Dr Waldo Engelbrecht graduated in 2005 at the University of the Western Cape. In 2009 he completed DipOnt at the University of Pretoria and obtained the Certificate in Implantology in 2012.
He has worked in private practice in Port Elizabeth since 2007.
From 2008 to 2009 he had a private practice in Kareedouw which went belly-up.
He worked for Dentists at Health from 2009 to 2012 and after that was in private practice until 2018.
In 2019 he became a partner at Dentists at Health Walmer.
His main focuses of practice are Implant Dentistry and Digital Workflow Aesthetic Dentistry.
His passion outside of clinical excellence is sharing his journey where he can help with respect to mistakes he made, which are easily avoided with some guidance. He is inspired to help the young dentist where he can with regard to practice management solutions and general problem-solving. He and Dr Evert Burger are in the process of launching a podcast specifically for this purpose.
'Strong body, strong mind' is his motto. He keeps fit by doing Crossfit and bodyboarding when the waves are good. He is married to Stephnie who is a dietitian; they have 3 children that give purpose to all these endeavours.
Silence, Stress and Self-sabotage
Dr Waldo Engelbrecht
(Wait for 30 seconds)
It’s awkward, isn’t it? Silence at an improper time. And so here we are mostly silent about what adversity has befallen us in our daily practice. To talk about your struggles with fellow colleagues is unheard of, we take pictures of our cases when things go well. We post them on every platform imaginable to show how great we are. We get lofty cheers from the growing follower base for our efforts and elevate ourselves to god-status.
What happens once we get home on the days that everything wasn’t so peachy. When a case goes to the bottom of the drawer you had so much hope for.
The umpteenth time you had a difficult customer that was unsatisfied with service or costs.
Or the dreaded case that is pending with DPL, not getting anywhere.
Instead of sharing the problems we face we go silent. Do we dare speak, do we dare lean into the discomfort of sharing our failures and provoking criticism – this would only be a precious few that have the courage to have these vulnerable conversations.
What do we do when our Cortisol levels go through the roof?
We drink, we smoke and we provoke a sense that everything will be better numbed it.
It works that way in Dentistry, doesn’t it?
What can we do to get out of this vortex of self-sabotage?
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