Background: The authors explore the importance of human values in dental practice, an area often overlooked as we struggle to deal with the everyday demands of treating patients and managing staff members. Such values are, however, fundamental to the success of any practice; therefore, it is important to understand their significance.
Conclusions: Problems arise in dental practices when gaps develop between the values held by the various players involved (that is, between the entire dental team and patients, the dentist/owner's personal values and business goals, the dentist/owner and staff members, and the dental practice and any third-party funding organizations).
Practice implications: By understanding the potentially damaging consequences of value gaps for practice viability, dental practice owners and managers can take steps to create a more harmonious workplace in which all parties strive to reach common goals.