The problem
Dental plans on a calendar benefit year reset their annual maximum on January 1, and patients told in March they need a crown often still haven't booked. If 6 of them a month from October to December would book once reminded, at an assumed $1,200£902€1,074A$1,732C$1,696 a crown, that's $7,200£5,414€6,442A$10,394C$10,177 a month of treatment that otherwise slips into next year or never happens.
What the AI does
Treatment Finder is a standard report in Open Dental. By default it lists active patients with treatment-planned procedures, no scheduled appointment and insurance on a calendar benefit year, and its Amount remaining over filter narrows the list to patients with at least that much of their annual maximum left. The treatment coordinator works the list with a patient letter from the report, a short text, then a call. The dentist confirms each plan is still right before anyone is contacted, and the patient's share is quoted only after checking remaining benefits with the payer.
A worked example
A two-dentist practice in Minneapolis runs Treatment Finder in October for patients with planned treatment, no appointment and at least $500£376€447A$722C$707 of benefits remaining, and gets a list of about 120.
Before
120 patients with planned, unscheduled treatment and unused benefits; no follow-up
After
Letters, texts and calls from October to December; 3 to 6 extra cases booked a month
What it's worth
About $1,080£812€966A$1,559C$1,527 a month in profit, for October to December. Three to 6 extra cases a month at an assumed $1,200£902€1,074A$1,732C$1,696 is $3,600£2,707€3,221A$5,197C$5,089 to $7,200£5,414€6,442A$10,394C$10,177 of treatment; at an assumed 30% margin after lab fees and chair time, that's $1,080£812€966A$1,559C$1,527 to $2,160£1,624€1,933A$3,118C$3,053. The report comes with Open Dental support; texts cost 4¢ each on top of the $5£4€4A$7C$7 texting fee if you don't already pay it.
How to set it up
- In early October, open Treatment Finder from Standard Reports, set TP Date From to the start of the year and Amount remaining over to $300£226€268A$433C$424 or $500£376€447A$722C$707.
- Have the dentist go through the list and remove anyone whose plan has changed, who declined, or who needs a fresh exam first.
- Send a patient letter from the report's Letters Preview, then a short text a week later: their first name, that they have treatment waiting and benefits that may reset, and the practice number. No diagnosis in the text.
- Check remaining benefits with the payer before quoting a patient's share, and give the estimate in writing.
- Call patients who don't respond, and log every contact in the patient's communication log.
What goes wrong
- The remaining benefit shown is only as good as the insurance data in Open Dental. Patients with no annual maximum entered appear with $0£0€0A$0C$0 remaining and are included anyway.
- Not every plan resets on January 1. Plans on a different benefit year need their own timing.
- Pressure backfires. The message is a reminder about treatment the dentist recommended, not a sale, and patients can say no.
- A reminder sent to a shared family email or phone can reveal treatment to others. Use the patient's own contact details.