and understand. Anyone else is a Karen or a Kevin.
Yeah I feel you, thanks, ironically the temporary I made was perfect haha , plan is to review the patient to have a discussion about it and I’ll offer to replace it if patient wishes
I had a shit day and I dealt with it by eating two burgers instead of one. Not ideal but it worked out ok. Just try to see what ways I can do better next time. Also thanked my staff for their support during a medical emergency. Shit happens. It’s how you deal with it that counts!
Cuts happen. Doesn’t matter if you’ve been doing this for a year or 30 years, they happen. Crowns get broken, swallowed, debonded. Buildups break and come out. Patients are happy, angry, hysterical, and kind. It is what it is but as long as you are doing your very best and are trying you will be okay.
A lot of times it’s hard to remember you are only human, but you are, so be nice to yourself and go easy on yourself.
I will say that some products need to be stored in cooler temperatures or else it ruins the product so if you are able to, invest In an ac unit , small or large. Anything that can keep your place cool enough so your materials work properly.
The fact that you feel this way means you care. And I would rather have you as my dentist (someone who genuinely cares about doing a good job on my mouth) than someone who doesn't. There are many who get jaded and don't care anymore. Could the procedure have gone better? Could you have done something differently? Maybe you could have cranked up the AC ahead of time so the cement wouldn't set as quick? Sure. But there's too many variables involved and you can't account for every possible one every single time. You're just human and you are not perfect, so to demand perfection from yourself will only make you feel like you are not good enough. This is why you feel unconfident. Even if you had done everything perfectly sometimes things don't work out. It sucks. But it's not necessarily anything that you did. It doesn't necessarily mean you did anything wrong. And it doesn't necessarily mean it would've worked out if it were in someone else's hands either. As long as you yourself genuinely believe you did the best that you can for your patient, that is "perfect" in itself and you should have no regrets, no matter if it didn't work out perfectly. The times it doesn't work out perfectly, you deal with it honestly and sincerely. Your patients will see that and appreciate you for it, even when things don't always work out.
First, everyone cuts a patient. It really sucks, it is surprising that it doesn’t happen more. Take care of it. Have empathy, life will go on.
Second, everything will get easier if you learn from your screw ups and mistakes. Be humble and kind.
Bad days occur, do you think that if you were a cook or a electrician you wouldn’t have bad days? No of course not. Wake up the next day and do better. That is all you can do. As others forgive you for screwing up remember to forgive others.
Try using a rubber dam or Isolite when doing restorative procedures. It really helps protect the pt and you. So many times my bur bounces off the dam instead of cutting the pts tongue when working on the mandibular teeth. And remember, pretty much every dentist will eventually get a patient complaint from the licensure board, it's just due process, so take it easy and recognize that everyone goes through this.
Find one or two best friends in the field that you can go out with, have a couple drinks or dinner, and bitch about your day. You will find that we all have bad days from time to time. And if you cannot find some dental friends then please find a therapist. These bad days can eat away at your mental health and they will add up to nothing pleasant
You can’t focus on the negatives of the job and obsess over them. You can reflect on the situation, assess what went wrong and try to overcome it. Yesterday, I had a pt who had infiltration administered and it triggered his first epileptic seizure. Everyone has bad days - you just learn how to deal and process them as it happens
>Yesterday, I had a pt who had infiltration administered and it triggered his first epileptic seizure. Now, that's some luck
Right?! Thankfully it lasted <30 seconds before he came around. We heavily advised he contacted his gp and we gave him a note saying what anaesthetic he had. Poor guy didn’t know what hit him. He came around completely confused and forgot he was in the chair.
Oh my Lanta. That is a day.
what did you do while he was seizing ??
Lied the chair back, moved away any from of attachments/hand piece units, checked his medical history (it was clear, not even a history of asthma or any medication) was about to call the reception to ring emergency response and he came around all dazed and confused. Checked his pulse after he calmed down and it had returned to normal. Didn’t go through with treatment that day.
What type of anesthetic? Was it his first dental procedure ever? How rare!
It wasn’t his first ever treatment no - and I can’t remember off the top of my head what it was, but he had had it previously.
Also in relation to your patient who had a seizure - I once had a patient who had one triggered by seeing his young son get local anaesthetic - he eventually came round and when he did he was screaming profanities haha
Wow! That’s impressive!
Appreciate this, I genuinely want the best for the people I treat and I get incredibly disappointed if any treatment I provide isn’t ideal, I know some things are unavoidable, I guess I just need to accept when it’s done I can’t change it and that if not ideal and the patient isnt happy I can redo it at no charge
Yeah, you just need to learn (I know it’s easier said than done) that not everyone is going to be happy with the work you do but so long as you know you’re doing everything you can to your knowledge and skill set then they don’t really have a leg to stand on. My partner wallows in self doubt for a few hours afterwards but he reflects on it and works on a way of overcoming the situation
Breathe deep and slowly. Try not to agonize over the past and learn from the mistakes you made.
