Relationships: The Key to Success

If you have great relationships with your patients and your team, then you will have a successful practice.

It’s true. Throughout the history of dentistry we have consistently been taught the importance of relationships, and it hits home on several levels.

Let’s start with our patient relationships. While patients can’t always assess how good your work is, they can determine how well you treat them in your relationship. In my first dental practice, I saw so many patients in a day that I felt constant anxiety. I was always afraid of getting sued, and I left work every day worrying about tomorrow’s troubles.

I worked in a very fast-paced office, so my colleagues and mentors advised me to slow down. If I could find a practice where I could have more time with patients to build solid relationships, then dentistry would be so much better. They were right. Because I never had any time to build that rapport and trust with patients, I felt the lack of trust between us that constantly exacerbated my fears.

I did eventually slow down, and it worked. For a while, dentistry felt so much better for me. I had more trust in my patients, more trust in myself, and more trust that life in dentistry would be okay. It’s no surprise as studies show that patients will not sue doctors who they like and trust.

Team relationships matter too.

Dentistry is not easy to begin with. If you’ve ever worked with others who are unreliable or hard to get along with, that can completely change your happiness levels at work. In that same first job, I swear, one assistant called in sick every week. It wasn’t always the same assistant, but it was consistent enough that the rest of us were left to carry the weight of the day on our shoulders. It felt like we could never get ahead.

How can we do our best work for patients if we are bogged down by difficult in-office relationships?

We all rely on that trust and communication to succeed. I’d since worked in other practices where the team was dependable and loyal, and we all looked out for each other. The level of enjoyment was always much higher in that environment.

Relationships can also do so much for you outside of practice.

It’s not just about the day-to-day benefits in our work. Having great relationships outside of practice benefit us in many ways. Dentistry is easier when you feel like you are part of a larger community. You have a foundation of people who understand you, validate you, and can help you manage the stress.

If you have questions or you’re looking for opportunities, there’s no better way to learn and grow than to lean on your support network.

But life is different now that we have become so tech-dependent. In some ways, it has made building relationships easier. While we can make genuine relationships with people online, we sometimes miss out on the power of in-person connecting.

Does this mean we must give up on relationships?

Absolutely not!

It just means that we must diligently commit to maintaining relationships– whether that’s virtually or “in real life.”

We can use all the same skills and principles that we use in the real world to build lasting relationships online. Whether it’s in your daily dental practice, in the dental community, or if you’re looking for new opportunities beyond your work, relationships are the key. It always comes back to that.