Some days you look around your practice and feel that little twist in your stomach: “We invested in all this, so why does it still feel so hard?” The monitors are glowing with digital images, AI is marking up radiographs, scanners are parked in the corner, and your practice management system seems to promise the world.
Kelly Tanner, PhD, RDH.
On paper, all of this should make your day smoother, diagnoses clearer, and communication effortless. Yet in coaching and workshops, clinicians tell me the same story again and again: The technology is there, but it is not part of the true rhythm of the day.
People say they are too busy, that the old way still works, or that patients are not asking for anything different. Those reasons sound logical, and sometimes they are even true in the short term, but they are not the whole story.
Underneath, every new piece of technology is bumping into how your team sees themselves, how safe they feel to learn, and how much control they believe they still have over their workday. When we understand that psychology, we can stop pushing harder and start truly helping the team.
Identity and the discomfort of being new again
Everyone on your team has built an identity around being good at what they do. The doctor has a familiar way of diagnosing and presenting care; the clinical team knows the flow of a visit almost by heart; and your front office can juggle phones, benefits, and scheduling without dropping the ball. That rhythm feels good because it gives people a sense of mastery and stability.
When you bring in a new scanner, software, or AI platform, you are quietly asking very experienced people to feel new again. Now the dentist is staring at fresh prompts on a screen and wondering what to click first, the assistant or hygienist feels clumsy while learning a scan path, and the front office is hunting for the right tab during checkout.
Instead of saying, “I feel awkward, and I do not like this,” people often question the tool or ask to delay using it. It is easier on the ego to say the technology is not needed than to admit it temporarily took away the feeling of confidence. Your role as a leader is to recognize that dip in confidence and walk with them through it.
Emotional safety and the willingness to learn
How safe it feels to learn in your practice determines a lot about how your team responds to new technology. In a culture where mistakes are called out harshly or people are compared to one another, it is very risky to say, “I do not get this yet.”
A doctor may avoid asking for help in front of the team because it feels like they're giving up authority. A hygienist or assistant may refuse to use a new device with patients because they fear slowing down the schedule or looking unprepared. A front-office coordinator might quietly go back to the old system because it feels embarrassing to stumble at the desk.
From the outside, these actions can look like resistance, but often, it is a way to protect themselves from feeling judged or exposed. When emotional safety is low, old habits feel like the only safe place. When emotional safety is high, people are more willing to try, ask questions, and stay in the learning phase long enough for the technology to actually help them.
Cognitive load and the feeling of 'one more thing'
You have probably heard your team say, “This feels like one more thing on my plate,” and that feeling is real. Clinical team members are already tracking infection control, restorative needs, radiographs, and documentation while managing patient emotions and strict time expectations.
Your front office is answering phones, managing messages, navigating insurance questions, handling financial conversations, and trying to keep the schedule from falling apart when one cancellation happens.
When a new system is added into that reality, the brain immediately imagines more steps, more logins, and more chances to get stuck. Because the tool is unfamiliar, it feels heavier than it will once it becomes part of the routine.
The natural reaction is to conserve energy by avoiding the technology or only using it when someone is watching. The twist is that many of these tools are designed to eventually reduce the burden by making education more visual, documentation more consistent, and communication clearer. The challenge is getting the team through that first stretch, where it feels like more work instead of less.
Fears about personal value and replacement
There is also a quieter layer to resistance that many people never say out loud, and it has everything to do with feeling valuable.
We all want to believe that our work matters and that our skills are needed. When AI highlights areas of concern on an image, a doctor may quietly wonder whether patients will trust the software more than their clinical judgment.
When scanners and structured prompts guide patient education, clinical team members may worry that their polished explanations and assessments are less important. When automated systems send reminders and manage online scheduling, front-office team members might fear that patients will feel less connected to them or that their role will shrink. Human beings feel the possibility of losing value more strongly than the promise of gaining support.
If technology is introduced in a way that sounds like it might replace people, their resistance makes sense. When it is framed as something that protects the team, validates their expertise, and gives them better tools to do their work, they are much more willing to stand beside it instead of bracing against it.
