Does decision fatigue really affect dentists during the day?
Yes, and you feel it whether you admit it or not. Every diagnosis, every plan, every judgment call spends a little of the same limited budget. By the end of a long day that budget is empty, so you default to the path of least resistance. For a dentist planning large cases that shows up as oversimplified plans and weaker recommendations. Think of it like driving home exhausted: you can still steer, but your reaction time is gone and you do not notice until something goes wrong. The fix is structural, not willpower. Protect your hardest thinking by doing it first, before the day drains you. Stop pretending you are equally sharp at 5pm as you were at 8am, and build your schedule around that honest fact.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.