How to spot burnout in your dental team and what to do

According to figures quoted in Agilio’s October 2026 Beyond Burnout webinar, 63% of dental team members report frequent exhaustion and 83% have worked while unwell. For a practice owner or manager, that shows up as missed tasks, sudden resignations and strain between colleagues.

The two speakers, Jackie Cooper, a cognitive hypnotherapist with over 30 years in dentistry, and Ritesh Aggarwal, a practice owner and dentist of 27 years and CEO of Better Mental Wealth, made a practical case. Burnout is preventable, and the first steps are within reach of any practice.

Stress and burnout need different responses

Stress is high-energy over-engagement. Some of it helps. Elite athletes perform under pressure, and a stretched muscle grows.

Burnout is low energy, low motivation and detachment. Maslach’s model describes it as exhaustion, detachment and reduced professional efficacy. Stress eases when the pressure lifts. Burnout does not respond to a long weekend, and recovery can take months.

What early burnout looks like at work

Ritesh described a pattern he has seen in his own team. A person who is normally efficient needs asking two or three times, and the finished work falls below their usual standard. Colleagues then absorb the extra load.

Jackie grouped the early signs into four areas:

• Physical: fatigue, headaches, broken sleep, jaw clenching
• Cognitive: brain fog, dropped tasks, mistakes
• Interpersonal: shorter temper, less warmth, being on edge or more emotional
• Behavioural: withdrawing from the team, smoking or drinking more

What to do in the first two weeks

Jackie advised moving early and privately, within a couple of weeks of noticing a change. Waiting can turn a small issue into a larger one months later.

1. Ask twice. Ritesh’s principle is to check in once and then again. The first answer is often “I’m fine”. Sharing your own experience can help the other person talk.
2. Respect boundaries. Repeated pressing damages trust. People talk when they are ready.
3. Choose a quiet, private space. Establish the facts: what has changed, and can the practice help?
4. Be curious and not judgemental. A person who has been late four times may have a problem at home. Asking why can lead to a fix such as flexible start times.
5. Listen, then signpost. You are not there to diagnose. Point people to counselling through your indemnity provider, an employee assistance helpline, their GP or free NHS services.
6. Keep standards fair and consistent. Wellbeing leadership includes accountability.

Why team members stay quiet

The speakers named stigma, fear of repercussions and generational differences in how openly people discuss mental health. Principals face a further pressure, because people expect them to hold everything together.

An open door policy on its own may not be enough, because some people will not walk through it. Regular check-ins reach them.

The business and regulatory case

• Replacing a team member costs about two-thirds of their annual salary. For a salary of £30,000, that is about £20,000.
• Deloitte research, as cited in the webinar, puts the cost of poor mental health to the UK economy at about £50 billion a year. It also reports a return of just under £5 for each £1 invested in wellbeing programmes.
• The CQC looks at culture under its well-led inspections, and the GDC can open a fitness-to-practise case when poor mental health significantly affects safe practice.

Build the system around the individual

Ritesh’s practice follows a cycle he calls measure, take action, inspire positive change. The team gives regular anonymous input, the practice agrees actions together and then follows through. He sees only aggregated results unless an individual chooses to share more.

Supporting that cycle:

• Training for the whole team, such as mental health first aid or Wellbeing Champion training
• Counselling access built into your indemnity or employee benefits
• A written policy that sets out next steps
• Shared language that puts “we” ahead of “I”

Key takeaways

• Burnout is preventable, and early signs are visible across four areas.
• Hold a private conversation within a couple of weeks of noticing a change. Listen first and establish the facts
• Signpost to qualified help and stay within your remit.
• Treat burnout as a practice-level risk, with costs and regulatory implications.
• Use regular, anonymous team data and act on it.

Check your own risk

Better Mental Wealth offers a burnout tracker. It takes under a minute, runs every two weeks, covers work and personal life, and suggests self-care steps. Visit Better Mental Wealth to find out more.

Training and services are discounted for Agilio members.

For support from someone with over 30 years in dentistry, you can also find out more about Jackie’s work at CooperTransformations.