I've said it many times: great practices are about more than great dentists. They almost always are driven by great dentists supported by great teams. And great teams emerge where they are given the opportunity to be great.

It's easy for people in a dental practice (or just about any business) to fall into compartments and focus on their own narrow interests within the bigger picture (I'll have more on that in a future post).

But there are a couple of things you can do to pull people out of those boxes and getting them collaborating in a dynamic way, so that you all are getting the benefit of each other's wisdom.

1. The weekly case conference. How much does your team really understand about what you do for patients? You go to all these great courses where you're learning incredible new things, but often the team isn't aware of the level of dentistry you provide. This is how you let them know.

Pick at least one case a week and walk your team through it, explaining the diagnosis, why you chose the treatment plan you did, and how the procedures work. Invite questions. Show examples. Do demonstrations. If you want your team to speak convincingly to patients about your skills, they need to really internalize what you do.

2. The two-a-day patient profiles. This exercise is about choosing two patients per day (one in the morning, one in the afternoon) – usually patients who are in for hygiene and who have unaccepted treatment possibilities or have known evolving conditions that require a new comprehensive discussion. Gather intelligence. Share what you each know about the patient and strategize.

What approach is most likely to get them to move forward with their oral health care? Who should take the lead? You'll be surprised how much you will learn from your team in these sessions, and the concentrated focus in that meeting will pay off with a great patient visit later.

Your team is by far the most important resource you have as a practitioner, and the value of that resource multiplies the more of a real, aligned team you become. These are just two examples of how you can systematically leverage that “people power” in way that raises the level of possibilities for you, your team, and your patients.


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