WhatsApp for dental clinics: reminders, appointments and conversations in your software

Official WhatsApp, even with the number you already use

Dentasys uses Meta's official WhatsApp Business API. Tools that automate WhatsApp through unofficial routes put the clinic at risk of Meta blocking its number; with the official API, that risk disappears.

You connect it once, from Settings, with the clinic's Facebook account. If you already chat with your patients from the WhatsApp Business app on your mobile, you can keep using it: the number still works on the mobile, everything also shows in Dentasys and the last six months of conversations are brought across. If you prefer, you can register a new number just for Dentasys.

Automatic reminders the patient confirms with one tap

With the Automation rules you decide which message goes out, to whom and when: for example, 'one day before the appointment, at ten in the morning'. Before switching a rule on, the 'Test' button shows you which patients it would reach today, without sending anything.

The patient confirms, cancels or asks to change the appointment with the buttons in the message, and the diary updates instantly. If they reply with a 👍 or a voice note saying 'I'll be there', the appointment is confirmed too: the artificial intelligence understands voice notes and leaves the transcript in the conversation. Anything it can't resolve, such as a question about an invoice, goes to 'Pending calls' so reception can ring them.

• Appointment reminders, check-up reminders (recalls), birthday messages and sending PDF documents.
• Templates with placeholders for the name, day, time or dentist, with an image and buttons.
• Each patient gets the message in their own language: Spanish, Catalan, English or German, depending on the ones the clinic uses.
• The AI helps you write and translate templates, and Dentasys sends them to Meta for approval.

An assistant that books appointments on WhatsApp at any hour

When a patient messages the clinic, the assistant replies with a menu you can customise: book an appointment, see their appointments, speak to reception or whatever you set up. It offers real free times, books, moves or cancels the appointment and records it in the diary.

At any point someone on the team can take over the conversation from Dentasys: the assistant stops replying and a person handles the chat. During holidays you can switch the assistant off and still receive messages; reminders keep going out.

Fewer empty slots: waiting list and online booking

When someone cancels, Dentasys can offer that slot on WhatsApp to patients on the waiting list: to several at once, with a time limit to reply, and the first to accept gets the appointment.

With online booking, patients request an appointment from the clinic's website, Google Maps or Instagram. To confirm it they receive a code on WhatsApp, so nobody can book using someone else's mobile.

Documents, signatures and reviews on WhatsApp

Invoices, receipts, treatment plans, prescriptions and attendance certificates are sent on WhatsApp from the PDF window. Consent forms can be sent for the patient to sign on their mobile, after the dentist has signed them.

When the visit is closed, Dentasys can send a satisfaction survey. If the score is good, the patient receives the link to leave a Google review; if it's poor, they receive an apology and the clinic gets an alert to call them.

What it costs and how you keep track

The WhatsApp assistant is included in the Dentasys subscription (€80/month + VAT) and doesn't use AI credits. Messages sent are charged at Meta's official rate, with no mark-up, plus VAT: €0.0166 per reminder or notice and €0.0585 per marketing message. Receiving is free, and so is replying to your patients for up to 1,000 messages a month.

In the outbox you see every message (delivered, read or failed) and in the statistics, who confirmed, who cancelled and how many appointments each bulk send brought in, with its cost. If a patient replies 'STOP', they stop receiving marketing automatically, but they keep getting their reminders.

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep using WhatsApp Business on the clinic's mobile?

Yes. If you connect with the option 'I already use WhatsApp Business on my mobile', the number keeps working on the mobile and everything also shows in Dentasys, with the last six months of conversations.

How much does it cost to send a reminder on WhatsApp?

€0.0166 plus VAT per reminder or notice, which is Meta's official rate with no mark-up. A marketing message costs €0.0585 plus VAT. Receiving messages is free.

Do messages have to be approved by Meta?

Yes: Meta reviews every template before it can be sent, and usually replies in under 24 hours. Dentasys comes with the usual templates already written in several languages and sends them to Meta with a single button.

What happens if the patient replies with a voice note?

The AI listens to it and transcribes it. If they confirm, cancel or ask to change the appointment, the assistant acts on it; if they ask for something else, the request goes to 'Pending calls' with a summary so reception can ring them.

Can a team member reply instead of the assistant?

Yes. From the conversation in Dentasys you take over, and the assistant stops replying while a person is handling it.

What if a patient doesn't want to receive marketing?

They just need to reply 'STOP'. It's noted on their record and they receive no more marketing, even if someone selects them for a send. Their appointment reminders still reach them.

Keep reading

• AI receptionist
• Migration
• Dasy
• Dentasys pricing