5 Must-Have Dental Treatment Plan Phases

Structuring a dental treatment plan does now have to be a pain. Turn all the information you gained from your history and examination into a well-structured, easy-to-follow dental treatment plan outlined with these phases:

1. Acute Phase

Address and document the urgent problems, gain trust, or turn an anxious patient who came into your clinic with pain into a calmer patient who may return to your practice to complete the rest of the treatment plan.

2. Prevention

If your patient is not taking proper preventative care, there’s a possibility that the treatment given could potentially fail. This phase of the treatment plan should include:

- Oral hygiene instructions
- Fluoride varnish
- Fluoride toothpaste
- Diet diary and advice

3. Stabilization

Here is where you outline any diseases or areas of concern, which, left untreated, can worsen. The main areas you want to outline are:

- Caries
- Periodontitis
- Pulpal/Periapical diseases 
- Extractions of unrepairable teeth +/- Immediate replacement

4. Definitive/Restorative

This phase is where you explain all the necessary direct and indirect restorative procedures like:

- Direct restorations (composite/amalgams)
- Indirect restorations(Onlays/Crowns)
- Missing spaces with bridges/dentures/ implants

5. Maintenance

Scheduled check-ins and post-restoration steps are essential to a patient’s long-term success. This phase generally includes:

- Diet advice
- Prescriptions
- Charting
- Check other teeth from previous visits

Presenting your treatment plan to a patient in a clear and easy-to-read format can improve the chances of acceptance. Dentists use Adit’s Dental Treatment Plan Builder to get patients to say “Yes!”.

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