mental health Archives - Dental Head Start

Mental Wellbeing Focus #5 – Mental Resilience in Dentistry with Dr Kyle Stanley

October 5, 2023October 20, 2023Leave a Comment

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In today’s episode I discuss the importance of mental resilience in Dentistry with Dr Kyle Stanley. We also delve into some of the factors at play that make dentists and dental professionals more likely to suffer from burnout and mental health challenges, as well as some solutions and communities you can join to feel more supported and thrive in your career.

Mental Wellbeing Focus #4 – Identity & Self Worth in Dentistry with Dr Viet Le and Dr Chiraag Devani

September 8, 2023September 7, 2023Leave a Comment

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In today’s episode I chat with Dr Viet Le and Dr Chiraag Devani on an important mental health topic of Identity and Self Worth in Dentistry. Learn the importance of how your self worth correlates to your clinical confidence in your dental career and the MASK framework can help you better show up more authentically as a dentist you truly wish to be. We also vulnerably share some of our own challenges in our careers thus far to help normalise the struggles you may encounter in your career and how to navigate them.

Mental Wellbeing Focus #3 – Left Handed Dentistry: The Side You Never Thought About with Dr Vishi Phoeung & Dr Owen Johnston

July 20, 2023July 19, 2023Leave a Comment

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In today’s episode I have a fireside chat with 2 dental school colleagues of mine whom we all share one common trait that is often not talked about enough in dentistry – being left handed. This episode is a shout out to all the left handed dentists and students (lefties) that are out there and we hope through our discussion of our own dental journeys so far you will not only feel seen, heard and understood, but also feel reassured and inspired that being a lefty does not limit your future success in a dental career.

Mental Wellbeing Focus #2 – Overcoming Challenging Career Circumstances with Dr Martin Mendelson

May 25, 2023May 24, 2023Leave a Comment

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In today’s episode I chat with Dr Martin Mendelson, our second international guest on the DHS podcast from the USA, all about how to overcome challenging career circumstances. We also discuss the importance of mindset and that there is no cookie cutter approach to a dental career.

FEATURE #79 – A Journey in Confidence with Dr Erica Hwin & Haydyn Bathurst

January 30, 2023January 30, 2023Leave a Comment

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Happy New Year to our Dental Head Start family! To kick 2023 off, we wanted to touch base and share the big plans we have in store for you on The Dental Head Start Podcast.

Firstly, we’d like to welcome our superstar editor Haydyn Bathurst to the microphone for his official debut as our new student host! Haydyn has been a huge asset to the team and we’re excited to share his perspectives and advocacy for all the dental students out there.

With her shiny AHPRA registration in hand, Erica is now a new graduate dentist! In this episode, we’ll get to hear from her side of the table – her university experience, the lessons the podcast has taught her and how her first few weeks as a dentist have been. Join us as we dive into discussions about building confidence, exploring opportunities and the mentality we develop in order to navigate an industry as difficult as dentistry.

Thank you all for your endless support. Here’s to another bigger and better year!

New Grad Focus #4 – Looking After Yourself as a New Graduate with A/Prof Matt Hopcraft and Dr Jean Wu

December 8, 2022December 7, 2022Leave a Comment

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When you’ve gone through so many years of dental school, the last thing you want to happen is to cut your career short due to a work-related health issue. You may have heard stories of dentists experiencing burnout or back pain or you may have experienced these things yourself already. So how can you maximise your career and avoid any health related issues that may set you back?

Welcome back to the New Grad Focus Series. My name is Phillip Nguyen and I am a first year graduate and today we are joined by Dr Jean Wu and Associate Professor Matt Hopcraft. Dr Jean Wu is both a qualified Pilates and Movement Therapy instructor as well as a practicing GP dentist for over a decade. It is her passion to pass on the benefits of Pilates and movement therapy to the wider dental community as she believes it would make a significant contribution to the health and well-being of her colleagues. Associate Professor Matt Hopcraft has more than 25 years in the dental industry. He is a recognised leader and expert in dental public health and advocacy. As a dentist he has worked in the Army, private and public dental practices, as an academic at The University of Melbourne and is presently the CEO of the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch. He is a strong advocate for improving access to care, healthy eating and mental health in the dental profession. Enjoy the episode!

TIP #80 – Dreaming Big For Life After Graduation with Dr Kaejenn Tchia

March 31, 2022April 20, 2022Leave a Comment

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When was the last time you sat back and asked yourself, “What are my dreams, and what kind of person do I want to become?

I think as students and new grads, it’s so easy to be lost when all our lives, we’ve always had some sort of curriculum to follow. However, the day we graduate, it’s the first time we have to really decide for ourselves what happens next. In this episode, we dive into the importance of dreaming big, how this influences our happiness and career fulfilment, and how to go about finding that spark.

TIP #79 – The 4 Crucial Tips to Avoid Burnout with Dr Kaejenn Tchia

March 17, 2022March 24, 2022Leave a Comment

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In an industry where we are almost geared to constantly pursue excellence and success, where we are often isolated in our practice and where the is an expectation to maintain our cool in front of patients, perhaps it’s no surprise that it forms the perfect breeding ground for burnout. But what exactly is burnout, and what can we do to prevent it?

In this episode, we’re joined the Dr Kaejenn Tchia who is The Limitless Dentist. Dr Kaejenn runs his own Facebook and Instagram page where he openly shares his experience with burnout as a recent grad and he uses his platform to regularly share tips on practicing mental well-being.

At DHS, we have always been advocates for mental health and we’re so glad to be able to dive into it in this episode to break down what burnout is, what causes it and Dr Kaejenn’s Top 4 tips on how to avoid it. For an industry that is so tight-knit, I really hope this helps us open up the discussion to talk about our shared experiences on a topic we all inevitably go through.

TIP #70 – Making the Most of Final Year with Dr Jeff Kho

December 13, 2021December 12, 2021Leave a Comment

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We all know that one kid who never seems to study, is always playing games or out hitting the town, and yet still passes with flying colours and is everyone’s favourite friend.
 Dental school is a rollercoaster. We’re learning the fundamentals of dentistry, figuring out what kinda dentist we want to be whilst trying to maintain a semblance of study-life balance. They say dental school is really just the beginnings of our journey and it all really starts the day we graduate, but what kind of things can we do now to really set us up on positive trajectory?

In this episode, Dr Jeff Kho reminisces on his days in dental school – and (surprise surprise!) how he wasn’t that superstar student. He talks about what he would do differently, knowing what he does now, and the stresses that in hindsight, he would’ve worried less about. We dive into the areas and disciplines that new grads don’t have as much experience in and what we can do to fill that gap in knowledge. Above all, we talk about the importance and value of investing in ourselves.