Bring Back Common Sense

Common sense just isn’t so common anymore, and you’ve probably seen examples pop up daily at your practice.

Patients are eager to pay for expensive veneers… but refuse to floss. They insist they don’t need X-rays because TikTok says they’re dangerous. Even staff can be guilty: a team member shows up late and acts surprised that it’s a problem.

Somewhere along the way, we stopped trusting the basics. We over-Google everything. We overthink simple solutions. And we’ve convinced ourselves that what used to work doesn’t apply anymore.

But here’s the truth: Common sense still works. We’ve just buried it under noise.

What Common Sense Looks Like in a Dental Practice

Your practice doesn’t need more complexity. It needs clarity. It needs consistency. It needs leaders who are willing to say, “this is how we do things here,” and stick to it. That means:

• Clear financial policies. Don’t apologize for having them. Don’t negotiate them case by case. State them clearly, apply them consistently, and move forward.

• Expectations for your team. Show up on time. Be kind. Follow through. These aren’t old-school ideals—they’re the foundation of a functional workplace. More importantly, they’re important ingredients for creating an exceptional patient experience.

• Patient care standards. You’re the expert. If a patient needs X-rays, they need X-rays. If they want cosmetic work but won’t commit to basic hygiene, that’s a conversation worth having. Your clinical judgment doesn’t need a second opinion from social media.

• Trusting what works. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time something feels hard. Sometimes the solution is simple. It’s just not sexy.

Stop Overthinking It

The problem isn’t that common sense doesn’t work anymore. The problem is people have stopped trusting it. We’ve let the noise—TikTok myths, overthinking, endless Googling—drown out what we already know to be true.

The good news? Common sense isn’t gone. It’s just waiting for you to bring it back—for your team, your patients, and yourself. All it takes is a little common sense!