Missed calls at a dental practice: what they cost and how to stop them

Every practice misses calls. The real question is how many, and what happens to the person on the other end.

How many calls go unanswered?

More than most practices think. A 2026 Peerlogic study of 4,280 calls across 26 dental practices found that 38% went unanswered. They cluster at the same times every day: first thing in the morning, over lunch, and after closing, when reception is with patients at the desk or has gone home.

What a missed call costs

A new patient who can't get through rarely tries again. DenteMax found that 86% of them simply call the next practice. An existing patient in pain who can't reach you may end up somewhere else for the treatment. And a cancellation nobody hears about becomes an empty chair instead of a slot someone else could have had.

Why voicemail doesn't fix it

Few callers leave a message, and the ones who do have to be rung back. That means phone tag, more time on the phone for reception, and a patient who is still waiting for an answer.

What practices do about it

• Cover the busy times. Stagger lunch breaks so the phone is never left alone.
• Keep a call-back list. Work through missed numbers at fixed times each day.
• Offer online booking. Some patients will happily book themselves.
• Use an overflow service that can book. One that only takes messages still leaves reception to ring everyone back.

How Codental helps

Codental answers the calls your team can't get to, in your practice's name. Your number stays the same: calls divert only when nobody picks up or you're closed. It recognises existing patients, offers real free times from your diary, and books, moves or cancels the appointment while the patient is still on the phone. Urgent cases get the first suitable slot. Anything that needs a person is passed to reception with the caller's details, so nobody has to start from scratch.

A missed call isn't a message to chase later. It's usually a patient deciding where to go next.