- Originally sent on October 18, 2026 -
Have you ever walked into somewhere so simple, yet so well run, that it made you stop and think?
That happened to me recently in a little pizza shop in Napier, New Zealand. I went in for a slice of pizza and came out thinking about how we train dental assistants.
Bear with me—there’s a connection!
A deli-style display, enormous slices for around six New Zealand dollars, and a simple process: choose your slice, onto a metal tray and into the oven to warm up.
I sat at the bar with a glass of water, watching the pizzas being made, and felt as though I could have been in Italy.
But what really stayed with me was how calmly everything worked. The girl behind the counter knew exactly what she was doing. The pizza maker knew his role. The setup was simple, practical and well thought through.
And, naturally, it got me thinking about dental assisting.
Are we trying to train our new dental assistants to work in a Michelin-star restaurant before we’ve taught them how to serve a slice of pizza?
We want anticipation, confidence, beautiful setups and seamless four-handed dentistry. But sometimes we’re asking for all of that before someone has learnt where to sit or how to hold the suction.
This week, I had my own reminder while training. I needed to pull things back, slow down and give the team time to practise the foundations.
It’s easy to forget how much there is to learn when everything is new. What feels automatic to us can take real concentration for someone just starting out.
Give your team stronger foundations—for $95 a month
If you’ve been reading this thinking, “We need a more consistent way to train our DAs,” the DAB Academy is a practical place to start.
For $95 a month, you and your team can access training and resources to support everyone—from new starters learning the basics to experienced DAs developing more advanced skills. There’s something for every team member, with content you can revisit as often as you need.
We’re continuing to add resources, with training on these five foundations coming soon—to help you turn “this is how I do it” into a clearer, more consistent approach across your team.
Make the basics part of your training routine. Join the DAB Academy today.
JOIN THE DAB ACADEMY PRACTICE LOGIN
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Where you’ll find us before the year wraps up
We’re finishing the year with A Day for DAs:
- 6 November — South Australia, click here to register.
- 13 November — Melbourne, click here to register.
- 21 November — Darwin, click here to register.
Then we’ll be at the Australian Dental Awards on 2nd December. Nominated in 3 categories this year!
We have just one or two on-site training spaces remaining this year before we wrap up until January. If your team needs help strengthening from the basics up, get in touch.
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Simple things still need teaching. So, where do we begin?
