776: How We Created a Great Dentist-Assistant Team – Dr. Charlie Ward & Ale Gonzalez

To create the best experience for your patients, you need the best people on your team. To show what that looks like, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Charlie Ward and his amazing assistant, Ale Gonzalez, to share their tips for cultivating a great team relationship. You don't need 20 years to be aligned! To learn how to plan for success and grow as a team, listen to Episode 776 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Ward:

• Send Dr. Ward an email: [email protected] 
• Follow Dr. Ward on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcwarddds
• Register for Dr. Ward’s Mastering Dental Photography course: (October 10, 2024): https://pankey.org/course-category/mdp
• Register for Dr. Ward’s Aesthetic & Functional Treatment Planning course (July 17-20, 2025): https://pankey.org/course-category/e1
• Register for Dr. Ward and Dr. Chris Mazzola’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (October 2, 2025): https://pankey.org/course-category/mtp
• Register for Dr. Ward’s Mastering Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry course (sold out into 2026): https://pankey.org/course-category/mard

Learn More About ACT Dental:

• ACT’s website: https://www.actdental.com
• ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
• ACT’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/actdental
• ACT’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actdental
• ACT’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3137520/admin/feed/posts/
• ACT’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/actdental

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 776: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Read Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits

Main Takeaways:

• Invest in the growth of your team members so they can help you succeed.
• Create systems together with your team. They will be more invested.
• A great team relationship is critical for the best possible outcomes.
• You don't need two decades of working together to be aligned.
• Help your team understand the why behind your systems.
• Cultivate a team culture where you respect one another.
• Learn how to give and receive feedback respectfully.
• Put in the effort to make your team feel valued.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:24 Dr. Ward and Ale’s backgrounds.

2:57 Why this is an important topic.

6:56 Invest in the growth of your team.

12:03 Have a second set of hands and eyes.

15:44 The feedback loop, explained.

18:19 How to give and receive feedback.

22:21 It’s the small changes that matter.

23:55 The importance of photography.

24:42 The photography workflow process.

29:04 What dentists get wrong about this relationship.

31:28 All cases are teaching cases.

33:31 Their favorite system they’ve created.

35:29 The future of their practice.

38:31 A great practice is created one patient at a time.

40:37 Final thoughts.

42:52 More about Dr. Ward and how to get in touch.

Dr. Charlie Ward Bio:

After graduating from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2004, he went straight into the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. He earned his DDS degree in 2008, and since then he has completed the Essentials courses and many others at the esteemed Pankey Institute, where he now serves as visiting faculty. He is currently a member of the Maryland State Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry.