Category: Trojan Today Classics

If you check local “help wanted” listings, you’ll notice most employers are looking for someone with one or more years of “experience” in the positions they want to fill. Over the last thirty-five years of my career in clinical, administrative, and academic dentistry, I have discovered that having “experience” is not enough.

It’s time for dental hygienists to play a larger role in the dental team. In order for a dental practice to play (and earn) in the big leagues, dental hygienists need to be recognized and honored as highly valued members of the team…

Many dentists don’t know how to deal effectively with the inevitable relationship challenges that arise among staff members in every dental practice. A number of doctors say they were warned about this in dental school, yet didn’t believe it until they encountered the challenge firsthand.

Effective time management is of utmost importance in every dental practice. Without managing your schedule, you are sure to experience many stressful days which may lead to burnout.

Several years ago, while traveling in what was then the Soviet Union, I had one of the most incredible evenings in my not uneventful life.

Numbers drive the world of business, including the business of dentistry: Revenue, Profitability, Production per Active Patient, Case Acceptance %, Pre-Appointment %, New Patient as a % of Active Patients, and a variety of other measures. Leaders in the dental industry would be at a severe disadvantage without timely and accurate figures relating to all aspects of their practice.

When it comes to management styles, people have a tendency to mimic the style they learned from previous jobs or employers. For this article, we will focus on one component: motivating by appreciation, i.e., using more carrot and less stick.

There are two types of new patients. The first are Word-of-Mouth Patients. The second are Media-generated Patients, or walk-ins, both of which are shoppers. You must speak differently to these two types of patients.

If you are an employer, at one time or another (if not already), you will have to deal with a difficult employee. For many practice owners and managers, the question becomes, “How did I get this employee working for me in the first place?

Which should you pay employees — an hourly wage or a salary? There are pros and cons to both approaches, with advocates on both sides. Even industry consultants differ in their recommendations.