Treat them to a week of laughter and smiles… on us!

 
 
 

FREE! - To celebrate Dental Assistant Recognition Week, we’re gifting this complete program to dental offices.

 
 

What is it?

What office doesn’t have trouble keeping great assistants? National Dental Assistant Recognition Week is March 1–7, and if you don’t have anything planned yet, don’t worry because we’ve got you covered.

Brand new for 2026, Once Upon a Dental Assistant is the culmination of everything we’ve learned about making amazing recognition weeks, and it has absolutely BLOWN AWAY our test offices.

Super easy to run, you simply follow our suggested week, copy/paste the emails, edit the story to insert specifics about your office, and then layer in any extra games or treats you like. And the best part: Everyone will think you came up with it all yourself!

Perfect for dental offices of any size, including:

  • Practice owners and dentists

  • Office managers and practice administrators

  • Lead dental assistants or team coordinators

  • Multi-location or group practices

How much?

Free! - We are currently attempting to grow the number of dental offices in our membership, thus allowing us to produce more and more programs tailored specifically for dental office needs.  To do this, we want your office to enjoy this complimentary program, give your staff a great week, and then consider joining Healthcare Team Building with the discounted offer found at the end of the program’s instructions.

How it works

Once Upon a Dental Assistant unfolds as a weeklong adventure, told one chapter at a time. Each day introduces a new part of the story featuring moments that will be familiar to anyone who works in dentistry, all designed to spark laughter, recognition, and plenty of “that’s exactly how it feels” reactions.

Every chapter sets the stage for that day’s appreciation moment, treats, and behind-the-scenes games. As the story moves forward, you follow up with a thoughtful thank-you note that recognizes moments most people were never thanked for at the time: choosing the profession, putting in the long preparation, surviving the early years, and continuing on when it wasn’t easy. These notes turn the simple recognition into surprisingly powerful moments that staff truly feel.

Layer in optional games, activities, and treats that run in the background of the day, adding stress relief and laughter along the way.

Use as many or as few as you like, including:

  • The Fairy Godmother Ticket Game

  • The Enchanted Breakfast

  • Catch the Gingerbread Man… Wait, why is he on a remote controlled car?!!

  • The Magic Bean Growing Contest

  • If We Could Wave a Wand

  • The Grand Celebration

  • Knock the Dragon from the Castle

  • And of course, “Sure, I’ll take my chances kissing that frog!”

How much time or extra money is involved?

You’ll automatically go to the download page after filling in your form above. The instructions take 35 minutes to review and customize for your staff. Everything is designed to be extremely easy and allow you to then layer how big you want to make the week.

One person can run the entire week, or it can be shared across a team. There are no meetings, no schedule changes, and no pressure to do it all. The story carries the week, and the fun follows naturally.

Reviews

“This had our staff in tears in just the best way ever. Watching people receive notes that acknowledged parts of their life no one had ever thanked them for before was incredibly powerful and I think deeply human. And then you always have such funny games, which was the laughter release and comradery that tied it all together. This will easily be remembered as one of the best weeks our practice has ever experienced.” – Philip Daniels

“We’ve done Wicked and The Contest and loved both of them, but you truly outdid yourselves with Once Upon A Dental Assistant. Yes, it was insanely easy to execute, and my team MELTED with each thank you card and moment of recognition. We added 4 of the games, one for each day, and while they were all terrific as usual, I will say that we will be brining that gingerbread man back whenever we need some energy and laughs. That was priceless! I would recommend it, without hesitation, to anyone looking to truly celebrate their staff.” – Grace Peters

About Healthcare Team Building

Healthcare Team Building is a collaboration between game-based engagement experts and healthcare administrators, dedicated to bringing professional-level, truly fun staff appreciation programs to doctor's offices and healthcare facilities.

Maintaining a positive environment is vital when striving for top-notch patient care. High morale means increased job satisfaction, lower turnover rates, and a more connected team. This translates to better patient outcomes and a more rewarding experience for everyone involved.

Please enjoy Once Upon a Dental Assistant and then we would love to have you join us as members!