What should a dental referral pack include?

Your dental referral pack

A good dental referral pack should do more than provide information. It should give referring dentists confidence in your expertise and help patients understand why they have been referred to you.

The best packs are carefully considered around your specialist services, your practice and the people who will receive them. They should clearly communicate what you do, your experience and qualifications, and what a dentist or patient can expect from you.

The quality of the pack should also reflect the quality of the service you provide. A specialist offering complex or premium treatments needs more than a collection of information sheets; the whole presentation should give the recipient confidence in the expertise behind it.

So, what should a dental referral pack include? Here are 7 essential components every dental referral pack should include:

1. A branded presentation folder

A generic-sized branded folder is a versatile presentation piece. Produced with an internal pocket, it can accommodate a number of inserted items too. This enables the pack to become more personalised, enabling you to choose information that is appropriate for each referring dentist. It can also be used for your own patients to hold personal treatment plans and other literature or dental brochures.

2. Your specialist expertise

Your first insert should be a written account of your expertise and the history of where you trained. Let dentists and patients know where you gained your skills and knowledge from, and don’t forget to include your qualifications and GDC number. This builds trust with both dentists and patients.

Your speciality in dentistry must elaborate on which particular dental problems to look out for and how you can help resolve them.

3. Case studies and testimonials

Think of some of the most complex and successful treatment cases you’ve carried out. Perhaps include an insert with various examples of cases you want to attract, as well as a patient testimonial. Or even better, how about a testimonial from a dental practitioner?

Read our testimonials here and find out how happy our dentists and specialists are with our service and products.

4. Referral forms

You can either create one dental referral form that covers all specialities your practice offers or individual forms for each treatment type. The presentation folder will be able to hold a number of forms, but certain larger dental practices may require a whole pad of referral forms. Aim to calculate how many patient referrals you could treat each week or month, or how many dental practices you need to refer to you. One important factor is to try to keep the forms simple and easy to fill out.

5. The referral charter

This is probably the most important inserts to include. General dentists will always be concerned about their own reputation, and they will want to be sure their patient is well looked after. It is your responsibility to provide as much reassurance as possible to any referring dentist. Let them know you understand how important their patient is and that they will be sent back to their original dentist for continual routine dental care.

6. Make the referral easy for patients

Referred patients will need to locate your practice easily. Include an insert with a simplified map, parking details and travel information as well as your contact details. It should also list the basic procedures that patients should expect at their first appointment with you.

7. Business card

And finally, no dental referral pack should be handed out without a business card. After all, you want to make sure patients and dentists have your details to hand at all times.

What makes a good dental referral pack?

A good referral pack should make it easy for another dentist to understand your specialist expertise, decide which patients may benefit from your treatment and make a referral. For patients, it should provide reassurance, explain what to expect and make the next step clear.

Should a dental referral pack be given to patients as well as dentists?

Absolutely. A well-planned referral pack doesn’t have to be limited to referring dentists. It can also be a valuable resource for patients who are considering specialist or more complex treatment.

When a patient is referred to you, they may know very little about your practice or the treatment they are being recommended for. Giving them clear, reassuring information about your expertise, the treatment, what to expect and how to contact you can help them feel more comfortable before their first appointment.

The key is to design the pack so that it works for both audiences. A versatile folder can contain information specifically for referring dentists alongside patient-friendly treatment guides, first-visit information, directions, forms and other useful material.

This makes the referral pack more than something that is simply handed to another dentist. It becomes part of the patient’s journey from referral to treatment.

Thinking about creating a referral pack for your practice?

Every specialist practice has different requirements, so there is no single format that works for everyone. We create bespoke dental referral packs around your services, your brand and the people you want to reach—from referring dentists to patients considering complex or higher-value treatment.

View our dental referral pack design service

Who am I?

Alex Nicolaou is an expert Brand Designer and Creative Director who consults with marketers, dentists, specialists and entrepreneurs to grow their brands and businesses. Having 27 years of experience in dental marketing and a total of 39 years designing and advertising in all industry sectors, Alex knows how to make your brand stand out and communicate with your ideal target audience.

Alex has always been artistic, creative and passionate in everything he does. His natural talent enabled him to develop his career working on blue-chip accounts for successful London based advertising and marketing agencies. The skills learned and experienced gained placed him in good stead for running his own business which he has successfully managed and directed for over 27 years.

His expertise has helped dental practices and other businesses to win national awards for design, branding and marketing. If you want your business to turn heads, he’s the man.

Dental branding & marketing

For more information call Alex Nicolaou on 01923 609770 to find out about making the most of your website marketing opportunities.
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