The power of mentorship

Whether you are looking to hire a recent grad or an experienced dentist, having a mentorship program at your practice is beneficial for the entire practice team. We spoke to Principal Dentist and Owner of Aria Dental, Dr Michael Zaninovich, about his mentoring experience.

Dr Michael Zaninovich’s passion for mentoring came from his own experience, beginning his professional career under the mentorship of Dr Alex Negoescu. "It is my sincere view that you should never stop learning, never stop trying to be the best dentist you can be," he says. "Having someone there who cares for your development, that cares for the quality of dentistry you are providing to your patients, who wants to share their knowledge for the betterment of all."

Mentoring In The Profession

By way of example, at Michael's practices the mentorship programme is split into multiple phases, with the first phase being clinical observation and supervision in order to gain the grasp of the basic skills of patient communication, treatment planning and photography. The second phase is limited to restorative implantology and indirect tooth-supported restorations. Mentoring should also involve educational support, encouragement, and motivation. "Depending on the aspiring clinician's level of skill and experience, their further development is tailored towards the goal they are trying to achieve," he says.

The Advantages

Michael says there are many advantages of providing mentorship for employees. “Firstly, the quality of care that we can provide our patients improves,” Michael says. “Since you are only as strong as your weakest link, it is imperative from a business and patient care point of view to educate your clinicians to increase their standard of care so that the whole level of the practice improves. For the general dentist, I believe that the advantages are that they are continually challenged and inspired and have a fully equipped environment where they can put into practice the skills and knowledge they have acquired from their continuing education.”

For other dentists wanting to start a mentorship program for their employees, Michael advises to listen to your prospective clinicians. “Try and create an outline of the professional goals they are wanting to achieve over a one-, three-, five- year period and together see if you can have a positive contribution to their development,” he says. “My advice to principal dentists and specialists would be that by building up your team, the quality of your patient care will increase, and this will be for the betterment of the dental profession. Knowledge should be shared, not protected. Once you learn to share knowledge, you will see how powerful that can truly be.”