Why does your office recommend 'pre-appointing' recall appointments?

We recommend making your next recall appointment before you leave our office after completing your cleaning because in our experience this is the best way to insure that your next recare appointment occurs at the correct interval. All too often our patients ignore this suggestion and ask that we call to remind them when it is time.

We are happy to provide this courtesy, but it tends to help delay recare appointments. When our reminder call is placed, all to often my secretary is told that a patient is too busy to schedule now or that their teeth feel fine and that she should call again in a month or so. Instead of helping a patient, the reminder call can sometimes become an aid in procrastinating scheduling a recall appointment. Also patients who wait until their recall is due may have trouble finding a time that they like.

Sometimes,after several reminder calls an appointment is made, but it is scheduled well after their due date. When a patient chooses to pre-appoint, the onus is on them to reschedule, when they receive their reminder call or post card. Hopefully, even if they need to reschedule, it will be sooner than later.