A dental appointment reminder is three decisions dressed as one message: what it says, when it goes out, and what happens to the reply. Most practices get the wording roughly right and the other two wrong, because the reminder is sent the morning before, when the patient can no longer rearrange and the practice can no longer refill the slot, and the reply, if any, is read by whoever is on the desk and recorded nowhere. The Cochrane 2013 review measured attendance rising from approximately 67.8% to 78.6% with mobile phone messaging reminders; the lead time and the record are how a practice gets its share of that. The free reminder template on this site carries the wording and takes the lead time as an input.
What the reminder says
The date, the time, the practice name and number, the clinician if the patient cares which, one pre-visit line (bring your card, arrive ten minutes early for the medical history form), and a question that turns the reply into a confirmation. The dental variant in the free template on this site keeps the tone plain and the pre-visit line specific; the missed-appointment follow-up is a separate message that asks the patient to rebook rather than telling them off.
When it goes out
Dantas et al. 2018 name high lead time between booking and visit as one of the two main determinants of a no-show, which is why the first reminder should go out days ahead, when a patient who has forgotten can still move and the hygiene slot can still be offered to someone on the recall list, with a second touch the day before. A single reminder the morning of the visit confirms the patients who were coming anyway.
Who records the reply
A reminder that is answered and not recorded was never sent, as far as next month's diary is concerned. The confirmation goes against the appointment; the silence is what the receptionist phones; the no-show goes against the patient, so the next reminder for them goes earlier. Recallvia Pro sends the reminder under the practice name and records the reply; the free tools give you the wording and the sizing.
Questions people ask about dental appointment reminder
Should a dental reminder be a text or an email?
Both have a place. The Cochrane review measured text reminders; email carries the longer pre-visit instructions and the map. The template pack on this site carries a text variant and an email variant with the same structure.
How many dental appointment reminders should go out?
Two is the common shape: one several days ahead and one the day before. The free template takes the number of touches and the lead time as inputs and prints the messages per week and the hours by hand, so a practice can decide from its own diary.
Should the reminder ask for a reply?
Yes, with one word: reply Y to confirm. A reminder with a reply keyword gives the front desk a confirmation record and a call list of the patients who did not answer.