To increase confidence that patients are booking the right appointment for them, we split them into categories.
Dental checkup - A checkup to screen for common problems
Hygienist - Classic clean or advanced stain removal
Emergency - For debilitating pain or accidents
Consultation - [Dynamic description, based on the consultation types chosen]
Something else - Can’t see the appointment you need? Then please start a live chat with the support team for further advice and guidance.
Within these categories, we only show appointments that are relevant to patients. That means that they will see different appointments whether they are new, lapsed or existing.
Each of the appointments you have configured in the Manage App will fall under one of these categories. Here is how they are paired up:
New or lapsed patient dental exams & Routine dental exams
Appointments under these types will appear under the Dental Checkup category
Direct access hygienist appointments & Hygiene appointments
Appointments under these types will appear under the Hygienist category
Emergencies
Appointments here will appear under the Emergency category
Consultations
[Dynamic description, based on the consultation types chosen] e.g. if you were to select Teeth Whitening - It would say Teeth Whitening appointments. If you have more than one consultation online e.g. Endodontic and Teeth Whitening - It would say Endodontic and whitening appointments
What appointments are shown to new patients?
We determine a new patient as a patient who has yet to complete an appointment at the practice. The length of time that an existing patient becomes a Lapsed patient can be defined in appointment settings. These patients usually need a longer exam.
Appointment descriptions
To help patients make informed decisions and book their appointment online, we recommend updating your appointment descriptions to be brief and clear. Let the patient know what to expect from the appointment, and any included or excluded services.
What is the something else option?
Our research has shown that sometimes, booking an appointment online can be quite confusing and a little more guidance is required with the help of practitioner staff.
How do recalls appear?
For Dental check-ups and Hygienist categories. We display the patient's due date and recommended interval if it's set in the Patient file in Dentally. This helps encourage patients to book their routine appointments at the right time when required.