Dos and don'ts for scheduling: Get more out of your schedule

Your schedule represents a record of your future production. A well-designed schedule enables your office to achieve high production and low stress. An inefficient schedule holds the practice back from reaching its true potential.

Start all larger cases within seven days. The longer patients have to wait for appointments, the more likely they are to call the office and cancel. When patients have to wait weeks, they often lose motivation to follow through with treatment. The key is to identify the case, gain case acceptance and start the case as soon as possible.

Don't rely on single-tooth treatment. Schedules need to depend less on purely single-tooth treatment. This means that schedules are being designed for one patient and one tooth at a time. Promote ideal dentistry by providing every patient an annual comprehensive exam.