What’s the impact of a smile in a dental practice?

More than you might imagine at first glance, according to a recent article in Psychology Today.

Smiles are highly contagious, spreading happy feelings in the workplace. More importantly flashing a smile increases the likelihood the other person will return that smile, leading to a synergistic effect in which both parties get a welcomed psychological lift.

Dentists are in the business of creating beautiful smiles, but the daily stress of operating a dental practice can turn those smiles upside down. It can be a challenge to maintain a calm, happy mood on one of those days when appointments stack up and a lengthy case can throw the whole day off kilter.

It is for these reasons that dental practice managers should tread carefully when it comes to criticizing a staff member. Don’t show your frustration in front of other staff. A disheartening attitude can spread like a cancer in a practice. People tend to hear and recall critical comments much more than compliments. So aim for a ratio of at least two compliments for every critique.

Schedule team-building opportunities and make the meetings fun and light-hearted. Hold a silly in-office contest or invite staff to submit fun recipes.  And never forget at the end of a challenging day, flashing a smile at a coworker can do wonders to lift collective morale in your practice.

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