How much time should pass between the first dental phone call and the consultation visit?
Roughly a week. The interval is not arbitrary. It serves several functions. First, it gives the practice time to send the substantial information packet and have the patient actually receive and read it. A packet delivered the day before a consultation does not get absorbed. Second, it gives the patient time to digest the materials, form questions, share them with a spouse or trusted family member, and arrive at the consultation pre-qualified. Third, the gap functions as a soft filter. Patients who are not actually serious about pursuing the inquiry tend to disengage in that week, which saves the practice time. Patients who are serious arrive with the materials read, the questions ready, and the consent of any veto-holder already begun. The exceptions are urgent cases involving real pain or a medical situation, which get triaged differently. For routine new-patient flow aimed at considered treatment decisions, a week from call to consultation is the right rhythm.
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.