Why should a dentist not develop detailed treatment sequencing until the patient has paid a deposit? Because treatment sequencing for complex cases takes substantial intellectual effort, often thirty minutes or more of focused doctor time per case, and spending that capital on uncommitted patients is poor allocation of the highest-value resource in the practice. The deposit functions as the patient's commitment signal. Once it is paid, the case is genuinely going forward and the practice can confidently invest the time required to build a detailed treatment sequence, coordinate with lab and specialty support, and plan the multi-visit choreography. Before the deposit, [...]