Strategies for onboarding, training, and delegating in an orthodontic practice powered by digital workflows and AI.
BY JANE KOLLMER
As orthodontic practices increasingly adopt digital workflows, the challenge of training staff to master new technologies can seem daunting. For Lisa Alvetro, DDS, MSD, who has been in practice for 32 years, the transition has had an unexpected benefit: it has made training easier and more accessible than ever. At her Sidney, Ohio, practice, Alvetro Orthodontics, she has integrated 3D printing, in-office aligners, digital indirect bonding, and custom bracket systems, finding that the skills required to operate this technology are more intuitive than their analog predecessors.
“Before, so much of training was hands-on and mechanical,” she says. “Now, if someone can use phone apps, they can be taught to use orthodontic technologies.” This shift has not only streamlined the training process but has also fundamentally changed who she can hire and how she can empower her team to succeed.
LOWERING THE BARRIER TO ENTRY
The move toward user-friendly, software-driven systems has widened the talent pool for orthodontic practices. Alvetro has noticed that strong candidates no longer need a traditional dental background; instead, she looks for individuals who are comfortable with technology and spatially savvy. This includes people who excel at gaming or those with an engineering or artistic mindset who may have never considered a career in dentistry.
Further simplifying the process is the adoption of artificial intelligence tools. Alvetro uses platforms like ChatGPT and Google Notebook LM to rapidly standardize her training protocols. Within hours, she can generate step-by-step guides, quizzes, flashcards, and even interactive podcasts from a single source of instructions. This ability to create multimedia training materials caters to different learning styles, making the content more engaging for both visual and audio learners and accelerating the onboarding process.
A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO ONBOARDING
Successfully integrating new or existing team members into a digital workflow requires a thoughtful strategy that avoids overwhelming them. Alvetro recommends starting with a technology that is both high-impact and easy to master, such as intraoral scanning. Staff who are accustomed to the manual, often messy process of taking traditional impressions can quickly see the benefits of a digital alternative, making them more receptive to further changes.
For veteran staff, introducing a technology that directly improves a tedious task can be a game-changer. Alvetro’s practice produces aligners in-office and recently automated the trimming process with an autocutter, a significant upgrade from trimming by hand. Demonstrating a clear return on investment in terms of time and effort helps secure buy-in from even the most change-resistant team members.
“I think the best way to convince people who’ve maybe been doing it one way for 20 years to do it a new way is have them learn the thing that will make their life the easiest, the quickest, and that they’ll see a big return on,” Alvetro says. Once the team masters these initial tasks and experiences the benefits firsthand, they are more motivated to move on to more complex technologies.
FOSTERING A CULTURE OF LEARNING
To build a confident and competent digital team, Alvetro champions a peer-to-peer teaching model. Instead of training the entire staff on a new technology simultaneously, she first instructs one or two key people and empowers them to become trainers for their colleagues. This approach creates in-office experts and a more collaborative learning environment.
As part of this strategy, she often pairs fast learners with those who may need more time. This ensures knowledge is distributed evenly and builds confidence across the team. “If you always only train your best learner, the others who aren’t as fast learners may not believe they can do it,” she reasons. When a team member who typically struggles becomes an expert, it not only boosts that individual’s confidence but also inspires others to believe they can succeed as well.
To reduce the intimidation factor of using new equipment, Alvetro has staff partner up and practice on each other before ever performing a task on a patient. This low-stakes environment allows team members to build proficiency and troubleshoot issues without pressure. “I want to set people up for success,” Alvetro says. Finally, she emphasizes that every team member must understand how their specific role fits into the larger digital workflow. This context helps them appreciate the importance of their contribution and the downstream effects of errors, reducing wasted time and materials.
COMBATING STAFF TURNOVER WITH STANDARDIZED PROTOCOLS
While digital tools can improve training, staff turnover remains a persistent challenge for many practices. To mitigate the loss of institutional knowledge, Alvetro stresses the importance of creating standardized, easily accessible protocols for every piece of technology. These documents should be comprehensive, covering what the technology does, where it is stored, how to maintain it, and a step-by-step guide for its use.
In her office, each new trainee receives a flash drive with all necessary files. This information is also stored on a shared cloud platform, like Google Drive, ensuring everyone can access the latest protocols from any workstation. This system ensures that when an experienced staff member leaves, their replacement has a clear, reliable resource to get up to speed quickly, maintaining operational consistency.
DELEGATING TASKS TO PREVENT BOTTLENECKS
For a digital workflow to be truly efficient, the orthodontist cannot be involved in every step. Alvetro advises that while doctors should know how to perform every task, their daily role should be one of oversight, not execution. Delegating tasks like 3D printing or the initial setup for in-office aligners is crucial to preventing the doctor from becoming a bottleneck.
Effective delegation, however, requires careful consideration of each team member’s skills. “When you’re delegating, you really have to make sure that the person who’s in charge of any of those steps that are a little more technical are technically trained to do it,” she says. For example, team members with clinical experience are well-suited for digital indirect bond setups because they understand the clinical objectives. Alvetro recommends mapping out every step required to produce a final product and assigning roles based on individual strengths. The doctor retains final approval, but allowing the team to advance the process as far as possible saves significant time.
To further streamline operations, Alvetro suggests assigning a lead and a backup person for each critical task rather than training everyone on everything. Her practice uses project management software, SmartSheet, to track progress. When a team member completes a step, the system automatically notifies the next person in the workflow. She also leverages remote employees for certain digital tasks, including an employee in Australia who handles remote monitoring and digital setups, extending the practice’s productive hours.
“I think right now it’s the easiest time to get people on board and get them up to speed,” she says, “just because of the capabilities that you have with all the digital.” OP
Photo: ID 157669627 © Wanida Prapan| Dreamstime.com
Jane Kollmer is a contributing writer for Orthodontic Products.
