Does case acceptance actually affect a dentist's happiness? It does, more than most dentists admit. What happens with the cases you present and the cases that get accepted feeds directly into your satisfaction in the operatory and at home. When fewer plans collapse and your economics improve, the daily frustration drops, and that follows you out the door at night. There is a values piece too. Most dentists carry a system of beliefs about how they want to practice. When you are fighting low acceptance and tight money, you cannot live those values fully. When the practice runs well, you can. [...]