Dentists experience the most activity from patients during the back-to-school months and the end of the year. It can be difficult to get an appointment, but it's usually worth making one before you miss your second chance to see the dentist.
New Patients
What is the best month of each year for establishing new patients? For many offices, August is the busiest month. October, February, March and April are also popular months for new patients.On the other hand, November, May and June are slow months for new patients. On average, dentists worked at 77% of their capacity to schedule appointments during this period. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons had the highest average percentage of consultations attended (84.1%), followed by periodontists (82.5%) and prosthodontists (80.3%). Pediatric dentists had the lowest average percentage (73.5%) and general dentists reported an average percentage of 76.7%.Dentists in public health centers were busier than their colleagues in private practice, having attended an average of 85.1% of consultations.
To cope with this high volume of patients, hygienists may need to work extra days or dentists can spend more time with the CRDA to help with children's care or use assisted hygiene. Dental offices are subject to large variations in patient volume and seasonality, which can make it difficult to predict when you'll be busiest. If you're not prepared to handle these fluctuations, it's easy to fall into a cash flow crisis or not be able to keep up with patient demand.
