Fill hygiene chairs with automatic 6-month recalls
Overdue patients get a text with a booking link and book themselves. No more recall calls.
Your recall list is money sitting in the software. Let it book itself.
The problem
Recall lists sit in the practice software while staff call through them when there's time, so hygiene chairs go empty and patients drift away.
What it could earn or save you
Rough estimate- Time
- Roughly 2 to 4 hours a week
- Money
- Could refill several hygiene slots a month
How we got this: Based on replacing manual phone calls at ~2-3 minutes each. Assumes 15-25 recall calls a week. Rough estimate; your results will vary. Your results depend on your business; this is an illustrative estimate, not a guarantee.
How to switch it on
- 1
Run your recall/overdue report in Dentrix or Open Dental.
- 2
Connect a communication tool (Weave or NexHealth) that syncs with your practice software.
- 3
Set automated recalls at due date, +2 weeks and +6 weeks, by SMS and email.
- 4
Include an online booking link so patients can choose a slot themselves.
- 5
Review the overdue list monthly and call only patients who haven't responded.
Tools you can use
- DentrixVisit site (opens in new tab)
Dental practice management software with recall lists and scheduling.
- Open DentalVisit site (opens in new tab)
Open-source dental practice management with recall and treatment-plan tracking.
- WeaveVisit site (opens in new tab)
Patient communication platform: texting, reminders, reviews and phones for healthcare practices.
- NexHealthVisit site (opens in new tab)
Online booking, reminders, waitlist and digital forms that sync with dental and medical systems.
- ChatGPTVisit site (opens in new tab)
AI assistant for drafting message templates. Use only with generic, non-patient text.
Tool links are plain links for now. Some may later become affiliate links, which will always be labelled. Check each tool’s current pricing on its site.
Template and prompt
Privacy & compliance: Never paste patient names, health details or records into general AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini; use them only to draft generic templates. Send real patient messages through a HIPAA- (US) or GDPR- (EU/UK) compliant system, with a signed BAA or data processing agreement where needed. AI here is for admin and wording only, never for diagnosis or clinical advice. Check your professional body’s rules on consent and marketing.
Template:
Hi {first_name}, it's time for your check-up and cleaning at {practice}. Book a time that suits you: {link}. Reply STOP to opt out.AI prompt (generic text only, no patient data):
Write three friendly, short dental recall text messages (under 160 characters) for a family practice. Use placeholders {first_name}, {practice}, {link}. No clinical claims.