Improve Profitability through Clean Claims

With almost 11 ADA recognized dental specialties and having a burgeoning market share, the specialty dental business is here to make significant gains in the coming years as we take a cursory glance on the latest trends of the dental industry.

Listen to Ryan Arnold, Principal, Wisdom Teeth Guys as he explains the possibilities that lie ahead for Dental Specialty business and how he has paid attention on patient care,technology adoption and brand management to further sustainable practice growth for his specialty.

Dentistry's Inner Circle bg 37

Creating Sustainable Specialty Dental Businesses

Dentistry's Inner Circle Podcast

A series of podcasts from practice owners on how they navigated the change and successfully transitioned to CareStack. 

Beatrice Perez

Ishtiaq Rouf

Dana Veach

Dr. Himesh Kana, DDS

Himesh Kana

 Penny Filipe

The Revenue Engine: Turning Work Into Profit

SMILE: CareStack recognized as 2026 Dental Leader by Capterra & Software Advice

CareRevenue

Master Payor Negotiations & Build Stronger Systems

Dental Appointment Reminders: Reducing No-Shows and Driving Practice Growth

Reducing patient no-shows and cancellations begins by accepting that 

it’s impossible to guarantee that your patients will always keep their appointments

. Once you accept that this falls outside your control, you can pool your efforts on the aspects that are within your control, and which help reduce no-shows and cancellations.

missed appointments cause a ripple effect

 that impacts your schedules, revenues, and the effectiveness of treatments. It strikes a serious blow to your bottom line. But with that said, there are 

effective safeguards you can put in place

 to address this issue. Before we explore these safeguards, let’s examine the key reasons behind no-shows and cancellations. 

Typically, patients miss their appointments when they:

Don’t understand the importance of keeping their appointments

Misunderstand when their appointment is scheduled

Self diagnose and decide to skip their appointments

Worry about bad news and try to avoid the situation

Have a shallow relationship with the provider

There is a wide range of reasons for patients to miss their appointments, but most can be mitigated with improved patient-provider communication and by implementing the following safeguards.

It became widely accepted as a care delivery method after the 2020 pandemic, but thanks to the convenience offered to patients, 

 is here to stay. Outside the initial check-up and actual treatment, consultations and routine post-op visits can be performed remotely. The virtual interactions offer patients the opportunity to 

receive treatment in the comfort of their living room

 or office. The added benefit of leveraging teledentistry is it adds one less reason for patients to rethink or opt out of their dental appointments. 

Another approach that has gained traction is using 

 to collect vital patient information. E-forms are a key feature of modern practice management software (PMS). This feature is now used widely to stay in line with the COVID-19 safety protocols. With this new norm, practices have completely replaced the clipboard and embraced digitization. Another fact that supports this approach is that 

98% of patients who take time to fill out online forms commit to their appointments

COVID-19 has added fuel to the fire of dental anxiety among patients. The risk of exposure is a valid fear. The best way for you to 

 is with communication and education. Ensure you convey the safety protocols and measures followed at your practice to reduce the risks from COVID-19. Launching targeted email campaigns, and updating relevant information on your practice website and 

convey your commitment to patient care and safety

 and encourage patients to follow through with their appointments.

When you provide your patients with the option to make payments in advance, it reduces the instances of no-shows and benefits your collections and accounts receivable. Get paid upfront instead of having to wait for 2-3 months. Paying cash in advance leads to 

. You can provide this option during patient checkout, especially when both you and your patient agree with the importance of scheduling the next appointment.

Offering upfront payment at this stage is apt, as the patient is likelier to take action and commit to their oral health. Another way to make it easy for them to pay is by providing an 

. Make sure that you inform your patient about your prepaid payment options. Market it through your campaigns, newsletters, and phone scripts.

Reminders are an effective way to reduce patient no-shows. Plan your 

and decide on a frequency that works best for your target clientele. Start off with a postcard, followed by email and text reminders. Add a phone reminder a few days before the scheduled appointment. Ensure that you cut down on reminders once you receive confirmation from your patients. Practice management software aids you to launch, coordinate and track your recall campaigns effectively.

reward patients who keep their appointments

. The reward initiatives can include discounts or gift cards. The benefits of such an approach are twofold. You encourage your patients to follow through on your appointments and 

convey how much you value their participation

. Moreover, curating such experiences helps you retain your customers.

