What Dental Practices Get Wrong When Hiring Staff

What Dental Practices Get Wrong When Hiring Staff

(And How to Avoid Costly Mistakes)

Hiring the right dental staff should feel like a step forward for your practice — yet for many clinics, it becomes a stressful, time-consuming process that leads to high turnover, staff frustration, and compromised patient experience.

At Attention To Dental, we work closely with practices across Australia and see the same hiring mistakes repeated again and again. This blog is designed to educate and support practice owners and managers, offering free, practical insights that help you make better hiring decisions — while also helping the right practices find us when they need support.

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Below are the most common hiring mistakes dental practices make — and what to do instead.

1. Hiring in a Panic Instead of Hiring Right

One of the biggest mistakes practices make is hiring reactively.

A staff member resigns, someone goes on unexpected leave, or your diary is already booked out weeks in advance — suddenly, the priority shifts from quality to speed.

Common outcomes of panic hiring:

1. Compromising on experience
2. Overlooking red flags
3. Hiring “someone available” rather than “the right person”

While it feels like a quick fix, panic hiring often leads to:

1. Underperformance
2. Increased training time
3. Tension within the team
4. Another resignation within months

What to do instead:

Always hire with a long-term lens. Even when under pressure, it’s better to bring in experienced, vetted temporary support than to rush a permanent hire that doesn’t align with your practice values or workflow.

2. Overvaluing a Resume and Undervaluing Attitude

A resume can look impressive on paper — years of experience, multiple software systems listed, clinical exposure — but it doesn’t tell you how someone:

1. Communicates with patients
2. Handles pressure on a busy day
3. Supports the dentist and team
4. Fits into your existing culture

Many practices hire based purely on experience, assuming attitude can be adjusted later. In reality, skills can be taught — attitude cannot.

What to do instead:

Assess emotional intelligence, adaptability, communication style, and teamwork. A technically strong candidate who lacks empathy or accountability can quickly disrupt morale and patient experience.

3. Being Unclear About the Role (and the Reality of It)

Another common mistake is advertising or discussing a role in vague or overly optimistic terms.

For example:

1. A “front office role” that actually includes heavy rebooking targets
2. A “clinical DA role” that regularly floats between surgery and sterilisation
3. A “part-time role” that frequently requires overtime

When expectations aren’t clear from the beginning, candidates feel misled — and trust is lost early.

What to do instead:

Be honest and detailed about:

1. Daily responsibilities
2. Split between clinical / admin duties
3. Software used
4. Pace of the practice
5. Support available during onboarding

Clear role expectations reduce early resignations and build respect from day one.

4. Ignoring Culture Fit and Team Dynamics

A technically capable staff member can still be the wrong hire if they don’t align with the personality and rhythm of your team.

Practices often overlook:

1. How a candidate will integrate with existing staff
2. Leadership style compatibility
3. Communication preferences
4. Conflict resolution approach

This leads to tension behind the scenes — even if the candidate performs “well enough” clinically.

What to do instead:

Hiring should consider not just the role, but the ecosystem of your practice. Strong teams are built on trust, communication, and shared values — not just experience.

5. Expecting New Staff to “Just Figure It Out”

Many practices unintentionally set new hires up to fail by:

1. Providing minimal onboarding
2. Assuming prior experience equals immediate efficiency
3. Not allocating time for learning systems and workflows

Even experienced dental professionals need time to understand how your practice operates.

What to do instead:

Have a structured onboarding process, even if it’s simple. Support in the first few weeks significantly improves retention, confidence, and performance.

6. Underestimating the Cost of a Bad Hire

A poor hiring decision doesn’t just affect payroll — it impacts:

1. Patient satisfaction
2. Team morale
3. Productivity
4. Reputation
5. Your own stress and time

Replacing a staff member costs far more than investing in the right hiring process upfront.

What to do instead:

View recruitment as a strategic investment, not an administrative task. Whether you’re hiring permanently or using temp support, quality and alignment matter.

Final Thoughts

Great dental practices don’t just fill vacancies — they build teams.

When hiring is rushed, unclear, or driven solely by availability, practices pay the price. When it’s intentional, supported, and aligned with values, the results are calmer days, better patient experiences, and stronger long-term outcomes.

At Attention To Dental, our role is to support practices with experienced, vetted professionals who understand dentistry, clinical flow, and the realities of a busy practice — so you’re never forced into compromising hires.

If this blog helped clarify where things may be going wrong, you’re already taking the right first step.

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