Stop the Confusion—Train Your Dental Team to Think Like You Do

Written by Sarah Beth Herman, CEO of Dentistry Support®

Let’s talk about something that happens in nearly every dental practice, and maybe even in yours right now.

You give an instruction. Your team hears it. And what comes back… isn’t quite what you meant. Cue the frustration, the delays, the awkward tension, and worst of all, the whispered “They should’ve just known.” But here’s the truth no one likes to admit: Your team isn’t inside your head. And unless you’ve built a system where your thought process becomes their roadmap, they’re left making assumptions. And assumptions are expensive.

Why Clarity Is More Than Communication

You might be thinking, “Sarah Beth, we already talk about things at our morning huddles.” And I believe you. But clarity doesn’t just come from talking. It comes from training people how you think. When your dental assistants, your insurance coordinators, your treatment planners, or your virtual billing team can anticipate what you’d do in a situation, that’s not just delegation.

That’s culture.

That’s leadership.

That’s how you stop being the bottleneck.

Train People to Think, Not Just Do

Most people are trained in tasks. But what your practice needs are people who are trained in thought processes.

Here’s what that means in real time:

Task Training	Thought Process Training
“Call this patient to confirm their appointment.”	“If the patient hasn’t responded, follow up in 2 hours. If they cancel, offer a same-day spot to the next person on the ASAP list.”
“Submit the insurance claim.”	“Check if this code needs a narrative or attachment. If in doubt, ask for clarification before submission.”
“Reschedule the patient.”	“Look for a morning appointment first, because this patient prefers AM slots. Try to keep hygiene and restorative close together.”

The second column is what makes the practice flow smoother, the patients happier, and you a less overwhelmed leader.

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The Disconnect Happens in the Gray Areas

Most mistakes don’t happen in the black-and-white parts of dentistry. They happen in the gray areas—where people have to interpret what you meant. Maybe it’s a patient who was supposed to be pre-medicated. Maybe it’s a balance that went to collections that shouldn’t have. Maybe someone updated a fee schedule in your system but forgot to test it.

In every one of those situations, your team probably had good intentions. But without knowing how you think, they took a path that felt right… and turned out wrong.

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How to Fix It Without Adding 10 Hours to Your Week

Let’s be honest: you don’t have time to run a training academy inside your dental office. But you do have time to implement these three things that will change the way your team thinks and operates.

1. Use “If, Then” Language

Every time you give instructions, ask yourself: “Where could this go off track?”

Then add a quick “if, then” safety net.

Example: “Call Mrs. Watson to confirm. If she asks to move her appointment, let’s try Friday morning first. If that doesn’t work, offer her Monday or Tuesday afternoon.”

It adds maybe 10 seconds to your day—but saves 30 minutes of clean-up.

2. Create “How We Think” One-Pagers

Instead of writing long SOPs that nobody reads, create one-pagers for scenarios you handle often.

Examples:

• “How We Handle Same-Day Cancellations”

• “How We Respond to Unhappy Patients”

• “What to Double-Check Before Submitting a Claim”

These don’t need to be perfect. They just need to show your team how your brain approaches problems.

3. End Every Task With This Phrase:

“Let me know if anything about that feels unclear.”

This small line is an open door. It lets your team feel safe to clarify without fear that they’ll look incapable.

It’s how you create a culture where clarity is normal and curiosity is encouraged.

You’re Not Too Busy to Fix This

If your first thought is “I don’t have time to do this,” I hear you.

But I also want you to think about how many hours you’ve lost cleaning up miscommunication this month alone.

• That patient you had to call back

• The 45-minute claim appeal that could’ve been avoided

• The second team meeting on the same topic

What you invest in clarity today, you save in clean-up tomorrow.

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Let’s Take the Pressure Off Perfection

You don’t have to be the perfect delegator. You don’t need to have perfect SOPs. You just need to start showing your team what your thought process looks like—and create a space where they’re invited to grow with you.

You don’t want people who blindly follow orders.

You want thinkers.

You want partners.

You want green flag team members who ask questions early instead of spiraling late.

Where This Goes Next…

This free training is just the beginning.

If you’re ready to hear what happened when I didn’t do what I just taught you here—and what I learned the hard way—then you’re going to want to catch this week’s episode of No Silver Spoons.

🎧 Episode Title: “Green Flag Leadership: Closing the Loop in Delegation”📍 Hosted by: Sarah Beth Herman

In that episode, I share a real story about a moment I dropped the ball as a leader—and how it taught me the most powerful delegation lesson I’ve ever learned. It's not just about handing something off. It’s about how we create momentum, clarity, and trust in every single interaction.

Final Thought

Dentistry is full of complexity. Your leadership doesn’t have to be. When you train your team to think like you do—even just a little—you multiply your impact, protect your peace, and create a culture where everyone knows what “doing it right” actually looks like. Let this blog post be your green flag. Because the next step of your leadership journey?

It’s one click away.

🎧 Click here to listen to the episode on No Silver Spoons

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Disclaimer:

To learn more about Sarah Beth Herman, the author of all free training content you can read her bio here. These materials are intended to provide helpful information to dentists and dental team members. They are in no way a substitute for actual professional advice based on your unique facts and circumstances. This content is not intended or offered, nor should it be taken, as legal or other professional advice. You should always consult with your own professional advisors (e.g. attorney, accountant, or insurance carrier). To the extent, Dentistry Support ®has included links to any third-party website (s), Dentistry Support ® intends no endorsement of their content and implies no affiliation with the organizations that provide their content. Further, Dentistry Support ® makes no representations or warranties about the information provided on those sites. You can view our privacy policy and terms and conditions by clicking those pages in the footer of our website.