CATEGORY 110 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST more complicated than simply doing more cases. Because you can change your behaviour while continuing to carry an identity that fights against it. You can learn the consultation structure. You can attend another course. You can memorise the script. You can understand the clinical protocol perfectly. But if underneath all of that remains “I’m not capable of this”, you may continue finding ways back towards what feels familiar. You hesitate. You procrastinate. You over-refer. You under-diagnose. You don’t present the comprehensive treatment plan. You avoid the difficult conversation. You wait. And, most commonly, you wait until you feel confident. Which creates a fascinating paradox. You are waiting for confidence before collecting the experiences required to create confidence. Confidence and self-worth are not the same thing There is an important distinction here. Clinical confidence should be conditional. If I have never performed a complex procedure, I shouldn’t have the same confidence performing it independently as someone who has completed appropriate training and performed it successfully hundreds of times. That isn’t low self-worth. That’s calibration. Your confidence in a particular skill can change without your worth as a person changing with it. This distinction becomes enormously important in healthcare. Because when our professional identity becomes too closely attached to always being right, mistakes become threatening. A complication is no longer “Something went wrong.” It becomes “There is something wrong with me.” And those are two completely different psychological responses. One produces curiosity: What happened? Why? What did I miss? What will I do differently? The other produces defence. Hide it. Rationalise it. Blame something. Avoid similar cases. Stop asking for feedback because feedback has become threatening to identity. That is why healthy self-worth actually matters clinically. If my sense of worth can survive being wrong, I become much better at examining when I am wrong. Anyone can feel confident when things are going well The more interesting question is: can you remain grounded when they’re not? The implant doesn’t integrate. The veneer fractures. The patient is unhappy. The extraction becomes considerably more difficult than anticipated. A senior clinician disagrees with your treatment plan. You make the wrong call. The outcome isn’t what you expected. Those moments tell me far more about a clinician’s confidence than the straightforward cases. Real confidence isn’t saying, “I don’t make mistakes.” It is being able to say, “Something hasn’t gone as expected. I need to understand why.” That shift is incredibly powerful. Because you have stopped turning events into identity and started turning events into information. And information can be used. This is why mentorship matters I think this is where good mentorship becomes incredibly powerful. A mentor shouldn’t simply tell you what to do. Nor should mentorship manufacture false confidence by constantly reassuring you that you’re doing brilliantly. The job is to help you operate progressively towards the edge of your current competence without irresponsibly pushing you beyond it. There is an enormous difference between “I’ve never done this before, but I’ll just have a go” and “I haven’t done this independently before. I’m going to understand the procedure, select an appropriate case, plan it properly, discuss it with someone experienced, have the right support available and gradually develop competence.” One is bravado. The other is professional development. Confidence without competence is dangerous. But there is another side to this that receives far less attention: competence without sufficient confidence can be limiting. I’ve watched perfectly capable clinicians avoid procedures they could reasonably perform. I’ve watched clinicians under-diagnose because they don’t feel confident discussing comprehensive treatment. I’ve watched dentists know the answer and still look around the room for somebody else to validate it. I’ve watched technically excellent clinicians avoid leadership because somewhere along the way they decided they weren’t “that kind of person”. The goal therefore isn’t maximum confidence. The goal is calibrated confidence. Confidence that broadly matches your competence, preparation, experience and available support. Build it from both directions I think confidence needs to be built outsidein and inside-out. Outside-in is behaviour. What skill am I practicing? What case am I planning? What feedback am I asking for? What difficult conversation am I going to stop avoiding? What promise have I made to myself that I am actually going to keep? Inside-out is identity. What am I repeatedly telling myself about the clinician I am? Is that belief actually supported by evidence? Or am I still operating from an old story? BEYOND CLINICAL Ready to See the Platform in Action Whether you're looking to streamline ordering, improve stock control or gain better visibility over your practice spend, we'd love to show you how. Scan to Book a Chat MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS Exclusive member pricing from partner suppliers & service providers. Access to a network of likeminded dental professionals. Ongoing education & support Business & technology solutions A smarter way to manage your practice Berris Saultry 0400 001 172 Save Time. Reduce Costs. Work Smarter. Everything your practice needs to simplify purchasing, control inventory and improve profitability. One Platform. Endless Possibilities. https://dentalinnovations.com.au/enquire-now/
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