Text messages are an incredibly efficient and effective way of reminding your patients about their appointments and seeking confirmation. In addition, it is a great way to reduce no-shows by ensuring patients are well-informed.
With the right messaging, you can help your patients stay on top of their dental visits and keep your practice running smoothly by allowing them to confirm with a simple reply or the click of a button.
Text messages, especially those that can be automated, also improve the productivity of your staff, allowing them to focus on other tasks critical to your dental practice.
In this article, we will explore the best dental appointment reminder text samples to stay connected with your patients and keep them up to date on their upcoming appointments.
The Benefits of Sending Dental Appointment Text Reminders
Dental appointment text reminders offer the following benefits for your practice:
- Improve the patient experience by offering convenience.
- Minimize the number of missed appointments and save resources.
- Maintain a higher appointment attendance and improve the ROI of your practice.
- Reduce administrative hassle by automating the process of sending out appointment reminders.
- The ease of personalization and translation of text messages allows you to improve patient communication.
When to Send Text Reminders to Dental Patients?
Text reminders must be sent in different scenarios to communicate with your dental patients clearly and conveniently.
From new appointments to follow-ups regarding upcoming routine checkups, text messages help remind patients about their schedule and treatment.
Additionally, you could use text reminders to market special offers or discounts.
Text reminders can also come in handy when an emergency is closed due to inclement weather, holidays, etc. However, it takes the patient experience several notches up.
A study by the Journal of Oral Hygiene & Health shows that patients who regularly received text message reminders had better oral health than those without the messages.
A few scenarios to send text reminders to dental patients are:
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Pre-scheduled Dental Appointments
A study by Cureus Journal of Medical Science shows that 24.3% of dental patients forget their dental appointments. Text reminders help improve the patient experience by reminding them about their dental appointments.
A study by the Angle Orthodontist (An International Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics) shows it reduces missed and broken appointments for your practice.
In addition, it helped reduce the no-show percentage to one-third compared to patients who did not receive text reminders.
With pre-scheduled dental appointment reminders, you can inform patients of the date, time, and location of their appointment days or weeks in advance. It ensures they remember their appointments as scheduled by reducing confusion.
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Unconfirmed Dental Patients
These patients are those who have yet to give their confirmation in response to an appointment reminder.
You can use SMS reminders to follow up on them. It helps ensure the patient’s status is updated, and you can manage your schedule better.
Survey results show that 82% of patients read text messages of patients read text messages within five minutes, making them more effective than other reminder modes.
In addition, higher opening rates increase the potential of getting a response.
Confirmed appointments allow you to prepare according to the patient’s treatment plan and maintain accurate records.
Also, if a patient replies they cannot visit on the scheduled date, you can quickly respond to rebook their appointment.
Finally, having the information handy allows your staff to connect with other patients on the waiting list to fill the slots in your calendar.
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New Patient Registration
You can share your practice details and add valuable information, such as links to online new patient paperwork.
Proactively providing directions or other resources ahead of the first appointment sets the right impression for your new patients that you provide clear communication and care about their experience.
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Post-visit Text Messages
Post-visit Text Messages are sent after the patient has visited the clinic.
They help create a connection with your patients. You can nurture them and build trust for long-term association with them.
Since text messages are the fastest and most convenient two-way communication mode, your patients can quickly clear any doubts.
Then, you can thank them for visiting your clinic and send a link to leave an online review on one of your business listings like Google or Facebook or collect any private feedback.
When patients don’t pre-schedule their next visit, recall reminders encourage them to schedule their future appointments. In addition, these messages can include pointers on the importance of follow-up visits for their treatment.
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Premedication Patients
Depending upon the patient’s health, you may need to recommend premedications before an oral treatment. They reduce the risk of infection or complications, minimize the area affected by a procedure, and prevent anxiety or panic during a routine dental visit.
Commonly prescribed medications include antibiotics, antifungals, and anti-inflammatory medications.
For instance, patients may need antibiotic prophylaxis before their scheduled dental treatment.
According to The Journal of the American Dental Association, antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended for patients at risk of developing Infective Endocarditis (IE), an infection in the heart lining.
You can send them reminders to administer the medication and guide them on its proper consumption. It ensures they do not forget about premedication and eliminates any chances of infection post-treatment.
Oral healthcare before treatment is of utmost importance for optimal results. You can send regular reminders to patients regarding their oral routine and share medication details to prepare them appropriately.
10 Best Dental Appointment Reminders Text Samples
The appropriate appointment reminder texts ensure better communication between patients and the dental office. In addition, they notify patients with all the pertinent information regarding their treatment.
