Behind the calm and the professional smile, dentistry is quietly breaking its dentists.

Dr Bazgah Siddique has spent 25 years in the profession, across two countries. She trained in Lahore, sat the ORE, and rebuilt her entire career in the UK from scratch. Today she's an implant surgeon working across five practices, and she teaches the next generation coming up behind her.

In this episode she opens up about the stress nobody talks about. The fear of litigation. The isolation of the surgery. Why dentists take every failure personally. And what actually helps.

We get into:

• The numbers on dentist stress, and why they're worse than most people realise
• Why dentistry is such an isolating profession
• The "golden handcuff": earning only while you're hands-on
• Why patients follow the dentist, not the practice
• Perfectionism, and why you can't control the biology of a patient
• What she tells a dentist who's crying in their car between patients
• The advice she'd give any young dentist entering the profession
• Why she now trains fresh graduates, and her December course in Lahore

If you're a dentist carrying this alone, this one's for you.

If you or someone you know is struggling, the Samaritans are available 24/7 on 116 123. The BDA and your indemnity provider also offer confidential support.

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• Follow Dr Bazgah on Instagram: @dr.bazgahsiddique
• Apply to be a guest on Between Patients: https://betweenpatients.online/#apply
• Get the book, The $2 Dentist: https://betweenpatients.online/book
• Follow Moiz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moizkhurram_/

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