Some days, I feel more like a firefighter than a dentist.
You go in with a plan: one filling, quick polish, done.
Instead, the child refuses to sit. Throws instruments. Cries. Bites.
And suddenly, your 30-minute task turns into a 3-hour emotional marathon.
We call this “task completion syndrome” — the pressure to finish a clinical procedure at any cost.
But here’s the catch: the more we force it, the harder it gets.
I once shadowed a children’s entertainer, a stand-up comic who worked birthday parties.
“You can’t rush a joke. You wait, observe, feel the room — and THEN deliver.”
It clicked.
We’re so focused on doing, we forget about being — present, playful, patient.
Dentistry with kids isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about timing.
Instead of fighting tantrums, I started mirroring emotions, building rhythms, slowing down.
My stress levels dropped. Success rates went up.
Pediatric dentists need more exposure to theatre, improv, and yes — comedy.
Because children are not appointments. They’re experiences.
And if we don’t learn the art of timing,
We’ll always end up exasperated, exhausted, and ineffective.
Maybe our training needs a stage, not just a simulation lab.