The Unseen Pain in the Dental Surgery: Why Our Profession’s Mental Health Can No Longer Be Ignored

Abstract

If you were to walk into any dental practice in South Africa, you would see the same picture: a team of professionals, masked
and gloved, projecting an image of calm competence. We are problem-solvers. We are healers. We are, by the very
nature of our work, expected to be pillars of strength for our patients and our teams. But beneath the surface of this clinical composure, a silent epidemic is brewing. I’m not talking about caries or periodontal disease. I’m talking about the profound strain on
our collective mental health and well-being.