As the year winds down, the hustle of the holidays, the strain of inflation, and staffing shortages can make it easy for patients to put off dental care.
But this season also presents a powerful opportunity—for both your practice and your patients.
Give Your Patients a Gift That Lasts
Encourage your team to have open, caring conversations with patients about recommended treatments. Help them understand their insurance coverage, offer financing options, and guide them to schedule appointments before the year ends. Many patients don’t realize their dental benefits may expire on December 31st—making now the perfect time to act.
Why Patients Delay Treatment—and How You Can Help
We consistently see four key barriers to scheduling dental care: cost, time, insurance confusion, and perceived need. Today’s economic pressures amplify these challenges, but your team can help patients overcome them.
- Only 5% of patients use all their dental benefits each year.
- 46% struggle to afford dental care.
- 64% don’t understand their dental coverage or annual maximums.
- 91% believe oral health is vital to overall well-being.
Steps to Encourage Action
Run an unscheduled treatment report to identify patients with pending care.
Send a personalized end-of-year letter reminding them to use benefits before they expire. Utilize your practice management software to customize an end-of-year benefit letter specific to each patient. Identify outstanding treatment as well as remaining benefits. A “one size fits all” letter will not gain as much traction as one customized for each patient.
- Offer flexible financing options to ease cost concerns.
- Promote your in-house membership plan for added value.
- Follow up with patients who haven’t responded.
Many dental insurance plans and flex spending accounts operate on a “use it or lose it” basis. By helping patients take advantage of their benefits now, you’re not just filling your schedule; you’re supporting their health and well-being.
Provide exceptional service to your patients by customizing Practice Support Team’s end-of-year benefit letter template for your practice, available here:
Burkhart-go.info/EoY_Benefit_2025
Your success is our success. Please reach out to us anytime.
To learn more, visit the Practice Support Team page, email us at PracticeSupportTeam@BurkhartDental.com, or call 1.800.665.5323.
Category: Practice Consulting
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