Running head: EXAMINING DENTAL CULTURE

Examining Dental Culture

Austin M. LeSueur
English 2100
February 18, 2016

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Abstract

This report was written to provide a look into the organizational culture of private dental
practices for the purpose of determining whether dentistry would be a good career choice for me.
I gathered my information from web pages on the internet that had been published by a school,
practice, or other dental organization, as well as a personal interview with a practicing dentist.
Dentistry is a branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and
treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity. To keep patients coming to
their practice, dentists must be aware of the culture they have built, and they must make their
practice a positive environment.
Keywords: Dentistry, Culture, Writing

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Introduction

Dentists are an important part of todays society. They help people keep their teeth clean,
and they can help people with other, more major problems, such as cavities and other infections.
Many people have certain dentists that they prefer over any other. Why is that? There are many
factors, such as comfort with the dentist built up by quality service, the attitude that their staff
displays, and even such things as how the rooms look. These and many more reasons are all
components of the culture of a private practice. Achieving the proper balance is key to keeping
people happy and retaining customers. I have written this report to give myself a better
understanding of what working in a dental practice would be like, and to shine a light on the
general culture of private practices, to see if dentistry would really be a good fit for me.
Methodology
There are many avenues one can venture down to find information about a career in
dentistry. The best method of gaining insight into the field is to interview with someone who
works in that field. I have combined that with articles from the internet to make up my research.
Internet
When I turned to the internet for articles, I searched for the following key words: culture
of a dental practice, and technical writing used in dental practices, through google. I tried to
focus my search on articles written by professionals in the field or by institutions or private
practices. I also wanted to make sure I found relatively recent articles, so I wasnt referencing old
standards or areas of thought on the subject.
Interview
I chose to interview Dr. Duane D. Callahan for the purposes of this paper. He is my
familys dentist and has owned his own private practice since 1996. I was able to get a

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considerable amount of time with him, and I was able to learn a lot about the culture of his
practice and the communication he and his employees use on a daily basis.
Results
In dentistry, there is a standard organizational structure for a private practice, in which the
dentist is in charge, the dental hygienist is under the dentist, and the assistants are under both of
them. Due to this, the culture in a practice relies on the dentist, and how they choose to run their
practice. The way they conduct business, and treat their patients and employees is the culture of
their office. Healthcare news described culture as: the collective behavior of humans who are
part of an organization and the meanings that the people attach to their actions. (healthcare
news, 2013, paragraph 3). Dentists create their own culture, and to do that, they must have a
combination of multiple things, including a vision, values, practices, and people. A proper
mission statement can guide a companys values, and is the starting point for building the ideal
culture (Healthcare news, 2013). Your values are at the core of culture. They are the guidelines
that culture follows, and can positively shape your practices culture if they are implemented
correctly. When I was talking to Dr. Callahan, He filled me in on a few of his practices values,
such as the value of communication of problems. Dr. Callahan had this to say: We dont allow
people to talk disparagingly about patients. We dont allow them to talk behind each others back
about each other. If you are upset with somebody, you come talk to me (personal
communication, February 11th, 2016). He also mentioned a dentist in Montana that works six
twelve hour days with the intention of retiring early (personal communication, February 11th,
2016). That dentist valued an early retirement more than working a more common schedule.
Practices are very much linked to the values of a dental practice. If you dont have good
practices, then your values are going to waste, and your culture can be negatively impacted for it.

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A culture is also impacted by what type of people you have working in your practice. Dr.
Callahan had specific criteria, which he uses when he is going through the hiring process to
determine if someone will fit within his practices culture: Its called the triad of a relationship.
Three things that create a good relationship. One of them is honesty, the next one is fun to be
with, and the third one is hard worker (personal communication February 11th, 2016). These are
what he believes makes a good employee, one who is honest and reliable, who works hard and
pulls their own weight, and one who brings a positive attitude to the office.
Dentistry is a hands on profession, in which the dentist, and most of his employees, are
working directly with the patients, but there is plenty of paperwork to accompany the hands on
work. For every patient the practice treats, there is a file, and in that file, the dentist and the
hygienists make notes about what is found during checkups and from x-rays. These notes are
written in notations and abbreviations that all employees must understand, which makes writing
things down a much quicker process. Dentists will also write S.O.A.P. notes. S.O.A.P. stands for
Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan. The subjective notes are the written down account
of tooth pain, or irritation that the patient relates to the dentist. The objective notes happen after
the dentist examines the problem area, where he determines what the problem is. The assessment
notes happen after x-rays are taken, which allow for more accuracy when figuring out the
problem. And the plan is what the dentists decides is the right procedure to fix the problem for
the patient. Dentists also send professional letters, whether it be letters of recommendation, or
letters of referral of a patient to a specialist if advanced treatment is needed (personal
communication February 11th, 2016). There is also verbal communication that happens on a
regular basis at dental practices. Much of this is using the acronyms and abbreviations found in
the patient notes. Much of the verbal communication is between the dentist and the patient, as a

