Most dental practices send appointment reminders, but few have thought carefully about when to send them, how many to send and what they should say. Timing matters: a reminder sent too early is forgotten, and one sent too late leaves no time to fill the slot if the patient can't make it.
This guide sets out a practical reminder schedule for Australian dental practices, with sample wording and tips for adjusting it to your patients.
Key takeaways
- Send a confirmation at booking, a main reminder two to three days before, and a short nudge on the day or the day before.
- Long or high-value appointments deserve earlier contact, so there's time to refill the slot.
- Every reminder should let the patient confirm, reschedule or cancel easily.
- Keep reminders short, factual and free of promotions.
- Send at sensible times, never late at night.
Why timing matters
A reminder does two jobs. It jogs the patient's memory, and it gives them a chance to tell you if they can't come. The second job is just as important. A patient who cancels two days before gives you time to offer the slot to someone else. A patient who simply forgets leaves you with an empty chair.
The recommended schedule
1. At booking: confirmation
Send straight after the appointment is made:
"Hi Sam, you're booked with Dr Chen at Harbourside Dental on Tue 14 May at 9:20am. Need to change it? Reply or call 02 XXXX XXXX."
For new patients, follow it with an email that includes forms, the address, parking and what to bring.
2. Two to three days before: main reminder
This is the reminder that does the most work, because there's still time to refill the slot:
"Hi Sam, a reminder of your appointment with Dr Chen on Tue 14 May at 9:20am. Reply Y to confirm, or call us to reschedule."
3. The day before or morning of: short nudge
A brief final reminder:
"See you tomorrow at 9:20am at Harbourside Dental, Sam. Free parking is behind the building."
If the patient already confirmed, you might skip this or keep it very short.
Adjusting for appointment type
- Check-up and clean: confirmation, main reminder 2–3 days before, optional nudge.
- Long or high-value treatment: confirmation, a phone call or SMS a week before, the main reminder 2–3 days before, then a nudge.
- New patients: confirmation email with forms, main reminder, and a nudge with arrival details.
- Appointments booked far ahead, such as six-month recalls: a "coming up" message about two weeks before, then the normal schedule.
- Same-day or next-day bookings: confirmation only, with arrival details.
Adjusting for the patient
- Patients who've missed appointments before: add a phone call and ask for explicit confirmation.
- Patients who prefer calls: use automated or staff calls instead of SMS.
- Parents booking for children: make sure the reminder goes to the parent's number and names the child.
Our comparison of SMS vs phone call reminders covers choosing the channel in more detail.
Best times to send
- Send during normal waking hours, roughly 9am to 7pm in the patient's time zone.
- Avoid very early mornings, late evenings and, ideally, Sunday mornings.
- Spread reminders across the day so replies don't arrive in one wave at your busiest time. See handling peak call times.
- Remember daylight saving differences if you have patients in other states.
What every reminder should include
- The practice name, at the start
- The patient's first name
- Day, date and time
- The clinician's name, which makes it feel personal
- One clear action: reply to confirm, or call to change
- Arrival information if it's useful, such as parking or forms
And what to leave out:
- Promotions, offers or unrelated news
- Sensitive clinical details. Keep it to "your appointment" rather than describing the treatment
- "Do not reply" instructions
Purely factual reminders are treated differently from marketing messages under the Spam Act. Adding promotional content can change that. See the Spam Act and dental SMS.
Handling replies
A reminder schedule only works if someone handles the replies:
- Confirmations should update the appointment status automatically.
- Reschedule requests need a fast response, by reply, call or online booking link.
- Cancellations should trigger your waitlist straight away. See the waitlist playbook.
- Questions need routing to the front desk or an assistant that can answer them.
Measuring and improving
Track your no-show rate, late cancellation rate and confirmation rate monthly. If you change your schedule, compare a few months before and after. Test one change at a time, such as moving the main reminder from three days to two.
Frequently asked questions
Is a reminder on the day too late?
It's too late to refill the slot in most cases, which is why the main reminder should come two to three days before. A same-day nudge still helps patients who just forgot the time.
Can we send too many reminders?
Yes. More than three messages for a routine appointment can feel like nagging. Keep each one short and useful.
Should reminders mention the treatment?
Generally no. A phone's lock screen can be seen by others, so keep details minimal for privacy.
Next steps
Write down your current reminder schedule and compare it with the one above. To automate two-way SMS and reminder calls, book a demo of IntelliDent's reminder agent.