Dentistry's Full Of Burnt Toast Moments

It’s 7:30am. You’re already running late, and the last thing you need is the smoke alarm screaming at you because your breakfast decided to turn into charcoal. In that moment, it can feel like everything is falling apart. The day is ruined. You’re behind schedule. Nothing is going right.

Sound familiar? Now picture this same scenario playing out in your practice. The hygienist calls in sick. The computer system crashes right before your busiest block. A patient shows up furious about their insurance coverage. Suddenly, you’re spiraling.

Stop. Take a breath. Refocus your perspective. You didn’t burn down the kitchen, and your practice isn’t falling apart. You just burnt the toast.

The Burnt Toast Moment

We all have burnt toast moments—those times when something small goes sideways and suddenly everything feels catastrophic. Your locus of control gets hijacked, and you’re reacting instead of responding.

But here’s what happens when you pause and breathe: You realize you have options. You can scrape off the burnt bits. You can make new toast. You can grab a banana instead. The morning isn’t ruined—it just took a different path.

What You Focus on Grows

When you’re staring at burnt toast, you have a choice: obsess over the charred edges or focus on solutions. Your team watches how you handle these moments. If you spiral, they spiral. If you pivot, they learn to pivot too. Next time something goes wrong in your practice, try this:

• Pause. Take a deep breath before you react.
• Reframe. Ask yourself: "Is this actually a crisis, or is this just burnt toast?"
• Redirect. Focus your energy on solutions, not the problem.

You may not be where you planned to be at this moment, but maybe you’re exactly where you’re meant to be. The next time your practice day feels like burnt toast, don’t throw out the whole breakfast. Scrape off what doesn’t serve you, and keep moving forward.

Remember: What you focus on grows. Focus on the chaos, and you’ll find more chaos. Focus on solutions, resilience, and growth, and your practice will rise to meet that energy.