Doctors Need Appreciation Too!
Our calendars are full of dental office appreciation weeks and months.
The first week of March is Assistant Appreciation Week. Dental Hygienist week is in May, and then they get another whole month in October. Front Office Appreciation Day is in May. Office Manager Appreciation Month is all of September.
But our Dentists get one day in March, which usually aligns with Dental Assistant Week. Note that it is one day in March, not a week or a month.
We spend a lot of time praising, supporting, and motivating our team members, but what about the ones who own their practices? What about the Doctors behind the beautiful smiles? Our Doctors are well-trained individuals who have to woo their patients. They must be happy and considerate at all times, with little room for error.
Inside a Doctor’s Mind
I once asked my husband, “What goes through your head when you walk into your operatory before a procedure?”
He stated, “I want to make sure the patient is comfortable and that I have their trust. I am also hoping my assistant has the room up for the procedure to be successful. At any given time, I am aware of the patient‘s breathing pattern, and the airways are clear.”
This gave me a perspective on everything a dental procedure entails. I work in the front office and do not oversee anything clinical, and unfortunately, the risk had not occurred to me. On the outside, he was always steady.
I was intrigued by his response and thought about it for several days leading up to Assistants Week. I had a week of sweet treats and corny puns planned to leave on their computers. A tag that read, “Thanks for rolling with the punches,” was tied to a small bag filled with Rolos. Or a tag that read, “You’re all that and a bag of chips” tied to a small bag of Doritos.
At the beginning of each year, I have my team fill out a list of their favorite things. So I knew what chips they liked. I never had our Doctors fill out their favorite things.
There is so much data around retention of team members when they feel validated and appreciated. There is not much data surrounding supporting the boss. I once asked my team what motivates them more: constant praise and appreciation or money. Three-fourths of them responded with praise and appreciation.
Don’t Forget to Appreciate the Doctor
The rest of the week, I spent a little more time watching our Doctors interact with their assistants and patients. A great deal of trust is given to a Doctor and their team by the patient.
In my opinion, our offices need to offer excellent customer service, but the Doctor has to be excellent too. Which made me realize, we assume a Doctor gets enough satisfaction from the smile makeovers they perform, or the individual teeth they save every day.
Most team members assume the Doctor makes a ton of money (which isn’t always true) and that is all the satisfaction they need or deserve. They still need a pat on the back, a fist bump, or a morning shout-out in the morning huddle.
What about the practices like ours that have 14 women to one male Doctor? In our practice, my husband is surrounded by women (and all of our opinions) 32 hours a week! I say he’s a lucky man, but a lot of days, we drive him crazy!
He is the reason many patients come to and stay with us. He is the brain behind the bonuses, the raises, and bringing in new technology. Plus, as the main producer in our office, he makes sure everyone gets paid.
As long as I can remember, I have done everything I could to celebrate our team, and I have been leaving my husband, the driver of our bus, out of my celebrations.
How I Started Celebrating Our Doctors
Here is what I did. I planned out our social media for November as a month of Thanksgiving for our team. Each week, I published three team members and spotlighted them. The day before Thanksgiving I did a big spotlight on my husband and asked for others to give him a shout out too.
Our team and patients left positive and public comments. It was a win-win! Going forward, I made sure he had a shout-out in our morning huddle at least once a week. I’d also leave a compliment on a sticky note for him from a patient, or write one when I overheard him talking to a patient about their care. Then I did the same for our other 2 doctors.
A Happier Doctor, A Stronger Team
Humans crave approval. It feels good to know we make a difference. It makes us smile to know we make someone else smile.
It’s important to let our Doctors know how important they are too. The happier the doctor, the happier the team!
About the Author
Megan Schulte, DAADOM
Megan Schulte has worked in the dental field for eight years. Her knowledge of people and the industry has grown tremendously over the years. She works alongside her dentist husband in their practice, Schulte Family Dentistry.
Megan graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan College in 2003 with a degree in social work. She has been married to her husband, David, for 18 years, and they share 3 children. She loves to be surrounded by her friends, family, and a good book.
She was inducted as an AADOM Fellow in 2021, got her Master’s in 2024, and became a DAADOM in 2025.
