Most of what patients ask a dental practice can be answered in a sentence or two. Putting those answers on a page means patients arrive informed and the front desk gets time back. Here are the questions that come up most often in Chicago, with the kind of answer that works.
Are you accepting new patients?
Say yes, or say how long the wait is. People in Wicker Park or Logan Square would rather know now than call three practices to find out.
Where are you, and how do I get there?
Name the neighborhood and the nearest L stop or bus route, and mention parking. In a city with long winters, a patient wants to know how far they will walk.
What do you treat?
General dentists can list check-ups, fillings and children's visits. Orthodontists can describe consultations for braces and aligners and say whether a referral is needed. Dental technicians, whose customers are practices, can list the types of work they handle and how collections are arranged.
What happens at a first visit?
Nervous patients appreciate a short, calm description: what to bring, how long to allow and who they will meet. Avoid any promise about results.
How do I book, and what if I need to change it?
Give one clear route and a sentence on rescheduling. A free page of your own can hold all of these answers.
Do you see emergencies?
Explain what a patient should do with sudden pain, whether during hours or after them. If you cannot see walk-ins, say where to go instead, so a patient in pain at nine in the evening is not left guessing.
What about payment and insurance?
Callers often ask whether you work with their plan or offer payment options. If the answer changes from case to case, say so and explain how to ask. A sentence such as "call the front desk and have your insurance card ready" is honest, and it saves a surprise at the end of the visit. Technicians can add how invoicing works for practices.
Closing thought
If you write down the last ten questions you were asked on the phone and answer each in two sentences, you have the content for a page that works. Read it back as if you were a stranger, fix anything that sounds like a brochure and publish it. The first week will show you which question you forgot, and adding it takes a minute.
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