When Negative Energy Is the Real Cavity in Your Dental Practice

Sarah Beth Herman
1 day ago
6 min read

By: Sarah Beth Herman

Founder & CEO | Host of No Silver Spoons

In the dental world, we talk a lot about cavities, cracked crowns, and scheduling gaps. We spend our days troubleshooting clinical issues and navigating insurance paperwork. But what about the invisible issues? The ones that don’t show up on x-rays or production reports?

There’s a problem that’s been on my mind lately, and it's not one you’ll find in a dental textbook. It’s the weight of negativity in your office. You know what I mean. That subtle tension. That one team member who constantly sighs under their breath. The unspoken friction that makes morning huddles feel heavy.

If you're a dental practice owner or office manager who has ever kept someone on your team because they’ve been with you for years, or because they know how to verify insurance but constantly push back on every new system or process, this is for you. Especially in this season where many offices are turning to virtual dental team support and virtual dental billing services to increase efficiency, we need to talk about what it really costs to keep someone who chips away at your peace.

The People You Keep Are the Brand You Build

I’ve been running businesses long enough to know that who you allow in your space determines the strength of your business. In the early days of my leadership journey, I thought I had to carry it all. I’d pick up the slack for the team members who didn’t want to learn new systems. I’d stay late doing eligibility checks because the person responsible was “too overwhelmed” to try something new.

But slowly, I began to notice a pattern. The more I allowed excuses, the more my business started to suffer. I had to ask myself: was I leading, or was I babysitting dysfunction?

In today’s virtual dental landscape, we don’t have the luxury of inefficiency. When you’re building a team that runs across time zones, platforms, and virtual desks, you can’t afford to ignore misalignment. If someone doesn’t want to do the repetitive, sometimes boring work—like verifying dental insurance eligibility before appointments or double-checking the billing codes—they are not the right fit for your future.

Virtual Dental Team Support Isn’t Just a Trend—It’s a Lifeline

Over the last few years, many practices have shifted toward virtual dental team support. Not just to cut costs, but to find people who are actually excited to do the work. And let’s be honest, some of the most important tasks in a dental office aren’t glamorous. Eligibility verification? It’s tedious. Posting payments? Not fun. But necessary. When you outsource those responsibilities to a qualified virtual dental billing team, you’re not just buying a service. You’re buying back your peace, your leadership bandwidth, and your energy to grow your practice. Too many leaders feel guilty about offloading tasks. I get it. It can feel like a betrayal. But you didn’t build your practice to stay stuck doing the same things that once kept you afloat. Growth requires trust. Trust in your team. Trust in your systems. And yes, sometimes trust in a new way of doing things—like letting someone else handle insurance eligibility verifications so you can focus on patients.

The Real Cost of Negative Team Members

Negativity in your office doesn’t always come as a loud complaint. Sometimes it whispers. It shows up as passive comments, resistance to change, or dragging their feet on a new process. You’ll hear things like:

“That’s not really my thing.”
“I’ve always done it this way.”
“I’ll get to it later.”

And if you’re like me, you’ve probably taken on more than you should have because of it. You’ve told yourself it’s just easier to do it yourself. You’ve convinced yourself that they’ll grow into the role. But let’s be honest. Most of the time, they don’t.

Studies from the University of Michigan show that negativity in the workplace can lower productivity and collaboration by up to 40%. That’s not just a vibe killer—that’s a profit killer. Your best systems, including outsourced virtual dental billing or a perfect patient communication flow, mean nothing if the people executing them bring poor energy to the table.

Barbara Fredrickson’s research also highlights how positive emotions help us think more clearly, solve problems faster, and be more creative. The opposite is true too. If your front desk is stuck in survival mode because of tension, frustration, or team drama, your patient experience suffers—and so does your bottom line.

Stop Normalizing Chaos

Here’s the part that’s hard to admit. Sometimes we keep people around because they make us feel needed. Or because we think, “Well, at least they show up.” But showing up with a poor attitude isn’t a win. It’s just tolerated dysfunction.

If you’re working in or managing a dental office, this is your reminder: being short-staffed is hard. But being fully staffed with the wrong people is harder. You will never regret replacing a toxic team member with someone who actually wants to work. Whether that’s someone in-office or part of a virtual dental team support program, your time and mental health are too valuable to waste.

Delegation is Leadership, Not Weakness

Delegating used to feel like giving up control. I’d think, “If I want it done right, I need to do it myself.” But that mindset almost broke me. I had to learn that delegation isn’t weakness—it’s leadership. It’s saying, “I trust you to handle this.” And when someone shows you they can’t or won’t, you have a choice to make.

You can either pick up the slack or choose someone who will meet the standard your vision deserves.

The right people will never make you feel bad for holding them accountable.

Let me say that again. The right people will never make you feel bad for holding them accountable.

Red Flags You Shouldn't Ignore

Sometimes we write off our gut feelings. But if you’ve been feeling tired, overwhelmed, or unsure about a certain team member, here are a few signs you shouldn’t ignore:

They make passive-aggressive jokes when they’re corrected
They constantly need more time, training, or reassurance
They are resistant to new technology, especially virtual systems
They don’t take ownership for their mistakes
They question the value of outsourced support (like virtual dental billing) without offering solutions

None of these are deal breakers on their own. But stacked together, they reveal a pattern. And that pattern is holding you back.

Building a Better Team—One Decision at a Time

So what do you do?

You get honest about your vision. You stop pretending that peace is too high a price to protect. You make decisions that support the kind of culture you want to build.

That may mean hiring a virtual insurance eligibility expert to handle pre-appointment verification. That may mean investing in a virtual dental billing team that takes pressure off your front office. And yes, it may mean having a hard conversation with someone who has outgrown their role—or never really fit in to begin with.

You Deserve More Than Survival

To the dental practice owners who feel like they’re just trying to make it through the week, I want you to hear this. You are not overreacting if something feels off. Your desire for peace in your business is valid.

You don’t have to carry everything alone. You don’t have to babysit broken systems or carry people who won’t carry themselves.

Sometimes, the thing that feels like a loss—like letting someone go—is actually the beginning of your biggest win.

And if you’re not sure where to start, let’s talk. My first call is always complimentary. I want to hear your story, listen to where you’re stuck, and help you take that first step forward. You don’t have to build the next chapter of your business by yourself.

Because when you clean out the cavities that don’t belong, the rest of your practice gets stronger.

Reference Page

Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226.
University of Michigan. (2010). Negative Workplace Behavior Decreases Productivity. [Link to source].
Dentistry Support®. (2025). Virtual Dental Team Support Services.

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.