42 : Fear, Friction, and the Fix: How to Actually Implement Technology in Your Practice

Fear, Friction, and the Fix: How to Actually Implement Technology in Your PracticeDental AI implementation is one of the most misunderstood challenges in modern practice growth. Buying the technology is the easy part. Getting your team to actually use it is where most dental practices quietly fail.EPISODE OVERVIEWMost dental practices have a closet, or a spare operatory, full of technology that was never implemented. In this episode, practice consultant Laci Phillips Newland joins host Adrian Lefler to dig into why that keeps happening and what to do about it. They cover the real reasons dental teams resist AI and new software, why fear of job replacement runs deeper than most doctors realize, and what a genuine change management process looks like in a dental practice. If you have ever bought a tool at a conference and watched it die on the shelf, this episode will explain exactly why and show you a better way forward.ABOUT LACI PHILLIPS NEWLANDLACI PHILLIPS NEWLAND is a dental practice consultant who has worked in and around dentistry since 1992. She started as a chairside assistant and has spent her career helping practice owners and their teams bridge the gap between buying exciting technology and actually changing how the practice runs. She specializes in communication, change management, leadership development, and building systems that stick. Laci works with practices of all sizes and is known for her no-drama, conversation-first approach to building high-performing dental teams.COMPANIES AND RESOURCES MENTIONEDMy Social Practice https://mysocialpractice.comFlorida Probe https://floridaprobe.comPractice Dynamics: https://practicedynamics.net/CareCredit https://carecredit.comADDITIONAL EDUCATIONhttps://info.mysocialpractice.com/bridging-the-gap-ebookhttps://mysocialpractice.com/2026/02/new-patient-journey-2026/https://mysocialpractice.com/2026/02/dental-ai-vendor/CONTACT INFOGuest: Laci Phillips Newland Website: https://practicedynamics.net/Email: [email protected] Host: Dental Marketing expert Adrian Lefler Website: https://mysocialpractice.com/dental-marketing-expert/ Phone: 877-316-7516👍 Subscribe for more on dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and practice growth.#DentalAI #DentalTechnology #ArtificialIntelligenceInDentistry #DentalPracticeGrowth #DentalTeam #DentalMarketing #DentalConsultingTERMS & TRANSLATIONS (For Show Notes)Dental AI Implementation The process of introducing AI tools into a practice and getting the team to actually use them. Most practices struggle not with the technology but with the human side, including communication, role changes, and team anxiety.Change Management A structured approach to transitioning a team from one way of working to another. In dentistry, this means preparing the team before a purchase, not after.Team Buy-In When dental team members genuinely support a new system rather than just tolerating it. Without buy-in, technology gets adopted in name only and eventually abandoned.AI Receptionist A software tool that answers incoming calls, responds to patient inquiries, and handles scheduling for calls that would otherwise go to voicemail. It works alongside human staff rather than replacing them.Implementation Specialist A designated team member responsible for planning and rolling out new technology in an organized way. They anticipate obstacles before launch and document processes so nothing falls through the cracks.WIG (Wildly Important Goal) A framework that challenges a practice to identify one defining goal for the year, then build quarterly objectives around it. Too many goals produce too little progress.KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) Measurable data points that tell a practice whether it is on track. Common dental KPIs include new patient counts, treatment acceptance rates, and accounts receivable aging.AR (Accounts Receivable) The total amount owed to the practice by patients and insurance. AI tools like automated billing reminders and text-to-pay are designed to keep AR low.Text to Pay A feature that sends patients a payment link via text. Patients pay faster this way than through paper statements, which reduces AR and speeds up collections.Florida Probe A clinical device that records probing depths, bleeding, and furcation data directly into practice management software as the hygienist works. It faced the same team resistance when introduced in the late 1990s that modern AI tools face today.Law of Diminishing Returns In goal setting, the principle that too many goals reduce the likelihood of achieving any of them. Practices do better by focusing on one major priority at a time.