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dentist needs to be able to talk to people to calm them while he works. Sometimes a dentist,
when talking to a child, will use calming words to sooth childrens fears. For example, dentists
can refer to cavities as "bugs", "Balloon medicine" for nitrous oxide, "raincoat for a dental dam,
and "pillow" for a mouth prop (pediatric dentistry 101, n.d.).
Discussion
I think that culture in a dental practice is quite interesting. It really all depends on how the
dentists chooses to run his practice. A dentist has a good amount of freedom in a private practice
as it pertains to things like what days and hours they choose to work, as evidenced by the dentist
in Montana who works twelve hour shifts. Dr. Callahan said he would never be able to do that
himself, but it really showed me how someone running a private practice can set the culture of
their practice with something like work hours. Hygienists and dental assistants may look
elsewhere due to the long days, or he may have to hire more people for different shifts during the
work day. Culture is something dentists must be proactive about if they want to create the best
environment for future employees and future patients. I like Dr. Callahans triad of a
relationship. Having honest, hardworking people that bring a positive attitude to work with them
every day can help make the practice a more productive and enjoyable environment for
employees and patients alike. If an employee is lacking in any three of these areas, the morale of
the practice can be lowered and it can negatively impact culture. If you have a negative culture,
people are not going to want to work for you, and you may not create regular patients. Culture is
formed from a lot of different aspects of the job, and, while every practice is different, a common
theme throughout successful practices, is a quality culture that is managed by a proactive dentist.
The writing styles of dentistry are uniform. Professional letters are sent by practices, and
their notes are very technical. This makes everything easier, as having to deal with different

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standards of quality in the writings of other dental practices if, for example, a patient is referred
to you, might become time consuming and could be error prone. Writing in dentistry uses a lot of
acronyms and abbreviations, which makes things faster. Having to write out every last word for
every tooth would be a waste of time that is better spent taking care of the customer, as Dr.
Callahan said, the patient is always right. They are the priority (personal communication,
February 11th, 2016). This also means that each employee in the practice must be specially
educated with the knowledge necessary to properly communicate in the office, as both the
writing and verbal communications are full of abbreviations and dental jargon. A dentist and his
employees must also be able to communicate with patients on a daily basis. Being personable is
an important part of making patients comfortable during their visit. This is especially amplified
with children. When a child is in the chair, you cant call a drill a drill, or they might get scared.
You have to call it something that sounds less threatening to the child. Proper communication
can mean the difference between a one-time patient and a patient who becomes a valued part of
your client base.
Conclusion
In a private dental practice, the culture is an important piece of the puzzle. Successful
practices are those in which the dentist has a finger on the pulse of the office. To have a positive
culture, dentists must have an idea of how the practice will be run, they must know what they
value in their professional lives, they must have good habits that fall in line with their values, and
they must hire good people. Dental practices have very specific forms of writing, including
dental notes for patients, and letters sent to specialists about patients. The staff of the practice
must be able to communicate effectively through writing and vocally with both their coworkers,
and the patients to succeed in their jobs. After researching dentistry for this project, I recommend

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that I stay the course and pursue dentistry. I believe that it could be a good career choice for me,
and I feel that I could succeed in the type of environment that a dental practice would create.

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References
Anderson, S. J. (n.d.). Create a work environment that attracts team players. Retrieved February
11, 2016, from http://www.dentaleconomics.com/articles/print/volume-95/issue1/features/create-a-work-environment-that-attracts-team-players.html
Smile-on News. (2013, August 9). Retrieved February 11, 2016, from http://www.smileonnews.com/article/view/the-importance-of-the-culture-of-a-dental-practice
Technical Writing. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2016, from
http://pediatricdentistry101.weebly.com/technical-writing.html