Sometimes, You Just Need Chocolate: The Reality of Being a Dental Practice Manager

There is a little secret about dental practices that we probably shouldn't admit too loudly.

Dental staff are very good at eating chocolate. 😂

It's slightly ironic when you spend your working days reminding patients about reducing their sugar intake, while there is a block (or two) of Cadbury sitting on the staffroom table.

But there is a reason for it.

Sometimes, the day simply doesn't go according to plan.

And when you're the Practice Manager, you are often the person standing in the middle of it all, trying to keep everything moving.

You Know It's Going to Be One of Those Days

Most Practice Managers have probably experienced the moment.

It's 10am.

The day started with a carefully planned list of priorities. You know what needs to be done. You've got your tasks organised, your meetings scheduled and you've got a pretty good idea of how the day should go.

Then it starts.

One dentist has had an emergency added to the diary and suddenly the schedule has changed.

Another dentist has somehow ended up doing a RCT and is already running 15 minutes late.

The steri room is overflowing with instruments.

The DAs are desperately waiting for the specific items their dentist needs.

Someone is looking for something that nobody can find.

And then comes the phone call you really don't want to make. The lab work that was promised hasn't arrived. Now you have to call the patient and tell them their appointment needs to be pushed back.

Not exactly how you pictured the morning going.

And somewhere around this point, you open the cupboard, pull out the emergency block of chocolate and put it on the tearoom table.

Everyone knows what it means.

It's going to be one of those days.

The Emergency Chocolate Supply

I remember this from my own time in practice. I usually had a stash of chocolate somewhere. Sometimes it was in the cupboard. Sometimes it was hidden away for particularly difficult days. And sometimes it didn't stay hidden for very long.

When the day became a little too much, the packet would be ripped open and the chocolate would appear on the staffroom table.

Someone would walk past and take a piece.

Then someone else would grab another.

A quick chat would happen.

Someone would laugh about whatever had just gone wrong. And, somehow, within an hour, the entire block would be gone. It wasn't really about the chocolate.

It was the pause.

That tiny moment where everyone could stop, take a breath, have a laugh and reset before getting back to work. Because sometimes that's what a team needs.

Not a complicated solution. Just a moment to breathe.

The Practice Manager Swan

I sometimes think Practice Managers are a little like swans.

On the surface, everything looks calm. You're smiling. You're answering questions. You're helping patients. You're supporting the team. You're dealing with the dentist who needs something urgently. You're working out what has happened with the lab. You're checking the diary. You're dealing with the unexpected emergency. You're trying to remember the thing you were supposed to do three hours ago. And underneath the surface? Your legs are going absolutely mad. You are trying to keep everything moving while simultaneously wondering how you are going to get through the original to-do list you carefully planned the day before.

Because that's the part people don't always see. The Practice Manager's day isn't just about completing a list. It's about constantly reprioritising that list.

Something more urgent appears.

Then something else.

Then something else.

And before you know it, the tasks you planned to complete have been pushed further and further down the page.

When You Finally Get to the Car

Some Practice Managers genuinely thrive in the chaos. They seem to glide through it.

They can have three problems happening at once and somehow come out the other side laughing. And that's fantastic. But not everyone experiences it that way.

For some of us, the constant interruptions, decisions, problem-solving and responsibility can become overwhelming. I remember days where I would keep a smile on my face from the moment I walked into the practice until the moment I walked out. I'd keep the little fires under control:

I'd support the team.

I'd help wherever I was needed.

I'd make the calls that needed to be made.

I'd solve whatever problem had landed on my desk that day.

And then I'd get into my car.

Close the door.

And sometimes, I'd just burst into tears.

Not because one particular thing had happened.

It was everything.

The accumulation of little things.

The constant need to be "on."

The responsibility of knowing that people were looking to you to keep things moving.

The feeling that there was always one more thing that needed to be dealt with.

Sometimes the overwhelm can be very real.

You're Not Failing Because You're Overwhelmed

This is something I wish more Practice Managers heard. Having a difficult day doesn't mean you're bad at your job. Feeling overwhelmed doesn't mean you're not capable.

And needing five minutes to yourself doesn't mean you don't care about your team.

You're human.

Some days will feel manageable.

Some days will feel chaotic.

Some days you'll finish your entire to-do list and wonder what all the fuss was about.

And some days you'll look at that same list at 5pm and realise you've barely touched it because you've spent the entire day putting out fires. That doesn't mean the day was wasted.

You were still doing your job.

You were supporting your team.

You were making decisions.

You were solving problems.

You were keeping the practice moving.

That work counts too.

Give Yourself Some Grace

The reality is, you can't always control what happens in a dental practice.

You can have the best systems, the most organised diary and the most carefully planned day — and something unexpected can still happen.

A dentist can get delayed.

An emergency can walk through the door.

A patient can cancel.

The lab can let you down.

The steri room can become completely overwhelmed.

Someone can call in sick.

And suddenly the entire day looks different.

Good systems can absolutely help make those moments easier to manage. Clear processes, organised information and shared responsibilities can reduce some of the pressure and stop every little problem from landing entirely on one person's shoulders.

But no system can remove the unexpected. And sometimes, you simply have to get through the day. So if you're a Practice Manager and today feels like one of those days, take a breath. You don't have to have everything perfectly under control. You don't have to solve everything immediately. You don't have to carry every problem yourself.

And you certainly don't have to feel guilty because your carefully planned to-do list didn't survive the morning.

Be kind to yourself.

Your team may need you.

Your practice may need you.

But you need you too.

So have the chocolate and the coffee!

Take the breath.

Sit in the car for five minutes if you need to.

Laugh about it.

Cry about it.

Then come back tomorrow and start again.

Because you're doing your best — and sometimes, that's more than enough. 💚

To every Dental Practice Manager who has ever sat in their car at the end of a very long day: Flosswell gets it. You're not alone.