Wellbeing in dentistry is one of the current most talked about issues and yet it can still feel detached from the day‑to‑day realities of clinical life. In a recent Practice Plan Bodcast, prosthodontist and integrative psychotherapist, Dr Aditi Bhalla, spoke about her approach to helping dental teams integrate wellbeing practices into their daily routines.
Dr Aditi Bhalla’s search for a more compassionate approach to her life and career began after she herself suffered with burnout and anxiety. She wanted to understand why she had reached breaking point and how she might have supported herself more effectively. This fuelled a desire in her to achieve a greater understanding of herself.
Along the way, her quest for self-knowledge grew into a passion for learning. This expanded into psychotherapy training and a wider exploration of wellbeing tools. She describes this period of growth as a turning point that helped her rebuild her relationship with dentistry and with herself.
Sadly, she developed a painful wrist condition, De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, forcing her to pause clinical work. This afforded her the time to broaden her research into wellbeing tools and techniques focusing on those that would benefit her colleagues within the dental profession. Her experience highlighted how easily physical strain and psychological pressure intertwine in dentistry. It also reinforced her belief that simple, consistent self‑care practices can make a meaningful difference, provided they become an integral part of everyday routines rather than reserved for rare moments of downtime.
A sense of compassion sits at the centre of Aditi’s approach. She is acutely aware that perfectionism, something prevalent in dentistry, causes clinicians to place unrealistic expectations on themselves. She has come to appreciate that mistakes are inevitable in both dentistry and life, and that by accepting this fact much of the internal pressure dentists place on themselves, that often leads to burnout, can be relieved.
Aditi believes that when it’s reframed through compassion, perfectionism becomes far less overwhelming, allowing dentists to acknowledge their capabilities without harsh judgement. She feels that early‑career dentists are often especially hard on themselves, expecting perfect execution of every procedure. This is unrealistic and so she encourages stepping back and recognising that excellence develops with time, continuous training and experience.
Small initial steps
Her passion for sharing well‑being tools started in small ways. While lecturing, she began introducing breathwork and short moments of grounding, simply to see whether students and colleagues found them helpful. The response to these was extremely positive and encouraged her to develop her ideas further. This then led her to launch a Facebook group, the Dental Wellbeing Hub, to promote preventative wellbeing strategies for dental teams. This was very successful and is now evolving into an online portal designed to offer accessible resources, connection and support to dental teams.
The Hub supports the philosophy that sustainable wellbeing grows from small, regular habits rather than dramatic lifestyle changes. Aditi emphasises that practises such as breathwork, meditation, movement or compassionate reflection should be simple and uncomplicated. Her aim is to help people explore different approaches and find what fits naturally into a daily routine rather than to become perfect at any one method. She believes this variety is essential because no single technique works for everyone, and each person’s stressors and preferences are unique.
Online community
Aditi also holds monthly wellbeing webinars which also reflect her diverse approach. Each session focuses on a different tool or perspective, ranging from hypnotherapy and Qi gong to coaching, nutrition and yoga‑inspired movement. Aditi also invites other dental professionals to share their own expertise. This serves to create a collaborative environment that helps participants feel understood and supported. Aditi’s goal is to teach techniques while also helping attendees to experience their effects directly. She believes that experiencing something directly can be the spur to lasting change, especially for dental team members balancing long hours, high expectations and emotional strain.
Although she also works with people in person, online sessions help remove geographical barriers and allow Aditi to bring together members of the profession from across the UK. As she acknowledges, dental events are often staged in major cities, which can make it difficult for some people to attend. By hosting sessions online, she aims to make wellbeing accessible regardless of location. Her online events mean participants can still share experiences and feel part of something larger without even having to leave their own homes.
Aditi has a clear message for the profession: dentistry demands precision, empathy and resilience, and wellbeing must be given equal priority with clinical excellence. Supportive communities, compassionate self‑reflection and small daily practices help build a firm foundation for wellbeing. Aditi’s work aims to show how wellbeing can become an integral part of professional life rather than an afterthought.
