I feel trapped by the financial pressure of practice ownership

‘Sustainability isn’t only financial, it’s emotional’ – Sarah McKimm advises a practice owner on coping with financial strain in dentistry.

The scenario

I’ve been a dentist for more than a decade and a practice owner for a lot of that time. While I’ve always loved my profession, the financial pressures have become overwhelming in recent years.

Costs keep rising – from materials and laboratory fees to energy bills and staff wages. At the same time, my income doesn’t feel like it’s going up, with patients less and less keen to commit to treatments. I sometimes feel as though I’m running just to stand still, working longer hours but with less to show for it.

What worries me most is the impact on my enjoyment of life. I find myself lying awake at night, worrying about how I can pay my staff or how much longer I can keep going. I’m beginning to dread the arrival of bills, and I feel guilty that my anxiety occasionally spills over to my family and staff.

I don’t want to let my patients or my team down, but I feel trapped. How can I cope with the growing financial burden without losing the passion and resilience that brought me into dentistry in the first place?