Control, autonomy, and how change is introduced
How you bring technology into the practice sends a strong message about control and respect. When decisions are made behind closed doors and rolled out as, “We bought this, and everyone needs to use it now,” team members may feel that their experience and voice do not matter. That can be especially painful for people who have spent years creating systems that work well for them and for your patients.
In those moments, they may smile in the meeting and quietly return to old habits as soon as the day becomes stressful. When you invite the team to look at options, ask what their day really feels like, and explore how a tool could support specific pain points, the tone changes.
People may still feel nervous about learning, but they know they were part of the decision. Involving clinicians and administrative team members in the rollout plan also gives you a clearer picture of where friction will show up so you can address it early.
Over time, technology starts to feel less like something being done to them and more like something they chose because it fits the way they want to practice.
Building a supportive environment for adoption
Because resistance lives in human emotions and not just in workflows, a successful adoption plan must include more than technical training. Your team needs to hear that a learning curve is expected and that no one is being graded on speed at the beginning.
Redefining early success as curiosity, practice, and steady progress removes a lot of pressure. Pairing people who are comfortable with technology with those who are more cautious creates safe spaces to ask questions and practice without embarrassment. Regular check-ins where you ask, “What felt hard today, and what felt easier?” invite honest feedback and allow you to adjust instead of guessing from your office.
When mistakes are treated as useful information about the system rather than personal failures, people begin to relax and lean into the process. In that kind of environment, skills grow faster, tools are used more consistently, and technology finally becomes part of normal daily care instead of a special event.
Reframing resistance and moving forward
Your team is not resisting technology because they are lazy or incapable of learning. They are responding in very human ways to changes that touch identity, safety, workload, value, and control. When those deeper drivers are ignored, it is easy to label people as "stubborn" and simply push harder on training, which usually creates even more pushback.
When you see the psychology beneath the behavior, you can lead differently. You can slow down enough to listen, invite ideas, and name what people are really feeling instead of pretending everything is fine.
Over time, those who were skeptical at first often become your strongest advocates once they experience how the tools protect them, simplify their day, and help patients say yes with more confidence.
Technology then moves from being a source of tension to being a trusted partner in the care you provide. When you align the human side and the tech side, your practice and your people are both better prepared for whatever comes next.
Practical ways to help your team embrace technology
- Start with listening. Ask in a huddle or a team meeting, “What feels helpful about our technology, and what feels hard?” and listen without defending or fixing right away.
- Normalize the learning curve. Say out loud, “We are all beginners at this for a while,” and share one thing you personally feel clumsy with so they see you are in it with them.
- Protect emotional safety. When someone tries the new tool and it gets messy, thank them first, then coach. Shift language from “Who messed this up?” to “What in our process made this hard?”
- Reduce cognitive overload. Choose one workflow where the technology will be used every time, such as all new patients or a specific procedure, instead of trying to use it everywhere at once. Give those visits a few extra minutes at first so learning does not feel like a penalty.
- Reinforce their value. Continually remind the team that technology is there to support their expertise, not replace it. Call out moments where the tech backed up their recommendations and helped a patient understand.
- Share control of the process. Involve representatives from clinical and front-office roles in choosing tools and designing the rollout. Ask, “What would make this easier to use in your role?” and let their answers shape your plan.
- Create space to practice. Block short practice sprints for scanning, using AI, or working inside new software where the only goal is to experiment and learn, not to be perfect or fast.
- Celebrate small wins. In huddle, highlight progress: “Yesterday we scanned three new patients and stayed on time,” or “We used AI on every hygiene radiograph.” Small wins create momentum.
Kelly Tanner, PhD, RDH, is a contributing author to DrBicuspid, where she shares insights and strategies to empower dental hygienists in their careers. As a leader in clinical training, professional development, and team dynamics, Tanner provides resources to help hygienists elevate their practice and personal growth. For further support, join her free Facebook group, Next Level Dental Hygiene Career and Personal Development, and explore group training and on-demand courses at www.nextleveldentalhygiene.com.
The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.
