What should a free dental consultation actually include, and what should be explicitly excluded?
Include a short scripted office tour by an assistant that reinforces why the patient should commit to this practice, a procedure-specific educational video tailored to the patient’s situation, and two or three minutes of live time with the doctor for one or two nonclinical readiness questions. Exclude clinical diagnosis, treatment recommendations, fee discussions on specific treatment plans, and anything else that constitutes the practice’s intellectual property. The principle is that the patient who paid nothing should not receive the work products that paying patients receive. The free visit functions as one more screening layer, not as a giveaway of the clinical expertise that the practice has invested years to acquire. The materials and process the patient receives during the free visit do three things: confirm the practice’s professionalism, surface readiness for the next step, and let the patient feel they have been treated respectfully. Detailed clinical conversations belong in the diagnostic visit, which carries a real fee. Practices that give away clinical advice in free consultations dilute the value of their paid visits and train patients to expect free expertise.
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.
