Becoming the Leader Your Team Needs

Dentists who run their own practices are more than just medical professionals. They’re also business owners and team leaders with a wide variety of responsibilities. As your practice moves to implement orthodontics, your leadership is key to achieving long-term success. Here’s what you can do to become a great leader for your team.

Vision and Strategic Planning

Being a great leader starts with defining the vision for your dental practice. You’re the captain who plots the course and decides where the practice is headed. As you move to incorporate orthodontic treatment options, carefully consider what your goals are in doing so.

For example, are you aiming to provide more comprehensive care for your existing patient base? Do you plan on expanding your reach and being more competitive? Will you focus on unlocking new revenue streams? Your goals may be a combination of these key questions. The important thing is to define your goals and communicate them with your team.

Your team also relies on you to turn that vision into a tangible plan. You’ll need an overarching strategy that will guide your practice to success. This is particularly important when first implementing orthodontic treatment at your practice. While strategy always plays a role, starting off on the right foot makes a massive difference.

A strategic plan should break down overall goals into concrete steps. For instance, how are you going to market your new orthodontic treatment options? What will everyday workflows at your practice look like? Planning these steps out in detail will help you guide your team to success and avoid common pitfalls.

Empowering and Training the Team

Much of the preparation to start providing the latest in orthodontic treatment options is your own education as a dentist. You’ll need to opt for comprehensive orthodontics courses to develop your skills and knowledge. However, a great leader knows that education and training for your team are just as critical to success.

Orthodontic care differs in several key ways from general dentistry. Treatment planning, procedures, follow-ups, and administration all pose unique challenges. Your team must be prepared for all of these obstacles to ensure smooth implementation at your practice. You can make this happen by providing them with the right resources to offer high-quality care in both general dentistry and orthodontics.

Enrolling your team members in orthodontic continuing education courses tailored for their roles is a straightforward way to get them the training they need. Courses are available for dental hygienists, assistants, and other roles to give them general orthodontic knowledge and insights on specific tasks.

When you equip your team with the necessary knowledge and skills, you create a unified approach to orthodontic care. They’ll be better prepared to support your practice across all areas. You may also find that your team works together much more cohesively when everyone has the expertise to better navigate their roles.

Effective Communication and Patient Education

Another thing you have to brainstorm is how to get patients to come on board with these new treatments. Your entire team can contribute in this area with effective communication skills.

As the leader of your practice, you’ll need to guide your team in how to communicate various aspects of orthodontic treatment. Your team members need to have the knowledge to answer patient questions confidently and convey details accurately in a way that patients understand.

Laying out specific guidelines for how your team will discuss orthodontic treatment options can help in this area. Ensure that everyone is on the same page in terms of how to present treatment benefits and expectations. You don’t want to leave out any key details when educating patients who may not be familiar with orthodontics at all.

While preparing your team with effective communication skills improves the patient experience, it also helps strengthen trust, which can mean the difference between a patient going through with treatment versus skipping it. This means more patients can receive the important orthodontic care they need for lasting oral health.

Start off on the right foot with orthodontic courses from the American Orthodontic Society.

Developing your role as a leader in your dental practice can help you successfully integrate your orthodontic services. When your team has the right support and guidance, you can all grow your practice and enhance patient care. Achieving this outcome starts with building a solid foundation based on continuing education.

The American Orthodontic Society provides a full range of orthodontic courses to prepare you and your team to confidently provide orthodontic treatment options. Find out more about how the American Orthodontic Society can help you take your practice to the next level today.