19 Qualities & Habits of Successful Dentists

“The team meets every morning, and we review the schedule and patients. We discuss financials, treatment needed, and opportunities to see emergencies.”

“Be hungry for knowledge, constantly update yourself with the latest techniques and materials used in dentistry. Attend seminars, conferences, and hands-on courses.”

“As the owner of a start-up business, my day-to-day schedule varies greatly! Some days are very busy with patient care, while slower days are spent meeting with vendors, marketing the practice, or handling administrative duties. I am surprised how much of my daily job isn't performing dental treatment and how much of my work follows me home at night.”

"Be ready to manage any medical emergency, always, while you are in the clinic. Every morning before starting, check your emergency tray."

“Track your spending -- at least for your weak areas. Think “frugal” for the first few years out of school and don’t buy the huge house until you have all your other personal and practice debt paid off.”

“I think if you want to be a successful clinician it would help if you actually cared about people. If you care mainly about the money, your patients will know that and stay away. If you can balance both of those attributes you can be a successful dentist and a successful person.”

“Don’t wait for opportunities. Create them. If you are just waiting around and waiting for people to knock on your door, you’re going to go broke. You need to create opportunities and when you get those opportunities, you need to really take advantage of them.”

“Dentistry Practice is basically a skill. The more you practice your skill, the more efficient you get, and your success rate increases.”

“Many offices struggle in this area. Some doctors do the entire examination process. The problem here is that often when the assistant is involved, case acceptance increases. The more the assistant does, the more the doctor can have a handpiece in his or her hands, doing those things that only a doctor can do.”

“Find hobbies that you enjoy, learn to play an instrument, and that will help with the stress and also help to keep your hand(s) learning new things. Treat the old as if they are your parents. Treat the young as you would want your children treated. Remember you have a family and spend time with your family.”

“They say sometimes it is not what you know but who you know and that is very true in dentistry. Networking, like in all career fields, is just as significant in dentistry for creating new opportunities and help in times of need.”

“One of the greatest problems I had in my 24-year career as a dentist was not staying focused on my plan. My practice would be doing great. Then, I would attend a weekend course and come back on Monday and try to change everything. My weary staff finally learned, ‘Just ignore him... he'll forget about it by Friday.' And they were right! I usually did. Oh, I incorporated a few good ideas, but I never really implemented the entire package and thus I never got the desired results

“Remember that you can save lives and improve the quality of life of your patients. Practice ethically and genuinely. Treat the patients nicely and provide them all the explanations they deserve regarding their treatment. They have the right to know why and what treatment they need to have. Have regular follow-ups [as] needed. Complete the treatment procedures as they should end. This would be enough to achieve your goal.”

“Proactive dentists are dentists who are open-minded to new techniques and procedures. Have you ever heard of a dentist that always says, ‘No, that can’t be done’ or ‘No, that won’t work’ when you mention a new dental procedure or talk about an oral health care product? If you want to be an effective dentist, be proactive! Be up for more challenges that will help you become the most competitive version of yourself.”

“A good attitude... sometimes requires divorcing oneself from home or family or business issues, but every day should begin (and not just practice, but also life in general) with thoughts of thanks for another day above the ground, alive and cogent and ready to face another day of practice with a great attitude. Nearly 50 years ago, when I was in dental school, I had a professor who when he would have contact with any of the students would ask, 'How’s your PMA?' At first, I looked down to see if my zipper was down, but an older student said that PMA was Positive Mental Attitude. PMA is essential for dental success and, really, all success in life.”

“As a dental practice owner, you are no longer just a dentist, but also an entrepreneur. There is more work that needs to get done than you can possibly do yourself, and you need to outsource plenty of tasks, but you cannot properly supervise your employees and independent contractors if you know nothing about the work they are doing. Take some time to learn a bit about proper billing practices, tax and financial accounting, healthcare law, marketing strategies, etc. The more you know, the easier it will be for you to make informed decisions about who to hire and to quickly catch mistakes when reviewing others’ work. You’d be surprised how much money that can save you.”

“Rather than a policy, there is one key habit that I apply relentlessly, irrespective of cultural, language, and racial diversities. This is servant leadership. Servant leadership has helped me promote equality, but also build a successful dental office and motivate my team of dentists and auxiliary staff. Effective leaders serve best when they show humility and compassion towards those whom they seek to lead. They build relationships based on trust. They are always ready and eager to help others, as they coach and mentor their team members to be the best they can be. Every person is unique, with different characteristics and skillsets. A strong leader realizes that no two persons are alike, and thus is able to respect others while tapping into the potential of his or her team members.”

“Save and spend wisely. Even when you've been in business for 20 years, you have to continue to reinvest in your practice to improve patient satisfaction. We pride ourselves on our technology and our patient experience. You can't be successful if you're not dedicated to continuous improvement.”

“Every dentist who’s also a business owner knows there's a lot to do outside of seeing patients. In the early days of my career, I can't tell you how many times I’d sit down at my desk and start work by checking my email. Two hours would pass, and I’d gotten nothing done. Well, not today! As a successful dentist and business owner of 20 years, my best advice is to avoid opening your inbox at all and work from a task list so you may stay focused and avoid the distractions waiting in your inbox.”