Losing team members is exhausting.
You spend weeks (or months) recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and training… only for that new hire to put in their notice, or worse, disappear without a word. The cycle repeats, and suddenly you and other team members go back to covering roles you shouldn’t be doing in the first place.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Dental practices across the country are feeling the pressure of high turnover, and many don’t realize how preventable it actually is. It’s not always about the pay or the perks. More often, it comes down to one thing:
👉 Clarity. Or lack of it.
Most new hires don’t leave because they hate dentistry. They leave because they feel lost.
They’re overwhelmed by inconsistent instructions. They’re expected to “figure it out” or rely on shadowing someone who’s just as overloaded. There’s no structure, no feedback loop, and no way to know if they’re doing the job right until they’re in trouble for doing it wrong.
And that kind of environment? It wears people down fast.
Let’s do the math. When a team member leaves, you’re not just dealing with a gap in coverage. You’re looking at:
Turnover isn’t just frustrating, it’s expensive.
You don’t need more pizza parties or “staff appreciation” mugs (though those are nice). What you need is a reliable system that sets every employee up for success from day one.
Here’s what that looks like:
Most practices “wing it” when it comes to onboarding. New hires shadow someone for a few days, ask a bunch of questions, and try not to mess anything up. That’s not onboarding... that’s survival mode.
Instead, build a structured onboarding path that includes:
This gives your new hire confidence—and gives you control over their experience.
If your assistants do sterilization five different ways… you’ve got a problem. When every team member creates their own version of how to check in patients, present treatment, or post claims, you're leaving room for errors, inefficiency, and tension.
You need documented, step-by-step SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for:
With these in place, everyone knows what’s expected. No more “I didn’t know I was supposed to do that.”
Even if you’ve created great systems, they’re useless if no one can find them.
That’s where a digital platform becomes a game-changer. Your team should be able to pull up any procedure, policy, or training right from a tablet or phone. No binders, no guesswork, and no relying on someone else to explain it.
This empowers your team to be self-sufficient, which builds confidence, and reduces friction.
Retention improves when people feel like they’re making progress. When you can track each person’s training, see where they’re excelling (or struggling), and offer coaching based on actual data, you create a culture of growth.
This is where tools like:
People don’t want to guess if they’re doing a good job. Show them. Support them.
At My Dental SOP, we help dental practices ditch the guesswork. Our platform turns your office’s chaos into a digital, step-by-step playbook your whole team can follow.
No more repeating instructions.
No more “what do I do now?” moments.
Just consistent systems that keep your practice running even when someone calls out sick or moves on.
And when people feel confident and supported? They stay.
If your team keeps turning over, don’t just blame the hiring pool. Take a look at what they’re walking into.
A strong, well-documented system might be the missing link that transforms your practice from a revolving door to a place people love to work. Whether you already have SOPs or not, My Dental SOP will get your processes up and running in no time.
Ready to stop the cycle?
👉 Schedule an 8-minute demo of My Dental SOP
We’ll show you exactly how it works and how to start fixing the root of the problem, today.