Implant guides
Full-arch consult follow-up scripts. What to say when the patient didn’t schedule.
For the treatment coordinators and front-office teams who make these calls.
Read the consult note before you dial. Open with the patient’s own concern, and end every call with a date for the next contact. The scripts cover:
- The first call.
- The call about cost.
- When someone else decides.
- Voicemail and text.
- The last planned call.
Before you dial
Read the consult note first. You need five things from it:
- The patient’s concern, in their words.
- The plan and total fee you presented, and any financing the office offered.
- Anything the team promised to send or check.
- Who else is part of the decision.
- The date the patient said you could call.
If the note only says “pt will think about it”, ask whoever ran the consult before you call. What to record after an implant consult lists what the note should hold.
When to call
Three practice consultants publish these schedules:
| Source | First contact | After that |
|---|---|---|
| Pride Institute (2014) | Within 48 hours of the consult | A second contact at a time the patient picks, a third two weeks later, then every three months or at the next hygiene visit |
| Dental A Team (2021) | 2 days after the consult | 2 weeks, then 2 months; after that, review the plan at the next recare visit |
| ACT Dental (2020) | Unless the patient says otherwise, tell them the office likes to check in 2 to 3 business days later | An event in the practice software on the day you and the patient agreed |
No source reports testing its schedule. As of .
If the patient named a date, that date comes first. Otherwise set your own schedule, write it down, and stop the moment a patient asks you to. Unscheduled treatment follow-up lists what a written schedule needs.
Script 1
The first call
- Open
- “Hi [first name], it’s [your name] from [practice]. You were in with Dr. [name] on [day]. You said [their concern], and I told you I’d get back to you on that. Is now an okay time?”
- If they say yes
- Answer the concern first. Then ask: “What else came up after you got home?” Listen.
- Close with a date
- “We have [two specific times] for the next step. Which one works?”
- Or set the next call
- “Sounds like you need [the thing they named]. I’ll get it to you by [day]. Can I call you [day] at [time] to go over it?”
ACT Dental’s follow-up guide says to find out what is in the way, not why. Swap yes-or-no questions for open ones: instead of “Did you have enough time to think about it?”, ask “What questions have you thought of since you were here for your [type of] visit?”
Skip “just checking in”. It gives the patient nothing to answer.
Script 2
When cost is the concern
- Say
- “Last time, the monthly amount was the hard part. The total we went over was [fee as presented]. The office works with [lender]. I can walk you through what the application asks for; the lender sets the terms. Do you want to go over it now, or should I send it first?”
- Quote the fee you presented. If anything changed, the dentist or office manager confirms it before you say it.
- Offer only the financing options your office has approved.
- Never describe a deferred-interest plan as free.
- The patient fills in their own application.
- If the patient asks about a lower-cost option, book them back with the dentist. Treatment choices belong in the chair.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warns about deferred-interest promotions. If the balance isn’t paid in full by the end of the promotion, or a payment is missed, interest accrues on the full amount charged.
Script 3
When someone else decides
- A spouse or family member
- “You mentioned you wanted to talk it over with [name]. Did you two get a chance? If it’s easier, [name] can come in and hear it from Dr. [name] directly. Would [day] or [day] work for both of you?”
- A second opinion
- “That makes sense for a decision this size. Tell me the date of that appointment and I’ll call you the day after.”
Script 4
Voicemail and text
HHS guidance says providers may leave messages but should limit what they disclose, such as the practice’s name and number or a request to call back. It does not cover texting consent or state rules.
Keep treatment and cost out of voicemail and text. Someone else may hear or read it.
- Voicemail
- “Hi [first name], it’s [your name] from [practice], calling about your visit on [day]. Call me back at [number], or I’ll try you again on [day].”
- Text, only if the patient agreed to texts
- “Hi [first name], it’s [your name] at [practice]. I have the information you asked about after your visit. Is today good for a call, or is [day] better?”
Script 5
The last planned call
- Say
- “I’ve tried you a few times and I don’t want to keep calling if the timing’s wrong. Should I close this out for now, or is there a month that’s better for you?”
Log the answer. A clear “not now, call me in March” is a result: put March in the practice software as the next contact.
What to log after every call
- The date, who called, and how: call, voicemail or text.
- What the patient said, in their words.
- The next step and its date, or “closed” and the reason.
- One named owner for the next contact.
In Open Dental, log it in the patient’s Commlog.
Then count each stage on its own: contacted, reached, booked, attended and completed. The gaps between them show where patients drop off.
Questions
- How soon should we call after a full-arch consult?
- Unless the patient named a date, in the first few days. Pride Institute says within 48 hours, Dental A Team says 2 days, and ACT Dental says 2 to 3 business days.
- How many follow-ups before we stop?
- No source above reports a tested number. Write your stopping point down, and stop at once if the patient asks.
- Should we call or text?
- Call. Full-arch questions are about money, healing and family, and they need a conversation. Text only to set up the call, and only if the patient agreed to texts.
- Should the dentist make the follow-up call?
- The coordinator owns the call. For a clinical question, such as a different option, healing time or bone grafting, book a short visit or call with the dentist.
- What if the patient went to another office?
- Ask what made the difference, thank them, and log it.
About HelloAugust
Starting the call from the consult
When a consult is recorded in August, the caller starts from what the patient said: their reasons, their concerns and the financing question.
Unscheduled treatment goes into one follow-up queue. Calls are due 2, 14 and 60 days after the plan is presented, until the patient books. That cadence is August’s default, and this guide does not recommend it for yours.
A person writes or reviews every text before it is sent.
See the follow-up queue in August’s treatment coordinator software.
Remote TC: August’s own US-based treatment coordinators follow up with your patients about treatment they haven’t scheduled. Scope, start date and terms are agreed with each practice.
Checked against
Sources
The practices and patients in the examples are made up.
- Pride Institute, on DentistryIQ Tuesday Tip: Clarify your protocol for follow-up on unscheduled treatmentPublished . Read .
- Dental A Team, on Dentaltown Dental A Team Tips #2: How to follow up on unscheduled treatmentPublished . Read .
- ACT Dental Best Practices: Unscheduled Treatment Plan Follow-Up (2020 guide, PDF)Read .
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau What should I know about medical credit cards and payment plans for medical bills?Read .
- US Department of Health and Human Services HIPAA FAQ 198: May health care providers leave messages for patients?Read .
- Open Dental Commlog (manual)Read .