The Happy Dentist Project
I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite.
BUDDY THE ELF
Most dentists are happy.
In fact, they’re some of the happiest people. They’re successful. Balanced. They have practices that hum and families who love them.
But we’ve all heard the same anecdotes from friends, acquaintances, and online message boards. Facebook. Reddit. Even respected dental journals.
Dentists tend to be unhappy. They drink more. They’re more anxious and depressed. Suicide rates are high.
The “unhappy dentist” rumor does contain kernels of truth. Most peer reviewed studies agree that dentists really do experience higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to doctors, lawyers, and other professional peers.
If you’re a dentist, and you happen to be happy, we want to hear from you.
You can help us create more happy dentists.
Why Dentists?
I’m an instructor of organizational development at Vanderbilt University, and I’m also the CEO of Tailwater, a group of elite dentists with a shared mission of creating the best careers in dentistry.
We launched the Happy Dentist Project in 2021 to collect data from dentists. Anecdotes, stories, ideas. The Happy Dentist Project organizes that data in a way to share the secrets of the highest performing, happiest dentists. Their habits, stories, and perspectives.
Most dentists are happy. But the data suggests that too many aren’t. We think we can do better.