Dental appointment reminders & recalls: a guide
Reminders vs recalls, and why both matter
Two different messages keep a dental diary healthy. A reminder nudges a patient about an appointment they already have, so they turn up, or reschedule in good time rather than becoming a DNA. A recall brings a patient back when their next check-up or hygiene visit is due, so they do not quietly lapse. Reminders protect the slots you have booked; recalls fill the slots you would otherwise lose. Together they keep the book full without reception phoning round every day. The catch is that both need to go out reliably and on time, which a system handles better than memory ever will. See our guide to reducing no-shows for the wider picture.
What to decide before you set up reminders
Set these once and let them run consistently.
Confirmation
Reminder timing
Recall interval
Easy rescheduling
Channel
Who it comes from
Getting the timing right
There is no single right answer, but a few patterns work well:
- Confirm at booking. Send a confirmation the moment an appointment is made, with the date, time and clinician, so the details are on record and the booking feels firm.
- Remind before the visit. A reminder a few days ahead, and again the day before, gives patients time to attend or reschedule while you can still refill the slot. See reminders for how this runs automatically.
- Recall when due. Bring patients back at their recall interval so check-ups and hygiene visits do not lapse. NICE guidance on dental recall recommends setting that interval on each patient's risk, anywhere from 3 to 24 months, rather than defaulting everyone to six.
Whichever timings you choose, keep them consistent across patients so the diary stays predictable and reception is not deciding case by case.
Making reminders reliable, not a chore
Reminders and recalls only work if they go out every time, on time. Done by hand, they slip the moment reception gets busy, and that is when DNAs and lapsed patients creep back in. The fix is to set your confirmation, reminder timing and recall intervals once, then let them run automatically for every patient. A short, clear message in the practice's name, sent at the right moment, does the work quietly in the background. Make rescheduling easy in the same message, so a patient who cannot make it moves the appointment rather than dropping it, keeping the slot usable. Our guide to reducing no-shows shows how this fits with a clear cancellation policy.
Reminders, on autopilot
How Dentipoint handles reminders and recalls
Dentipoint confirms every booking, sends reminders before the appointment, and brings patients back with recalls at the interval you set, all automatically, so the book stays full without reception chasing anyone. Messages go out by email today, with SMS and WhatsApp on the roadmap, in your practice's name, and rescheduling is easy so patients move rather than miss.
- Automatic confirmations, reminders and recalls
- Set your reminder timing and recall intervals once
- Email now, with SMS and WhatsApp on the roadmap