Sometimes, patients simply forget an appointment. Send 

 that can include a “We missed you at the practice” message. Follow this up with a phone call to encourage them to reschedule immediately.

It is crucial that your patients know the impact of your treatments on their oral health. If your patients are not invested in the outcomes of your treatment plan, it is unlikely that they will uphold their commitments. 

 before every appointment. Remind them of the benefits of the procedure and the progress they’ve made so far. 

 of the scheduled appointment and ensure that they are fully onboard. A phone reminder before the appointment will help refresh what they already know about the 

Patients skip appointments because they owe your practice money or are worried the procedure will be too expensive. When this happens, it’s time to 

. It’s important that payments never come as a surprise to the patient. This causes anxiety in the patient, especially when they expect hidden expenses from each visit. When 

 and benefits are discussed upfront and agreed upon, patient no-shows due to financial concerns can be avoided. 

 allows you to effectively educate and communicate with your patients. Automating tasks like appointment reminders or confirmation/cancellation emails, filling last-minute openings, and sending online forms and other notifications to engage patients, practices can drastically cut revenue loss and staff workload while reducing patient no-shows and cancellations.

Eliminating No-Shows and Cancellations at Dental Office

For a dental practice, revenue cycle management is the equivalent of the body’s circulatory system and the heart of a practice’s financial success. The revenue cycle incorporates data capture, claims and denials management, and the collection of payments from both patient and insurance receivables. A healthy system works in concert with industry best practices and technical solutions to optimize efficiencies, identify “leaks” and improve operational workflows. As every practice is unique, it is difficult to prescribe a “one size fits all” approach. However, there are key performance indicators, which can and should be followed to measure practice performance. There are several potential KPIs which provide valuable insight into the collection’s performance and financial health of practice including, but not limited to: Collections percentage, Production growth, Aging accounts receivable, Days sales outstanding, Adjustments percentage, and Credit balances. 

Since 2011, the dental industry has experienced a steady and upward trend in aging receivables, with the majority of balances aged greater than 90 days. The good news is that CareStack offers a solution that combines modern technology, effective processes, and industry expertise to kick start the heart and breathe life back into the revenue cycle.

Revenue Cycle Playbook for Dental Professional

Revenue Cycle Playbook for Dental Professionals

From small, solo practices to large, multi-location clinics, these case studies demonstrate the versatility and value of CareStack in improving the patient experience and driving practice . 

󠀠Without a doubt, the case acceptance rates at your dental practice are the most important metric for production performance.

Prominent literature on the subject matter is littered with techniques on how persuasive you should be, how impressive or professional you should seem, the kind of financial options you must provide, and how to offer quick fixes that maximize case acceptance per patient.

While some techniques do work, we have compiled for you a more principled approach to case acceptance.

These 9 steps and the principles listed within them will set you up for production success. However, before you proceed, the one and only rule of the 9-step approach is never to bypass the order of the steps mentioned below.

The case acceptance rate indicates how much production the practice leaves on the table. It also specifies how well the examinations are done and how the staff communicates the proposed treatments to patients.

With that said, let’s get started with Step -- Knowing your patient. 󠀠

A major factor in case acceptance depends on how a patient makes purchase decisions.

The deciding factor for successful case acceptance might not always be the need for treatment or the quality of your presentations.

This is why it is vital to know your patients and understand what factors influence the choices they make.

For this to occur, you need patience, structure, and consistency. Patience to understand your patient, a structured interaction to help identify their preferences, biases, and insecurities, followed with consistent effort to refine your patient interactions.

Understanding your patient’s past decisions on dental treatments is certainly important. However, before you have that conversation, it is important to understand their viewpoints regarding health.

Learning how your patient quit smoking or started exercising can enable you to help them make ‘present’ and ‘future’ dental decisions.

Find out what your patients want and what they wish to avoid. The first step to help them identify what they want is to help them articulate what they don’t want.

This sets a strong platform where you can outline their expectations and address their misgivings. For instance, a conversation regarding a patient’s concern about losing teeth could move into a discussion on the solutions to maintain healthy teeth.

