As a newly minted professional starting your first dental practice, you need to focus on patient relations as part of your growth strategies. Potential patients may experience many barriers to receiving appropriate dental care, ranging from increasing integrated medical services to their own anxieties. You can make your practice one that draws in and retains patients by training your staff to think professionally and enthusiastically. Here are tips for creating the right mindset so your team will form positive patient impressions.

Preach Togetherness

Your first message should be to encourage all in your practice to work together to serve a common purpose; aim this goal toward both staff members and any partners you have brought on board. Start by sharing and clarifying your vision. Ask for input on how you can fulfill that vision so that everyone feels a sense of personal responsibility to the practice.

Provide Internal Growth Opportunities

Another way to get your young staff members on board is to instruct them on every facet of the business. This strategy will pay off in reducing the number of missteps that can occur on a daily basis. For example, don’t just ask your hygienists to hand you Sirona electric handpiece components during a patient exam; teach them about how they work and why you chose the particular brand.

Model and Request the Right Attitude

A smile goes a long way, especially in a dental practice. Every employee in your practice needs to show that smile during every interaction. Even a receptionist answering the phone must convey that positive attitude; in fact, studies have shown you can convey a smile in your tone of voice by actually smiling during the conversation.

A grumpy environment in your dental office will have a negative impact on the practice. Encouraging your employees and partners to work as a team while brushing up on their patient relations can keep your practice growing for years to come.