Dentist Missed Appointments Fees Average $50

Miss a dentist appointment and it could cost you $50. That’s the average missed dentist appointment fee reported by dentists in this survey.

However, 30% don’t charge a fee for missed dental appointments or late cancellations. In fact, only 10% charge a fee the first time; 41% wait until the second time, and 18% wait until the third offense.

By the third dentist appointment no-show, nearly half (43%) of dentists are ready to stop seeing that patient entirely.

Here are some more comments on missed appointment policies:

• “We collect $$$ up front when they make appointment (eg. all my sedation dentistry cases) or no appointment is made.” (Florida dentist)
• “Patients always miss appointments… After the first failure, we make them prepay ahead of time for their next treatment appt.” (Tennessee dentist)
• “Broken appointment fees are one way, but reserving the appointment with a Visa/Mastercard may be more positive.” (Kentucky dentist)
• “Patients sign a form stating they will be charged if they miss an appointment.” (New York dentist)
• “Try to get them to pay when they make and appointment. They will then rarely miss.” (General dentist)
• “Miss one and they get rescheduled out 6 weeks. Miss 2 and they get a fee. Miss 3 and they go on our short notice appt list.” (Pediatric dentist)
• “SMS text message to confirm, day, date and time.” (General dentist)
• “They need to find a dentist with a more convenient dentist office.” (General dentist)
• “Usually if they pay the fee, they come on time, or they get mad and leave.” (Wisconsin dentist)
• “We have them secure their appointment with a non-refundable fee if they want to return to our practice.” (General dentist)

Read more: Missed Dental Appointment Fees: Dentist Policies