The decisions patients make are a reflection of their values. Spending time to know their values, aspirations, and limitations helps you present tailored 

Diagnose Thoroughly

This is an obvious second step leading up to case acceptance. Before you recommend a comprehensive long-term plan, you have to know the existing oral-health conditions of your patient.

A thoughtful, methodical, and careful diagnosis gives you the confidence to back the long-term vision for your patient’s oral health.

It’s understandable why dentists feel skeptical about presenting long-term plans.

They worry that this might drive patients away from their practice as they believe most patients are interested in short-term fixes.

Irrespective of what a patient decides, maintaining high standards of diagnosis is bound to favor the dentist. Formulating skillful recommendations based on a comprehensive diagnosis conveys your sincerity like nothing else.

The best way to formulate recommendations is to get your team involved.

Analyze charts, x-rays, study models, treatment history, pictures, and everything you know about the patient.

Compare the results with your knowledge of the best procedures and the latest solutions in dentistry.

While presenting your long-term plans, you let the patient know that your recommendations are based on a comprehensive study and not guesswork.

You also ensure that you don’t eliminate dental care options for them in the future by pushing for quick fixes.

Such an approach fosters trust and credibility regarding your conduct and professionalism.

Success loves preparation, and your preparation at this stage pays off during plan presentations.

An important factor during consultations is to avoid an immediate leap into the details of treatment procedures. Before gaining consent on procedures, it is important to agree on the outcomes first.

This helps you and your patients fine-tune expectations and increase the chances of case acceptance.

For instance, let’s consider an outcome where a patient wants to maintain their natural teeth for the rest of their lives.

The patient also wants to take advantage of insurance benefits from an employer without compromising comfort and time.

Establishing such an outcome helps you develop a plan for predictable restorations and choice of materials.

It also lets you formulate an approach that best utilizes their insurance benefits while providing a comfortable dental solution and spending the least time on treatments and visitations.

Establishing outcomes is a vital step that should always precede plan presentations.

Treatment Plan Presentation

Treatment plan presentations should start after you’ve agreed on the outcomes and decided on a general treatment direction.

A typical patient remembers less than half of what their doctor tells them about procedures. This is why the quality of your communication matters when presenting treatment plans.

An effective approach would be to express the treatment plan in layman's terms which the patient can better understand.

For instance, carious lesions can be better referred to as cavities, periapical radiolucencies in a patient x-ray can be better described as a puss pocket in their bones, and periodontal treatment becomes a gum disease.

Avoid technical terms whenever you can, and ensure that your communication invites participation.

Jargon-free communication holds sway because people don’t usually acknowledge something they don’t understand.

This holds true with treatment plans where patients hesitate to ask questions.

The last thing you want is for your patients to zone out and drag their feet during case acceptance, especially once they learn about the price of treatments.

Financial Plan Presentation

Discussing price is the most sensitive step in the 9 steps of case acceptance listed here.

Patients don’t enjoy surprises, especially when it comes to payments. It’s highly likely that prices were a hot topic of discussion during the earlier stage when you agreed on outcomes.

Don’t hesitate and be ready with an honest answer before discussing 

For financial presentations, it is recommended that the dentist provide an overview of treatment costs.

A key reason for this approach is that patients trust doctors. If a dentist, who is an expert in the eyes of a patient, can’t honestly provide clarity on treatment costs, then they are more likely to get dissuaded.

Let’s face it; dental services can get expensive. Hence, dentists need to outline the benefits that justify treatment costs.

This doesn’t have to be a detailed presentation on the breakdown of costs or insurance benefits. The finer details can be handled by the team of treatment and insurance coordinators.

The earlier you identify your patient’s concerns; the better prepared you are with options.

Step 6 of the case acceptance cycle is to be ready with patient options. This includes both treatment and payment options.

Your efforts in the previous steps start paying off at this stage.

You have taken the time to understand your patient’s mindset and needs, diagnosed and co-discovered a vision for treatment, established and agreed on the outcomes, and established a roadmap for treatments, payments, and insurance coverage.

After plan presentations, it’s natural for patients to ask for options. From payments to timelines and the materials used in procedures, there are multiple ways to approach treatments.

While discussing options, it is important to consider the outcomes to which you had agreed earlier with your patients.

For instance, if a patient wants their teeth restored over 7 years to utilize insurance benefits, this might affect their desire to minimize surprises.