It is critical to send the right messages at the right time. Appointment reminder text templates make sending the right message easier based on the patient’s treatment stage.
Here are some examples of appointment reminder texts you can use to keep patients informed and on schedule:
Pre-scheduled Dental Appointments
- Hello ____________, This is a reminder that you have an appointment at ____ on ______ with Dr. _______. Please reply to confirm your availability or click on the link to reschedule.
- We look forward to seeing you for your dental appointment with Dr._________ on _______ at ________. Please contact our office if you need any changes in the schedule.
Unconfirmed Dental Patients
- Hi (first name), this is a friendly reminder that you have an upcoming dental appointment with _____ on ____ at ____. Please confirm by replying ‘Yes’ or calling us at ____ if you have any questions.
- (first name), Can we expect to see you for your dental appointment on ____ at ____? We held this time especially for you. Please confirm by replying ‘Yes’. Call us at ____ if you need to reschedule or have any questions.
New Patient Registration
- Welcome to ____, (first name)! You can complete your online patient registration forms by clicking the link below for a faster check-in experience when you arrive for your first visit.
- Welcome to ____, (first name)! For a faster check-in experience, please visit our website to view and complete your new patient registration forms here:
Post-visit Text Messages
- We hope you had a pleasant experience at _______ today. Please feel free to call if you have any questions or concerns about your treatment.
- It was great seeing you at _______ today! Please use the link below to leave us a review online.
Premedication Patients
- (First name), this is a reminder to please take the prescribed premedication in advance of your upcoming appointment at _______ to ensure a successful dental outcome. We are eager to welcome you.
- Hi (first name)! Please take your premedication as instructed prior to your appointment at _______. Please contact us immediately if you have any questions or concerns about the premedication.
9 Best Practices for Sending Text Reminders
Text reminders to communicate with patients significantly increase patient engagement, ensure timely appointments, and improve practice productivity.
Dental offices must ensure that their communication is both practical and compliant.
Following are the best practices for sending text reminders to dental patients.
- Personalize the Message: Include the patient’s name in your text and customize it to fit their specific appointment.
- Use Short Phrases: Keep your messages short and to the point, as text reminders have limited space for content.
- Include Helpful Details: Provide all the necessary information, such as treatment type, date, time, and location, so that patients are not confused.
- Offer Contact Information: Give patients an easy way to reach out if they need to reschedule or cancel their appointment.
- Send Timely Reminders: Give enough notice before an appointment so that patients can adequately prepare without feeling rushed or unprepared.
- Build Trust: Reassuring patients that their health is your priority is critical. Be prompt and specific in responding to their queries.
- Be Personal: Create a connection with your patients by wishing them their special days, showing appreciation for their loyalty, and thanking them for visiting your dental office.
- Keep it Consistent: Maintain the right tone throughout all messages. It ensures each patient gets the same level of care and attention.
- Stay Compliant: All text messages must comply with applicable laws and regulations applicable for dentists, such as HIPAA privacy requirements.
How to Use Software to Send Text Reminders to Dental Patients?
Manually sending text reminders to dental patients is a tedious task. Instead, you can automate the process using the software. It makes the process easier and more efficient.
Automation of dental appointment reminders is more cost-effective than other methods like calling or emailing.
Moreover, it lets you set up automated customized campaigns according to the patient’s needs and preferences.
Besides keeping your customers informed of upcoming appointments, you can also use the software for other patient communication.
As a result, it ensures better engagement and customer satisfaction as they get timely appointment updates.
Yapi is an ideal software for sending text reminders to dental patients. It provides a comprehensive dental patient communication solution to quickly set up automated appointment reminders and customize them according to the needs of your patients.
You can use Yapi to
- Send reminders to your new and regular patients on pre-set dates and timings.
- Communicate with all or specific patients through tailored messages.
- Set up follow-up messages to remind patients of the next steps after their visit.
- Track the effectiveness of the reminder messages.
Furthermore, Yapi has an intuitive user interface that makes navigating all its features and options easy.
Use Yapi to Send Text Reminders to Your Dental Patients
Dental appointment reminders are a great way to keep oral health on top of your patient’s minds. Not only do they help them remember the time for check-ups or cleanings, but they also make it easy for your dental practice to plan ahead.
Yapi keeps your schedule running smoothly while reducing no-shows and saving you time and money.
Our pre-built text templates provide a quick and easy way to set up automatic reminders that can be customized to meet patient needs.
Prepare for your upcoming appointments with Yapi by sending dental appointment reminders to your patients today.
