President’s Message

Taking Care of Yourself

We all chose dentistry to help our patients with the skills we brought to the field and acquired throughout our career. Treating patients and running a dental office can be stressful. Excess stress will eventually cause mental and physical issues. We can often see what pressure can do to our patient’s dentition and periodontal tissues. Financial pressures are also a factor in our careers with student loans and office debt. In order for us to stay well, we must recognize when stress is getting to an unhealthy level. So how do we avoid these pitfalls that put us in unhealthy situations? It might be a cliché, but a balanced life is key. We must be cognizant of our mind, body and spirit. Obviously, we must work hard to provide for our families and fulfill our obligations. However, we need to be able to turn off work and spend quality time with our families and friends. There are multiple factors that promote either health or disease. The list includes diet, activity level, stressors, genetics, environment, and mental health. Exercise to relieve stress has been a key in my life. I’ve always enjoyed a golf game after work, a quick workout at the gym, or spending time in the garden can be therapeutic. A mentor or study club helps us through the difficult or challenging cases. I’ve been helped so many times by talking things over with my specialist colleagues and mentors. I recently had a denture case that was not satisfactory to me or the patient, but exhausted all my tricks of the trade. Fortunately, I referred this patient to my SDDS member colleague and the patient is pleased.

Another quality of healthy dentists is good verbal skills. This not only helps with staff issues, but also our patients. Face it, not all cases turn out just as we planned. Letting the patients know in a kind gentle way regarding their dental situation gives everyone realistic expectations. My wife was a pharmacist in a mental health hospital. Professional therapy and prescribed medication is also helpful for us to function in our career. With COVID, everyone was affected by the shutdown and uncertainty. Of course, with the shutdown, we all felt the financial, emotional turmoil, and employment pressures. According to the WHO, anxiety and depression increased 25% due to COVID. Needless to say, we all felt the isolation by not being able to converse one on one or even touch one another. Fortunately, the SDDS provides opportunities to get together at our general meetings, excellent CE classes, and our Shred Event. These in person events are therapeutic to our souls and makes us a closer society. That is why all those who come from other societies exclaim our friendliness and supportive nature. Making yourself available to talk and discuss our stressors is one of the qualities of SDDS. We support our members needs and respond to your requests. Join us at an event and realize you are not alone! 

We need to be able to turn off work and spend quality time with our families and friends.

By Wesley Yee, DDS

2022 SDDS President

GREAT BUSINESS FORUMS COMING SOON - SPACE LIMITED!

September 14

Wednesday • 6:30–8:30pm SDDS Office • $75 So…You Need to Finance… WHAT? HOW? (No CEU) Presented by CPAs, Bankers, Financial Advisors, Brokers, Builders and other experts!

September 21

Wednesday • 12–1pm SDDS Office • $75 Protecting Your Practice – Do You Have the Right Insurance for Your Practice? (No CEU)

Presented by Jack McKinney and Adriel Wood; TDIC

September 28

Wednesday • 6:30–8:30pm SDDS Office • $75 Your Retirement Assets: Location, Allocation – Are You Prepared? (No CEU)

Presented by Elizabeth Clark; California Dentists’ Guild (SDDS Vendor Member) and Abiy Fisseha, CFP, CPC; Account Executive, VP; Newfront

October 26

Wednesday • 6:30–8:30pm SDDS Office • $75 Associates, Partners, or Solo Practice? What’s the Perfect Work/Life Recipe?

(No CEU) Presented by Ashlee Adams; Adams Dental Consulting (SDDS Vendor Member) and other experts!