Some dental teams look strong from the outside. The schedule is full. Patients are flowing. Production is humming. But if you've worked in dentistry long enough, you know that a full day does not always mean a healthy team. A productive practice is not automatically a high-performing one. Sometimes the outside looks polished while the inside feels tense, reactive, and one hard conversation away from unraveling.
That is why a recent Harvard Business Review article by Ron Friedman caught my attention. He argues that the teams that outperform others are not simply the ones with the most talent. They keep getting better. They build habits that support learning, adaptation, and growth over time. Immediately, I thought about dentistry.
Busy is not the same as high-performing
Kelly Tanner, PhD, RDH.
In dentistry, we are surrounded by hardworking people. We have clinicians who care deeply; team members who are doing their best; and practices trying to meet the demands of patient care, staffing shortages, case presentation, schedule changes, and financial pressure all at once.
Hard work alone does not build a great team. Talent alone does not build a great team. Even loyalty alone does not build a great team. A high-performing dental team is built when the people inside the practice continue to grow.
That is where many practices miss an important opportunity. Dental offices are often hesitant to send their teams to continuing education because they are worried about turnover. They worry they will invest in someone, expand that person’s knowledge, and then lose them.
I understand the concern, but that mindset can keep a practice stuck. The bigger risk is not always investing in someone who may leave. The bigger risk may be failing to invest in the people who stay.
Continuing education is not just an expense
One of the most important things that happened in my own career was that the doctors I worked with invested in my education. That decision changed far more than my clinical skill set. It elevated my thinking. It expanded the way I saw my role. It gave me confidence, perspective, and a stronger sense of what was possible for my career. Their investment not only helped me become better, it elevated their practice too. I brought back stronger ideas, stronger clinical judgment, and a broader value to the team and patient care.
That is what makes education so powerful. It rarely impacts only one person. When a doctor invests in a hygienist, assistant, or team member, the practice benefits from that growth. The team member may become more confident in communication, more thoughtful clinically, more proactive in problem-solving, and more aware of how to contribute at a higher level. Education does not just add information, it expands capacity.
Teams improve when people improve
This is where Friedman’s message feels especially relevant to dentistry. High-performing teams do not become exceptional because they found the perfect employee mix one day and froze it in place. They become exceptional because they keep learning. They adapt. They refine. They create a culture where growth is normal, not optional. That same principle applies in a dental practice.
If a team is never exposed to new ideas, new standards, better communication strategies, stronger leadership development, or continuing clinical education, it is very hard for that team to become something beyond functional. A practice may keep moving. It may even stay productive. But it is much harder to become truly high-performing if no one is being developed. The best teams are not just working hard. They are being stretched in healthy ways. They are being challenged to think differently. They are being given opportunities to become stronger.
Fear-based leadership limits growth
When leadership decisions are driven mainly by fear, growth usually slows down. A practice that withholds continuing education out of fear of losing people may think it is protecting itself. But over time, that same choice can quietly create a team that is underdeveloped, underinspired, and less engaged. People feel that their growth is seen as a risk rather than a priority, and they feel it when development is treated as optional rather than essential.
That kind of culture rarely produces excellence. High-performing teams require investment. They require leaders who are willing to think beyond short-term fear and focus on what builds stronger people and stronger practices over time. That does not mean every single person will stay forever. Of course, they will not. But withholding growth opportunities is not a strategy for building loyalty. It is often a strategy for limiting potential.
Investment sends a message
Continuing education does more than sharpen one's skills. It tells the team member, “I see potential in you. I believe you are worth developing. I want you to become even stronger in your role.”
That matters more than some leaders realize. People want to know they matter. They want to know their growth matters. When a doctor invests in a team member’s development, it can strengthen trust, engagement, and commitment in ways that fear never will.
I know that personally because I lived it. The doctors who invested in me helped shape the trajectory of my career. Their willingness to support my development influenced how I thought; practiced; and eventually led, taught, and served others in dentistry. That investment multiplied. It did not end with a single CE course or a single moment of learning. It kept expanding over time.
High-performing teams keep improving
That may be the real takeaway for dentistry. High-performing dental teams are not made up of superhuman people. They are made up of people who are willing to become better together, and leaders who make that growth possible. They understand that education is not separate from team performance -- it strengthens thinking, communication, leadership, culture, and patient care.
So, yes, a practice can worry about turnover. But it should also worry about what happens when it stops developing its people. Because the teams that thrive are not simply the ones that stay busy, they are the ones that keep growing. And in dentistry, that kind of growth often begins when one leader decides that investing in the team is worth it.
Kelly Tanner, PhD, RDH, is a contributing author to DrBicuspid, where she shares insights and strategies to empower dental hygienists in their careers. As a leader in clinical training, professional development, and team dynamics, Tanner provides resources to help hygienists elevate their practice and personal growth. For further support, join her free Facebook group, Next Level Dental Hygiene Career and Personal Development, and explore group training and on-demand courses at www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com.
The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization. Some content may be AI-generated.
