Career guide · Team, culture and management
Staff turnover in dental clinics: the warning signs
A clinic constantly recruiting for the same position is telling you something. Here is how to read these signals and tell a growing clinic from one losing its people.
What is normal staff turnover in a dental clinic?
A few departures a year for life reasons (moving, parental leave, retirement, back to school) are normal. Worrying turnover is the same position posted several times a year or a team where almost nobody has more than two years of seniority.
How do you spot high turnover before applying?
Watch job sites: has the same clinic been posting the same position for months? Read patients’ online reviews (they often mention constantly changing staff). At the interview, ask the team’s average seniority and the number of departures in the past year.
Is heavy recruiting always a bad sign?
No: a clinic opening a second or third location recruits massively without anyone leaving. Go Dentiste is recruiting for Vaudreuil-Dorion and Saint-Zotique because it is growing. The difference shows in the seniority of the existing team.
What are the common causes of departures in clinics?
Imposed or unstable schedules, overloaded agendas, lack of recognition, unresolved conflicts, below-market pay, aging equipment, no clear management, and MSDs. Most are management problems, not people problems.
Does turnover affect those who stay?
Heavily: overtime to cover, constant training of new staff, loss of bearings, unhappy patients and stress. That is why a stable team is a concrete advantage for you, not just for the clinic.
What does dentist turnover reveal?
A lot: associate dentists leaving after a year signal unfavourable percentage terms, an insufficient agenda or a difficult climate. The Canadian Dental Association in fact advises dentists to ask about previous associates’ turnover before signing.
How do you ask without offending?
Naturally: « How many people left the team in the past year, and why? » A serious employer answers frankly (« two: a maternity leave and a move »). Evasion is an answer in itself.
Can a clinic recover from high turnover?
Yes, with a change in management: new operations manager, rebuilt schedules, adjusted pay, realistic agenda. If the clinic acknowledges the problem and shows the measures taken, it can be a great opportunity. If it denies it, walk away.
How is seniority recognized in a stable clinic?
With extra vacation, seniority bonuses, responsibilities and real influence on the organization. A clinic with employees of five, ten or fifteen years, who are valued, has understood that stability is its best advertising.
What turnover should you aim for as an employee?
Stay long enough to master a position and progress (one to three years minimum), but do not stay out of habit in a clinic that does not honour its commitments. A coherent path with stages beats a string of six-month jobs. See open positions at Go Dentiste.
Go further
- Recognizing a good team culture
- Changing clinics: when and how
- Dental career guide: the 1,000 questions
- All positions at Go Dentiste
Sources and references
- Canadian Dental Association — Career options: key questions on associateships
- Personnel Dentaire — Is there really a shortage of dental hygienists in Quebec?
- CDHA — 2025 job market survey of dental hygienists
Content prepared by the Go Dentiste team (Dr Dominic Morel-Maynard, general dentist and owner). Last updated: September 25, 2026. General information for guidance only: only an in-clinic exam can establish a diagnosis and a treatment plan suited to your situation.