If you’re experiencing a lot of new patient no-shows, evaluate your confirmation protocol. Set clear expectations when setting the appointment, and confirm via phone, text or email. If you don’t get a return confirmation, we recommend having the dentist call the new patient the night before their appointment to introduce themselves. It only takes a few minutes but the implication is clear: “I look forward to meeting you in person tomorrow.” If you have high no-shows with existing patients, it may be a scripting problem. You team may be unintentionally telling patients “If you need to cancel just give us 24 hours notice” which tells someone that it’s okay to cancel.