19/02/2026
Why does dentist die professionally before retiring?
Credit .Braces
Dentistry is one of the most exhausting medical disciplines on both psychological and physical levels, but this exhaustion is often unseen and not adequately discussed scientifically. Research evidence indicates that dentists suffer from chronic neurological pressure coupled with accumulated musculoskeletal stress, resulting in shortened professional age compared to other medical specialties.
When talking about the career path of doctors, aging is often assumed to be met with professional maturity and job stability. Except this rule does not necessarily apply to dentists.
In many cases, a dentist does not reach the retirement stage at the peak of his experience, he reaches it mentally and physically exhausted, or withdraws from clinical practice early.
This withdrawal isn't always announced, it might manifest in:
• Reducing Working Hours
• Passion retreat
• Moving into management roles or changing the entire field
• or continue to work with a chronic health suffering
And it asks a fundamental question:
Is the professional age of a dentist naturally shorter? And why ?
The answer is yes unfortunately
The concept of professional age in medicine
Professional Longevity is not only measured by the number of years of work, but by the ability of the doctor to:
• Continuing with mental competence
• Maintaining the quality of the medical decision
• Working without physical pain or mental exhaustion is chronic
In many medical disciplines, a doctor can adjust his work pattern as we age.
As for dentistry, the body and nervous system are the essential working tools, making any health deterioration directly impact professionalism.
Chronic neuropressure in dentistry
From the perspective of professional psychology, a dentist works within what is classed as:
High-Risk Chronic Stress Environment
And a working environment that is called:
• Pressure is high
• time continuity
• The absence of external appearances is to violate
During one session, the dentist is asked to:
• He makes precise, therapeutic decisions that do not tolerate error
• Manages the patient's anxiety and pain
• Controls high risk tools
• Achieves both functional and aesthetic result
• Works under direct time pressure
This synchronized cognitive load, when repeated daily, results in gradual neurological fatigue, not just temporary fatigue.
Cognitive Load Theory
Cognitive load theory shows that the human mind exhausts when the momentary mental requirements exceed its ability to process parallel.
And dentists rarely get true cognitive intervals between cases, leading to accumulation of nervous stress and decreased capacity for mental recovery.
Physical health deterioration: the other side of exhaustion
Besides stress, dentistry is one of the healthiest professions related to structural muscular system disorders.
The most common problems include:
• cervical vertebrae pain
• Lumbar back pain
• Chronic muscle contractions
• Shoulder pain
• Carpalitis and carpal tunnel syndrome
And these issues are related to:
• Non-physiological working conditions
• Repeated head and neck bends
• Long shoulder install
• Repeated fine movements of the hand and wrist
These injuries develop slowly, but they directly impact professional continuity.
The exchange relationship between physical pain and psychological stress
Recent research suggests that chronic depression:
• Increases muscle tension
• Muscular recovery weakens
• Raises the sense of pain
And thus forms a closed drainage loop:
• Mental exhaustion increases physical pain
• Physical pain accelerates psychological burnout
It is an episode that explains the shortage of a dentist's professional life compared to his colleagues in other disciplines.
Professional comparison with other medical specialties
With all due respect to all medical specialties, the dentist has several specialties:
• Individual work in the session
• Total Body Confidence
• Direct and immediate patient assessment
• Combination of medical precision and aesthetic judgment
• The limit of mental distances
Which makes professional exhaustion faster and more effective.
Shortening the professional age of a dentist is not the result of an individual weakness,
Rather, a direct result of a professional structure that combines:
• chronic nervous pressure
• muscular health deterioration
• Absence of conscious psychological and physical management
Confessing this fact is the first step towards:
• Doctor's Protection
• Improve the quality of care
• Ensuring career sustainability
Mental and physical health of the dentist
Not a luxury...
Rather an essential condition for safe and sustainable medicine.
References ( References )
1. Gorter RC et al. Burnout among dentists: a systematic review.
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology.
2. Rada RE, Johnson-Leong C. Stress, burnout, anxiety and depression among dentists.
Journal of the American Dental Association.
3. Hayes MJ et al. Musculoskeletal disorders in dental practitioners.
International Journal of Dental Hygiene.
4. Valachi B, Valachi K. Mechanisms leading to musculoskeletal disorders in dentistry.
Journal of the American Dental Association.
5. Selye H. The Stress of Life.
McGraw-Hill.
6. McLean SM et al. Psychosocial factors associated with musculoskeletal pain.
Pain.
7. International Dental Journal. Occupational stress and mental health in dentistry.