Patients will change the agreed outcomes as long as they agree with the new ones.

Providing multiple payment options can be a real game-changer regarding case acceptance.

Out-of-pocket payments contribute close to 40% of the revenue generated in the dental industry.

As this is a major revenue channel for practice, providing payment options is a must-have.

Multiple financial arrangements and payment plan options include:

Be Prepared With Payment Options

Practices that offer payment options consequently increase the percentage participation of patients who qualify for and accept the treatment plans presented to them.

The next step as you move forward to close your treatment plan is to encourage your patients to make a choice.

When patients feel that they lead the direction of their treatments, the more invested they will be to make a decision that benefits their oral well-being.

When faced with a difficult choice, your recommendations, guidance, and encouragement will play a crucial role.

It is important to help your patients realize that not making a choice is also a choice.

You must convey that it’s alright to reject your plan and that you are there to support them while encouraging them to have some plan of action in place.

Ensure that you chalk out a timeline with your patients to implement the 

Timelines are generally flexible, but it is always important to establish one upfront.

Generally, patient enthusiasm reduces after the first couple of appointments.

This is why a timeline with scheduled appointments to phase out treatments is vital and should factor in patient challenges regarding finances, time, and comfort.

Monitor and Engage

It’s natural for your patients to lose sight of the decisions they have made.

Moving forward depends on your ability to modify and adapt your plans while keeping your patients motivated to follow through with their commitments.

Once you’ve understood your patient, conducted a thorough diagnosis, agreed-upon outcomes, presented plan options, encouraged your patients to make the right choice, and established timelines, be prepared to repeat the cycle.

Learn from your experience and continue to refine the 9-step approach to guarantee a steady and consistent uptick in your case acceptance rates.

CareStack, the all-in-one cloud based practice management software offer advanced 

 allows dental practices to easily create and manage treatment plans for their patients. Team members can create phases, rename them, and designate the time needed for each phase. They can also assign a treatment coordinator to track the success of the plan.

Increase Case Acceptance at Your Practice

9 Steps to Increase Case Acceptance at Your Practice

Ogden Nash, an American poet well known for his light verse and humor, summed up the discomfort of dental visitations with his quote, “Some pains are physical, and some are mental, but one that’s both is dental.”

While the quality of dental procedures has progressed considerably since Ogden's time, the perceptions among people still remain the same. This is especially sad, considering that the tables have turned, and this quote now applies more to dental practitioners than patients.

Dental practitioners believe that occupational stress in dentistry is slightly higher when compared with other professions (1). With COVID-19, this is bound to have increased. 

 might not be evident initially, but they eventually creep up over time and cripple your practice. When workplace burnout is ignored consistently with no active measures, it becomes a gamble of hope and faith. 

Practice owners who are also dentists, constantly have to 

juggle between the clinical & business pressures

 of running a practice. A study confirms this, where 84% of dentists have reported feeling burnt out (2). Burnout is not limited to practice owners but is prevalent among dental staff as well. This includes both the clinical and non-clinical workforce. Let’s examine the possible causes, consequences, and solutions for workplace burnout. 

The key reasons for employee burnout at a dental practice include:

 If goals and tasks for each seem unreasonable, and lack clarity and consensus among the employer and the employee, then staff members are unlikely to feel comfortable at work. Setting expectations without a clear roadmap to achieve them or without the necessary support, resources, or expectations that conflict with personal values (3), makes the job an uphill climb for your staff. No matter how actively staff members get involved with their work, unclear and unrealistic expectations fuel the perception among employees and employers that performance is never up to the mark.

 When there is a limited stake for employees in key decisions that affect their jobs, such as schedules, workloads, resources, and support, it adds to staff burnout.

 Enforcing a top-down hierarchy, thereby treating staff members with disrespect, can foment trouble at the dental practice. Lack of an open forum or a work environment where the staff cannot fearlessly communicate issues can lead to burnout.

 Repetitive tasks can be monotonous and lead to a lack of motivation in the workforce. Such tasks require constant energy to stay focused and eventually lead to fatigue and burnout.

 If burning the midnight oil is the norm at a dental practice, burnout is eventually a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if.’ This is largely due to a lack of workload planning (4) and organization, where employees are tasked to consistently pick up the slack for failed operational strategies. 

