Sandy Pardue, Consultant/Classic Practice Resources

Sandy Pardue of Classic Practice Resources & Dana Pardue discuss issues facing the dental practice owner of today.

Blog By:
Sandy Pardue

Hiring hygienists today has become one of the biggest frustrations in dentistry.

Practices everywhere are asking the same questions:
Why is it so hard to find great hygienists?
Why do interviews feel misleading?
And why do some hires work out while others fall apart so quickly?

In the latest episode of Dental Drill Bits, Dana and Sandy unpack what’s really happening in hygiene hiring today. From interview mistakes and scheduling expectations to production conversations and retention strategies, this episode dives into what practices should really be paying attention to when bringing on a new hygienist.

One of the biggest themes throughout the conversation is that hiring challenges are not new. While post-COVID workforce shifts impacted dentistry, Sandy points out that finding strong hygienists has been a discussion happening for decades. The difference now is that practices need to become more intentional in how they interview, onboard, and communicate expectations.

The interview itself became a major focus of the episode.

Sandy emphasized that too many doctors and managers talk too much during interviews instead of getting the candidate to open up and reveal who they really are. She encouraged listeners to ask questions that prompt real conversation and behavioral insight rather than surface-level answers.

Some of the interview questions discussed included:

    
• “What are some of your pet peeves at the office?”
    
• “How many vacation or sick days do you typically need each year?”
    
• “What did you like best about your last office?”
    
• “Tell me how you could help our practice.”
    
• “How do you feel about staying on schedule?”
    
• “Would you be willing to stay late if needed to finish with a patient?”
    
• “How should we handle patients who arrive late?”
    
• “How do you feel about calling overdue hygiene patients during open time?”

The discussion also highlighted something many practices avoid talking about openly: production and profitability.

Sandy explained that hygienists should understand production expectations, overhead, and the role additional services play in supporting both patient care and compensation. She encouraged practices to sit down with their hygiene teams, review codes being used most frequently, and identify opportunities for improving production through services like fluoride, sealants, night guards, and additional diagnostics when appropriate.

Another important takeaway from the episode was the role structure and communication play in retention.

Dana noted that employees are more likely to stay when expectations are clear and leadership is consistent. Sandy added that many team members who appear disengaged or resistant can dramatically improve when they are given better communication, clear protocols, involvement in decision-making, and a stronger understanding of expectations.

One of the strongest points made in the episode was this:

Hiring hygienists is not about finding someone who simply “needs a job.”

It’s about finding someone who believes in the environment you’ve created and can succeed within it.

That means practices must become better at:

    
• Interviewing strategically
    
• Communicating expectations clearly
    
• Defining success upfront
    
• Integrating new hygienists into the existing team
    
• Creating structure that supports accountability and consistency

As Sandy shared during the episode, “Happy hiring.”

You can listen to the full episode of Dental Drill Bits here:

Dental Drill Bits Podcast