Four ways to reduce appointment cancellations during the holidays

There is a reason why people say the holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year. Everyone wants to spend the holidays at home and might be flying to another state. Or some people are trying to find the perfect gift.

With so much to do, many dental practices see higher numbers of appointment cancellations and no-shows. At the end of the day, this low number could end up hurting your yearly goals. However, not everything is bad news. Cancellations can be reduced by making these smart improvements to accommodate your patients' schedules and taking dental sedation courses for dentists. 

How to reduce patient appointment cancellations during the holidays 

Send automated reminders 

It is always nice for patients to receive postcards to know when their next appointment will be. However, the mail service could run a little late with the holiday rush, or patients could misplace those postcards. 

Do not run the risk of your patients forgetting about their appointment this year. Instead, send automated voice or text messages to remind your patients about their next visit. It will get delivered to their phone and make it easier to remember the date and time. 

Talk to them about financial options 

The holidays can be a tough time for some people. With all the spending and end-of-year bills, getting dental care might be the last thing on your patients’ minds. However, skipping out on dental care may end up costing more money and pain down the road. 

Before scheduling an appointment for your patients during the holiday, talk to them about their financial options. If your patients do not have insurance, refer them to payment options or discount plans. That way they know their financial options and are less likely to cancel. 

Make filling out forms less time consuming

One way to save time for your dental office staff and patients is making new patient forms available online. This option saves patients the time of having to come into the office early to fill out paperwork. It also benefits your staff because it cuts down the time they spend transferring the information online and reduces mistakes. 

Offer oral sedation 

The holiday season is a stressful and anxious time for everyone. Holiday stress can wreck a person’s oral health by causing teeth grinding, clenching and even gum disease. Seeing a dentist on time can uncover these problems before they can seriously damage the teeth. 

However, many people avoid the dentist because of fear. You can help reduce your patients’ fear and anxiety with oral sedation. This kind of sedation is administered through a prescribed medication that reduces a person’s anxiety and fear. Giving your patients this option can help reduce their chances of them canceling their appointments. 

Just remember that you need to keep your oral sedation certification up to date. You get your oral sedation fast by taking dental sedation courses for dentists. When looking for a course, make sure your state’s board of dentistry has approved it.

Are you looking for dental sedation courses for dentists? 

Get your oral sedation certification at Midwest Sedation Consultants. Our courses are approved by the board of dentistry and are available all online. We have classes that fit your busy holiday season. Register here!