Is it ethical to use scarcity and deadlines on dental fees?
It is, if the scarcity is real. Humans move when something is about to be lost. That’s not a trick, it’s just how people work, and you can use it for good. Your discounts genuinely expire. Your doctor’s start times for these big cases are genuinely limited, because you can only have so many of them open on the schedule at once. So say so. Let the patient know the just for you fee won’t sit there forever and that reserving a start time matters because those slots fill. What makes this ethical is honesty. The deadline has to be true, the scarcity has to be true. The moment you invent a fake expiration you’ve crossed into manipulation. Keep it real and you’re simply helping a patient who already wants the work stop stalling on a decision that’s good for them.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.