How to Schedule Dental Appointments When You Can't Take Time Off Work

Posted on: 29 June 2018

If you're really busy at work or can't easily take time off, then it can be difficult to schedule dentist's appointments for times when you are available. However, seeing your dentist isn't impossible, even if you're welded to your desk during working hours, you just need to put a little thought into making this work. What are your options?

Look for Extended Opening Hours

Most dental surgeries try to make things easier for people who find it hard to make appointments during normal working hours. At one end of the scale, some surgeries now have early morning and evening surgeries every day and are open seven days a week. At the other end of the scale, your dentist may simply have a couple of early morning or evening surgeries a week plus a few appointments on a Saturday morning. If you can't get off work easily, then finding a surgery that has this kind of flexibility may help.

Book Appointments in Advance

You won't be the only patient in your surgery that wants to take advantage of early, late or weekend appointments, and you may find that these slots book up early. If you need a check-up or a longer course of treatment, then it will help if you schedule your appointment a few weeks in advance. You may have to wait longer to see your dentist; however, this shouldn't be an issue unless you have a problem that needs fixing quickly or need emergency treatment.

Plan Treatment With Your Dentist

If you need to book multiple appointments over the course of a treatment, then you can ask your dentist if you can bundle up the treatment into fewer individual appointments. This may not always be possible if you need time between appointments before your dentist can move on to the next stage of work, but it may work for other treatments. For example, if you need a few fillings and your dentist would normally do the work over a couple of appointments, then you can ask if you can take a longer appointment and have all the work done at the same time.

With a little pre-planning, you should be able to schedule and attend regular dental appointments out of working hours. Keep in mind that it's easier to get help if you need an emergency appointment rather than a regular one even if your surgery is closed; surgeries often have after-hours emergency services for this very reason.

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