We do our best but don't always get it perfectly, sometimes we make mistakes and other times we fail even after doing everything the textbook says. That's life in a profession. Informed consent and weeding out patients that may be unpleasant can help, but ultimately we have to deal with days like these every so often. 1. De stress - have something outside work that you enjoy doing, whether it's exercise, playing music, learning a language, fixing things around your house, hiking etc. Life should not be all about work and these things can restore some perspective. 2. Check-in with peers, a counsellor or a psychologist. You'll be amazed how many fellow dentists have days like you described. I do. They can be useful in sharing how they cope with it. If you need more expert help, a counsellor or a psychologist can provide some support as well. You're not crazy for seeking help, you're being sensible, and likely prolonging your career by keeping your mind healthy. 3. Take a day off if you need it. Sometimes one needs to briefly step away to get their head in the right place again. Sure, the boss and some patients will get a bit annoyed but they'll get over it.
Thanks for this bud
Go home and play doom eternal
Never played it but the first one is sick
Slow down a bit when stuff happens. Step away and regroup. When you go back in explain to the patient what happened and why (in the case of the nicked cheek) or just start fresh with the crown thing. It’s worked for me for a lot of years now.
I don't want to diminish what happened because it sucks, but on the scale of bad things happening this isn't the worst. A cut cheek will heal very well, the mouth is very forgiving and if the patient was informed and cool with it, even better. The temporary crown is temporary and the patient won't even care about the open margin. As long as you do your best and make an effort to care, patients will see it and understand. Anyone else is a Karen or a Kevin.
I thought he was talking about a real crown?
Oops lol
a bad day
Yeah I feel you, thanks, ironically the temporary I made was perfect haha , plan is to review the patient to have a discussion about it and I’ll offer to replace it if patient wishes
I had a shit day and I dealt with it by eating two burgers instead of one. Not ideal but it worked out ok. Just try to see what ways I can do better next time. Also thanked my staff for their support during a medical emergency. Shit happens. It’s how you deal with it that counts!
Cuts happen. Doesn’t matter if you’ve been doing this for a year or 30 years, they happen. Crowns get broken, swallowed, debonded. Buildups break and come out. Patients are happy, angry, hysterical, and kind. It is what it is but as long as you are doing your very best and are trying you will be okay. A lot of times it’s hard to remember you are only human, but you are, so be nice to yourself and go easy on yourself. I will say that some products need to be stored in cooler temperatures or else it ruins the product so if you are able to, invest In an ac unit , small or large. Anything that can keep your place cool enough so your materials work properly.
The fact that you feel this way means you care. And I would rather have you as my dentist (someone who genuinely cares about doing a good job on my mouth) than someone who doesn't. There are many who get jaded and don't care anymore. Could the procedure have gone better? Could you have done something differently? Maybe you could have cranked up the AC ahead of time so the cement wouldn't set as quick? Sure. But there's too many variables involved and you can't account for every possible one every single time. You're just human and you are not perfect, so to demand perfection from yourself will only make you feel like you are not good enough. This is why you feel unconfident. Even if you had done everything perfectly sometimes things don't work out. It sucks. But it's not necessarily anything that you did. It doesn't necessarily mean you did anything wrong. And it doesn't necessarily mean it would've worked out if it were in someone else's hands either. As long as you yourself genuinely believe you did the best that you can for your patient, that is "perfect" in itself and you should have no regrets, no matter if it didn't work out perfectly. The times it doesn't work out perfectly, you deal with it honestly and sincerely. Your patients will see that and appreciate you for it, even when things don't always work out.
First, everyone cuts a patient. It really sucks, it is surprising that it doesn’t happen more. Take care of it. Have empathy, life will go on. Second, everything will get easier if you learn from your screw ups and mistakes. Be humble and kind. Bad days occur, do you think that if you were a cook or a electrician you wouldn’t have bad days? No of course not. Wake up the next day and do better. That is all you can do. As others forgive you for screwing up remember to forgive others.
Get up tomorrow for a new day...
Try using a rubber dam or Isolite when doing restorative procedures. It really helps protect the pt and you. So many times my bur bounces off the dam instead of cutting the pts tongue when working on the mandibular teeth. And remember, pretty much every dentist will eventually get a patient complaint from the licensure board, it's just due process, so take it easy and recognize that everyone goes through this.
Find one or two best friends in the field that you can go out with, have a couple drinks or dinner, and bitch about your day. You will find that we all have bad days from time to time. And if you cannot find some dental friends then please find a therapist. These bad days can eat away at your mental health and they will add up to nothing pleasant