How to support your dental team's wellbeing

Published: 22/7/2022
By Catherine Rutland, Clinical Director, Denplan

There is plenty of discussion about the wellbeing and morale of dentists, yet we rarely hear much of a focus on dental teams. Looking after the wellbeing of our team is critical and can be a key factor for someone choosing whether or not to work for you. With recruitment and retention a real issue for many dental practices at the moment, it is important that we consider our team’s morale and how we can provide support. This is not something we should rely on others to deliver; each team must consider how they can best support their own team members.

‘Wellbeing’ is a very broad term, and what is helpful to one person may not be for another. It isn’t always easy to fully understand what our colleagues are experiencing, however, we can provide information and safe spaces for them to seek help and support.

Wellbeing support

Over the last couple of years, some excellent initiatives to help support team wellbeing have been launched. Support for Dental Teams (www.supportfordentalteams.org) was published in January 2021 and is a UK-wide resource. It’s packed with practical information on wellbeing, from how to take care of yourself, to the names and contact details of organisations that can provide specific support.

Some people don’t want to share all their personal issues at work or will provide only a vague summary and try to play down the impact their problems are having on them. We’re all used to having to put on a professional smile for our patients and we often tend to extend this to those around us, both at work and at home. While this may seem like the easier option, avoiding dealing with issues can simply make things worse and they will very rarely just go away on their own. Providing your practice team with the link to Support for Dental Teams allows them to read up on the advice in their own time, giving them the confidence to suggest support for another team member, or to consider how they can help themselves.

An initiative previously featured in Insight is the Mental Health Wellness in Dentistry framework (www.mhwd.org), created in collaboration with all the different registrant groups to ensure it is relevant to the whole dental team.

The framework encourages the appointment of a Mental Health Wellness Lead, someone who is a great listener and is trusted by the team. Adopting a framework encourages an ongoing commitment to mental health. A one-off learning session is not enough; to be successful and valued will require dedication and understanding from the whole team.

Training modules

The Denplan Academy has developed two training modules that can help your practice to support both your team and your patients: Making Your Practice Mental Health Friendly and Stress Management Techniques with Mindfulness. These modules are delivered to the whole team, helping to generate honest discussion and openness.

Naturally, prevention is better than cure, and sometimes the simple things in life can help your team stay positive and improve their wellbeing. Working with your team to support their performance, both from a business perspective and their personal development, can create a sense of belonging and purpose, tying in with your practice vision and team drive. It will enable you to form an understanding of what’s important to each individual, which can in turn help you to improve team wellbeing.

We so often focus on the negatives of what’s happened on a given day. Thinking and talking instead about what’s gone well can be a real boost, both individually and as a team. It doesn’t take much time, yet can be a very impactful way of improving your wellbeing.

Each team member plays such an important part in the care of our patients and they can only give their best if they themselves are cared for. Taking a little time to work out how that can be achieved and maintained in your practice will benefit your team, your patients and yourself.