This year’s March Madness is bittersweet for me. My father, who lived with me since the Fall of 2022, passed away in May 2024. We shared our love of sports, especially basketball and football. He has seen me play and coach for years but has never watched all the tournament games with me. Keep in mind that I am watching the men’s and women’s tournaments, so there is lots of basketball in my home during this time of March Madness.
There was a game last year, and I cannot remember who was playing, that we realized our perspectives were completely different. At 6’4”, Dad was a center for his team, so he was viewing the game from his familiar position. As a coach, my perspective was different- I saw the entire team and breaking down the plays. At one point, I was yelling at the TV and paused it to get out my coaching bag and show him on my dry erase board what was happening. During this time Dad realized why I was so mad and admitted he didn’t see what I saw during that play.
The same thing happens in your dental practice. Depending on your role in the office, your perspective is different. As the dental assistant, you are assisting chairside, building rapport with the patient, and thinking of the next task you need to do. As the hygienist you are building rapport with the patient while looking for any disease and educating your patient. As an admin team member, you are building rapport with the patient, busy with check-in/check-out, insurance, and keeping the schedule full and efficient, amongst other tasks. As the office manager, you are working on all aspects of the practice; that is your responsibility. As the dentist and/or owner you are busy doing the clinical work, building rapport with the patient, looking for any disease or other issues, and on top of that, all of the non-clinical items you need to do. I know the above is not a full list of your responsibilities . The purpose is to show you how your perspectives are different. I will add another in, the perspective of your patient. What do they see when interacting with your practice?
Think of it this way, your perspective will be determined by the role you have in the office. All of the different perspectives in your practice are important, and understanding each team member will help with communication among your team. At your next team meeting, discuss all of the different perspectives in your office and ways to improve those for your team and your patients.
If you need assistance in your practice, please contact us at Victory Dental Management today.