Habit Change That Sticks for Dentists | The GREAT SCORER Method

Habit change is something most dentists want - but very few sustain.

Every January brings good intentions: better routines, healthier habits, improved balance. Yet research shows up to 90% of habits fail within weeks. In dentistry, habit change is even harder due to time pressure, emotional load, and relentless decision-making.

The issue isn’t discipline. It’s that most dentists are trying to change behaviour without changing the systems, identity, and environment driving it. Sustainable habit change requires more than motivation - it requires a structure designed for real dental life.

The Associate Who Couldn’t Stop Working

Take Dr A, a highly capable associate dentist working five days a week. Her goal was simple: drop to four days, earn the same income, and have more time for development, self-care, and life.
The reality? Even on her “day off,” she was working - emails, admin, treatment planning, webinars. And when she wasn’t working, she felt guilty. (More on wellbeing here - https://www.nailitindentistry.com/blog/the-probe-wellbeing-workplace-dental-team )

Her habit problem wasn’t just behavioural. It was identity-based.
Like many dentists, she believed success required constant doing. Busyness had become a badge of honour. When she joined the NAIL-IT programme, she said something I hear all the time:
“If I slow down, I’ll lose income. I don’t have time for healthy habits.”
What she needed wasn’t another goal. She needed a habit change system that helped her live differently, not just work harder.

The GREAT SCORER Model: A Habit Change System That Works

The NAIL-IT GREAT SCORER model was designed to make habit change sustainable, identity-led, and aligned with real dental lives - not ideal ones.
Sustainable performance comes from sustainable habits. And sustainable habits are built through GREAT SCORER:

G – Goals
Big goals fail without micro-actions. Dr A started with tiny habits:
• 10 minutes of weekly self-reflection
• One protected admin session
• One evening ring-fenced for study
R – Regular Use
Consistency beats intensity. Habits were scheduled into existing time slots so they became familiar and predictable.
E – Environment
Notifications, open laptops, constant access to messaging—her environment was sabotaging her. Both physical and mental environments were redesigned to support focus and boundaries.
A – Avatar
She defined the dentist she wanted to become: intentional, balanced, high-performing. Decisions became easier once she started acting as that person.
T – Triggers
Habit stacking made change automatic:
After logging into her diary → review boundaries
After finishing treatment → one deep breath
When overwhelmed → pause and reset

S – Support
Accountability matters. Fortnightly check-ins, written commitments, and peer support dramatically increased follow-through. Research shows social accountability can increase success rates by up to 95%.
C – Celebrate
Micro-wins were acknowledged weekly, reinforcing progress rather than perfection.
O – Outlast
Setbacks were normalised. Lapses became resets - not reasons to quit.
R – Reflect
Monthly reflection allowed habits to evolve rather than collapse.
E – Expectation
Changing habits meant changing boundaries. She learned to communicate these clearly so others adjusted too.
R – Repeat

Once habits became effortless, the next layer of growth began.

The Outcome of Sustainable Habit Change

Within weeks, Dr A experienced tangible shifts:

• She protected her non-clinical day
• She restructured work around energy, not hours
• She set boundaries with patients and her practice
• Self-care became non-negotiable
• Productivity increased without longer days

She confidently reduced her clinical days while maintaining income - because her habit change aligned with who she was becoming, not who she’d been conditioned to be.

The Takeaway for Every Dental Professional

Sustainable habit change doesn’t come from willpower - it comes from systems.

If you’re ready to stop starting over and build habits that actually stick in dentistry, the GREAT SCORER framework shows you how. More on our services here - https://www.nailitindentistry.com/services