It is exciting to leave dental school and complete the best online dental courses with certificates and work in private practice. It also comes with a steep learning curve for young dentists. It was the same for me! There are four mistakes I see in new dentists as seasoned dentists mentor their younger colleagues.
1. Inadequate attention to staff training and documentation
Everyone wants their staff to do a good job. If they don’t, it is time to let them go. Everyone wants an office that runs smoothly and has low-stress levels. No one likes to lose the ball.
It is important to make sure that your staff understands what you expect. It is important to train staff in how to best dentist continuing education. Also, get them used to writing down everything. This will help you avoid a lot of headaches. It will be easier to deal with future problems if everyone is on the same page by having job descriptions and responsibilities.
2. Being Overly Critical.
All dentists have seen treatment results that were less than perfect when they are evaluated outside of their office. Incredibly, anything could be done when you consider the challenges of an appointment – constant movement, gagging, and patients who can’t open their mouths (just to name some)
Criticisms can lead you to dangerous places and destroy your online dental assistant programs‘ trust in you. You will be led to the dark side by some patients. Don’t let them. Show the patient the positive solution you have for their problem and then move on.
Bottom line: Be honest, look for the positives and avoid criticizing. This will result in a group of happy, trusting patients.
3. Poor Patient Follow-Up.
It is crucial to build trust and establish relationships with patients. It is simple, effective, unexpected, and easy to make a follow-up call on the night of an appointment. If there are no problems, the call confirms that everything went well. You can be reassuring if there are any issues and address them before they escalate into larger ones.
These calls should not be delegated! You must answer these calls. Patients will call you if they see you. You will see a rise in your practice’s retention rates if you start making these calls now.
4. If necessary, do not refer to a specialist.
Few things are more embarrassing than having to refer during a procedure. Referring before the procedure can help build trust and make life easier. Careful patient selection is key to everything you do. Be aware of your skills and do not exceed them. Your specialist partners can be of assistance.
