Clear and consistent communication can be a challenge in many dental offices. Finding time for daily meetings may be difficult due to staggered start times or lunch schedules, but even ten to twenty minutes each day can make a big difference. Holding these meetings, whether at the start of the day or the day before, ensures that everyone understands the day’s flow and potential challenges ahead of time, preventing last-minute scrambling.
Establishing a consistent structure helps make these meetings efficient and meaningful. Each team member should know their role and how to prepare in advance to contribute to the day’s success.
Meeting Leadership
Assign a chairperson to organize and lead the meeting. This role can rotate among team members. The chairperson is responsible for:
- Starting the meeting on time
- Recording notes in your practice software or on a central day sheet
- Ensuring that all team members participate
Team Responsibilities
Administrative Team:
- Share special patient requests (e.g., someone needing to finish by 3 p.m.)
- Identify patients with account concerns, no-show risks, or last-minute cancellation patterns
- Highlight any schedule openings that need to be filled
- Provide updates on treatment follow-ups and patient communications
Dental Assistants:
- Review patients from the previous day who require care calls and confirm who will complete them
- Report on any pending lab work
- Identify patients with outstanding treatment concerns noted in previous appointments
Hygienists:
- Note patients requiring local anesthetic (LA) for their appointments
- Identify patients who need updated radiographs or medical histories
- Discuss any outstanding treatment concerns from prior visits
Dentists:
- Clarify any questions about treatment plans, materials, or special setups
- Share relevant patient management insights
- Flag appointments that might differ from what’s scheduled
- End with a positive comment or recognition from the previous day
Encouraging Open Communication
All team members should feel encouraged to share information that might help or hinder the day’s flow. Meetings should always end on a positive note. This is not the time to call out mistakes, issues should be addressed privately or in a general team meeting if they affect everyone. Use daily meetings as an opportunity to recognize and praise team members, making sure to acknowledge everyone’s efforts over time.
Meeting Tips
- Stick to the agenda to avoid the meeting turning into social time
- Have the chairperson act as a timekeeper to prevent overlap with patient appointments
- Ensure absent team members are updated and that notes are properly documented in your software
Daily meetings may feel awkward at first, but consistency pays off. Over time, they become a natural part of your routine, creating smoother days, better communication, and a stronger, more unified team.