When you and your employees are burnt out from stress and overwork, 

. It puts a massive strain on personal relationships and affects the quality of professional services at your practice. The worst thing is, if left unchecked, your practice culture develops its own workarounds and band-aid fixes to keep things running. 

You can’t grow and achieve practice success

 with sub-optimal practice production, clinical procedures, and patient engagement. 

it’s the patients who are most affected

 by workplace burnout. Maintaining excellent patient relations is foundational for a dental practice to grow and thrive. In the end, no one wins unless workplace stress gets acknowledged as a real phenomenon. Measures must be implemented to manage the well-being of the practice owner, dentists, employees, and patients.

Let’s look at effective approaches to managing professional burnout at a dental practice.

 required to grow your business. While goals outline specific outcomes, a business plan constitutes the 

tactical roadmap of activities and procedures

 that helps you achieve them. Goals need to be broken down into smaller goals in the org structure, within each business function, and for each job role. Define the goals and operational guide map for your front desk, clinical operations, and marketing teams. This breakdown of goals is key, as a high-level goal doesn’t provide the necessary direction for employees to contribute at an operational level. 

Breaking down goals is the best approach to 

, driving performance, and managing workplace burnout. An engaged staff understands what is expected of them and is the engine that drives practice performance. The S.M.A.R.T framework of goal setting is an effective approach to defining goals for employees and monitoring their performance. S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Aligned, Realistic, and Timebound. This framework helps you 

set employee goals that have specific outcomes

, can be measured and tracked, align with the high-level goals and practice vision, are realistic, and have an established timeframe to achieve them.

Repetitive tasks, while being part of the job, adversely impact the 

 of the staff. Outside of burnout, they lead to multiple issues that include, an increase in human error, 

, increased labor costs, unpredictable workflows, compliance risks, business agility, and a lack of visibility into your processes.

The best approach to automate the boring stuff and focus on what matters most is to invest in a competent 

. An efficient practice management software helps you monitor, measure, and control the key functions in your business that maximize production, improve efficiency, deepen provider-patient relationships, and improve employee engagement.

 provides smarter insights that help you make better decisions. Let us look at how modern practice management software streamlines operations, mitigates repetition and makes life easier for employees. 

Patient scheduling & Online appointments:

 Unproductive schedules are the major contributor to stress at a dental practice. Practice management software enables efficient 

 and minimizes open slots to maximize practice productivity. Both patients and staff can 

 using their smartphones or laptops. Bookings from the practice website get instantly recorded in the software interface, without any intervention from the staff. Added capabilities like 

 in multiple formats like text messages, emails, and Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRS). They simplify patient engagement initiatives for your employees and provide a greater return on their efforts.

 Features such as validating charges to catch coding mistakes, integration with major clearinghouses, an overview of 

 at practice and relieve back-office staff of monitoring the billing cycle end-to-end. 

Office environments with a high level of 

, a safe space for open communication, and a zero-tolerance policy on gossip are unlikely to experience burnout. The chances of a one-way communication model in a top-down office hierarchy, causing employee burnout, are highly likely. While the top-down approach might seem effective in the short term, it’s both inefficient and unsustainable if growth and refinement are part of your business goals. Industry research and publications on burnout at dental practices confirm this (5).

An empowered office culture starts from values that are simple, straightforward, and consistently adopted on a day-to-day basis. 

A great work culture cannot be forced. It needs to be nurtured.

 Start by adopting human values that are inherently empowering. Empathy and encouragement are great examples. For instance, during peak hour demands, it’s likely that someone might drop the ball. It could be the dentist, the practice owner, the clinical staff, the scheduling coordinator, or someone at the back office or the front desk. Although undesirable, it is inevitable for such things to happen. 

Empowering office culture is where ‘my’ mistake or ‘your’ mistake becomes ‘our’ mistake. This is a far better alternative than pressuring employees to walk the plank at the sword point of their mistakes. If faults are addressed as ‘our’ mistakes, ownership becomes a natural consequence rather than a challenge. Moreover, 

 when they know their colleagues have their back and stay motivated instead of being dejected by their failures.

Drive initiatives that build the framework around open communication and empowering work culture. A reliable approach is by 

encouraging employees to share their feedback

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