# S4 E4: Trust, Team Culture & the Dentist–Hygienist Relationship | w/ Dr. Mike Sonick

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-inspired-hygiene-podcast-7353044/s4-e4-trust-team-culture-the-dentist-hygienist-relationship-w-dr-mike-sonick
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-inspired-hygiene-podcast-7353044/s4-e4-trust-team-culture-the-dentist-hygienist-relationship-w-dr-mike-sonick.md
Podcast: [The Inspired Hygiene Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-inspired-hygiene-podcast-7353044)
Published: 2026-02-23T15:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://InspiredHygienePodcast.podbean.com/e/s4-e4-trust-team-culture-the-dentist%e2%80%93hygienist-relationship-w-dr-mike-sonick/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3rdkp5y9h8dqrgug/12826-IHPodcast-S4Ep4-FULL-AUDIO.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-inspired-hygiene-podcast-7353044/episodes/s4-e4-trust-team-culture-the-dentist-hygienist-relationship-w-dr-mike-sonick
Duration seconds: 2769

## Resource

Trust, Team Culture & the Dentist–Hygienist Relationship | w/ Dr. Mike Sonick | Inspired Hygiene Podcast Welcome back to the Inspired Hygiene Podcast. This season is all about one thing: rebuilding the dentist–hygienist relationship—and restoring the kind of partnership that creates better outcomes for patients and healthier, more sustainable practices. In this episode, Rachel Wall is joined by Dr. Mike Sonick—board-certified periodontist, renowned educator in implantology and periodontology, and author of Treating People Not Patients. While many practices have felt growing tension across the industry—capacity challenges, compensation pressure, burnout, shifting expectations—Dr. Sonick believes the root issue often comes down to one word: Trust. Dr. Sonick shares why trust hasn’t broken down in his practice the way it has elsewhere—and what he’s done (for decades) to build a high-trust culture through core values, protocol-driven systems, thoughtful hiring, leadership consistency, and clear communication. If you’re a dentist, hygienist, office manager, or practice owner trying to create stability, alignment, and long-term retention—this conversation is packed with practical takeaways you can start applying immediately. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why “industry tension” is often really a trust problem How Dr. Sonick hires for integrity (and what he listens for in interviews) The core values that shape his team culture (and why integrity comes first) Why protocols reduce ambiguity—and how ambiguity fuels stress and conflict What a real protocol manual looks like (and how to build one) How to give feedback that protects patients, strengthens teams, and improves outcomes How leaders can create accountability without creating fear Why team members must feel seen—and…

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