Our Practice Website Now Has PatientSmart
Congratulations — Civic or Organization Election
Sympathy — Death in the Family
High School/College Graduation
Dentist Request for Patient Records
Patient Request for Transfer of Records
School Excuse Upon Patient Authorization
Work Excuse Upon Patient Authorization
Pre-surgical Authorization/Dental Contraindications
Non-covered Services Acknowledgement Form
Local Dentist Leads “Give Kids a Smile®” Day
Dentist Elected Office of Local (State) Dental Society
Community-wide Oral Health Campaign
Local Dentist Volunteers for Mission of Mercy Event
Local Dentist Completes Specialty Training
Local Dentist Completes Certificate/Degree Program
SAMPLE TEXTS, TWEETS, AND FACEBOOK POSTS
What Causes Periodontal Diseases
Using the Contents of This Book
The contents of this book were designed to be flexible. They are meant to be adapted to the specific purposes of your dental office, whether it’s sending letters to your patients or repurposing content for newsletter items or blog posts.
The content is also meant to show examples of different types of correspondence that can be used by dental staff to communicate with patients, vendors, employees, other dental professionals or the media.
As you read through the contents of this book, change them to meet your audience’s needs. Put yourself in the patients’ shoes and then clearly state how the technique, procedure or program will benefit them. For example, if a certain procedure will save patient time and money in the future, state this within the first three sentences of your communication. If your communication has space constraints, such as a limited number of lines or characters, this information should be the first sentence. Also remember that people read at different literacy levels. Use simple language that is to the point. Avoid technical or scientific jargon whenever possible.
Taking the time to communicate concern on an individual level is important, especially since many mediums are public postings that are not targeted to a specific individual. Because these mediums do not convey personal attention, the majority of your written correspondence should be personalized. For example, when sending a letter, use the individual’s address at the top, mention him or her by name in the salutation, and sign correspondence personally. If you don’t take time to personalize a communication, the individual may not take time to read it. A well-written, personalized letter will create a positive image for your practice, as will a personalized but concise email. Conversely, a careless letter or message will create a negative image. This book includes a CD-ROM with Microsoft Word documents of all the communications so you can personalize them right on your computer.
Adapting the Contents for Different Media Platforms
The text below announcing a new office location originally appeared as a letter. However, there is no need to limit this communication to one medium. The content can easily be adapted to a text, a tweet, a Facebook post, and a blog post or newsletter item, as demonstrated below:
LETTER
7/12/2013
Carol Martin
211 Main Street
Chicago IL 60611
Dear Carol:
We are pleased to announce the opening of our new dental office at 900 N. Michigan Avenue in Chicago, IL. You have watched our practice