The Christmas and New Year break is when many dental practices close or run reduced hours, and when staff finally get a rest. But teeth don't take holidays. Toothaches, broken teeth, lost crowns and dental injuries from summer sport and holiday travel keep happening, and many patients want to book their next check-up while they finally have time to think about it.
This guide helps you plan for patient calls and enquiries over the 2026–27 holiday period, so patients get clear information and urgent cases reach the right care, without your team working through the break.
Key takeaways
- Decide your holiday hours early and publish them everywhere patients look.
- Give every caller clear emergency instructions, including when to call 000.
- Choose how calls will be handled: voicemail, an on-call dentist, an answering service or an AI receptionist.
- Let patients book for January while you're closed, so you start the new year with a full book.
- Brief your team before the break and review calls and messages when you reopen.
Key dates for 2026–27
- Friday 25 December 2026: Christmas Day
- Saturday 26 December 2026: Boxing Day, with an additional or substitute public holiday on Monday 28 December in most states and territories
- Friday 1 January 2027: New Year's Day
Public holiday arrangements differ between states and territories, so check your local government's list.
Step 1: Decide and publish your holiday hours
Agree on your closure dates and any reduced-hours days early, then update them everywhere:
- Google Business Profile special hours (Google and AI assistants use these)
- Website banner and contact page
- Phone greeting and voicemail
- Online booking, so patients can't book on closed days
- Booking confirmations and reminders for December appointments
- Social media posts
- AI receptionist or chatbot knowledge base
Inconsistent hours confuse patients and can send them to another practice. See how patients find dentists now.
Step 2: Plan for urgent calls
Agree with your dentists on what happens to urgent calls while you're closed:
- Life-threatening symptoms such as difficulty breathing or swallowing, rapidly spreading facial swelling or uncontrolled bleeding: call 000 or go to the nearest emergency department.
- Dental emergencies such as a knocked-out adult tooth: who's on call and how to reach them, or which emergency dental service to contact.
- Urgent but not dangerous problems like toothache or a lost filling: the earliest appointment when you reopen, or a nearby practice that's open.
Write the wording down and use it consistently in your voicemail, website and any AI tools. See how AI receptionists handle dental emergency calls.
Step 3: Choose how calls are handled
Voicemail
Free and simple, but messages pile up for your first day back, and many callers won't leave one. If you rely on voicemail, keep the greeting short, give your reopening date and emergency instructions, and say when you'll return calls.
On-call dentist
Some practices or groups roster a dentist to take urgent calls. Make sure the on-call details are current and the dentist knows the protocol.
Answering service
A human service can take messages and follow an emergency script, usually at a per-call or per-minute cost.
AI receptionist
An AI receptionist can answer every call during the break, give your holiday hours and emergency instructions, book appointments for when you reopen and pass urgent cases to your on-call arrangements. See after-hours phone cover options for a full comparison.
Step 4: Keep bookings flowing
The holidays are a good time for patients to plan, so make booking easy:
- Leave online booking open for January dates
- Let callers book or join the waitlist for early January
- Use the quiet period to send recall messages for January appointments. See dental recall systems that work
- Remind patients whose health fund limits reset on 1 January that new benefits will be available. See end-of-year health fund benefits
Step 5: Brief the team and plan the return
- Share the holiday plan with everyone, including on-call details
- Set up voicemail and call forwarding, and test them before you close
- Schedule someone to review messages, bookings and urgent call logs on the first morning back
- Expect a busy first week. See handling peak call times
Sample holiday voicemail
"Thanks for calling Harbourside Dental. We're closed from Thursday 24 December and reopen on Monday 4 January. If you have a dental emergency, please call our on-call dentist on [number]. If you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, rapidly spreading swelling or bleeding that won't stop, call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department. You can book online at any time at [website]. Merry Christmas and happy new year."
Adjust the dates and arrangements to suit your practice.
Frequently asked questions
Do dental practices have to offer emergency cover over Christmas?
There isn't a general rule requiring every practice to stay open, but patients need clear instructions for emergencies. Check your professional obligations and indemnity insurer's advice.
Can patients book appointments while we're closed?
Yes, through online booking or an AI receptionist that books into your calendar, as long as your system blocks the closed days.
How early should we publish holiday hours?
By late November, so patients can plan December appointments and know when you're closed.
Next steps
Set your holiday dates this week and update your Google Business Profile special hours. To answer every call and keep booking January appointments while your team takes a break, book a demo of IntelliDent.