Some of the top priorities for dentists during the second half of 2024 include physician and mental health, time management and office culture.
Three dentists recently spoke with Becker's about their goals for the rest of 2024:
Editor's note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Frank Clayton, DDS. Owner of Clayton Dental (Suwanne, Ga.): My top priorities for the second half of 2024 are to maintain efficiencies and continue a positive office culture.
Jacob Ferris, DDS. Twin Ports Dental (Superior, Wis.): My top priorities for the second half of 2024 are to sustain the growth of my practice and effectively manage my time as I start the executive MBA program at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.
Huzefa Kapadia, DDS. Kapadia Dental Care (Waterford, Mich.) and Detroit Sterling Dental: So I know most dentists are probably thinking, I want to make more money, learn different procedures, train better staff, adapt new techniques and technology, etc. But I think a very important part of life we seem to take for granted is to be healthy and grateful for what we have. I talk to so many dentists who are suffering from burnout. These are typically older dentists and some younger dentists who feel the profession wasn't what they expected.
Dentistry can be isolating and very stressful and I have seen a few dentists suffer from significant health and mental issues as well. So I started to think about how grateful I am
that I still have my health and feel okay, and try to look at the long term, hoping I can work until I'm 70 or 75 and stay healthy and fit. I'm 50 right now.
In summary, I want to prioritize my physical and mental health, which will ideally keep me working longer. That's about it.