Dear Reader,
You’re busy, the schedule looks full, hygiene is running… but the numbers don’t quite reflect the volume of work you’re putting in. That feeling is more common and more dangerous than most doctors realize.
What many dentists don’t see is the silent, slow leak happening behind the scenes:
Inactive patients. Lost treatment. Unscheduled dentistry. Hygiene drift.
And if you’re even thinking about selling your practice sometime in the next 5 years, this matters more than you think. DSOs look hard at:
- Active patient count
- Hygiene utilization
- Treatment acceptance
- Reactivation history
- Per-patient production
- Unscheduled treatment ratio
The cleaner these numbers look, the stronger your valuation.
That’s why December is not simply a “busy month.” It’s the perfect moment for a reactivation blitz, and it can significantly strengthen your 2025 performance and your long-term position.
Let’s break down how.
- December Is the Easiest Time All Year to Reactivate Patients
Patients who ignore calls in July suddenly become responsive in December. The psychology changes:
- People want a “fresh start” for the upcoming year
- They want to use their remaining benefits
- They want things off their to-do list
- They finally have PTO or holiday time to schedule
- Parents want kids seen before school restarts
Half the work is done before you even reach out; the motivation is built in.
A simple message like:
“Before the year ends, let’s get you taken care of.”
…moves people into action.
This month gives you a unique opportunity to bring back the patients who were slipping away unnoticed.
- Hygiene Reactivation Is the Single Most Valuable Move You Can Make
Let’s be clear about hygiene: It’s not just a cleaning. It’s the engine of the entire practice. And DSOs know it. When I evaluate a practice for a potential sale, hygiene numbers tell me everything:
- Is the patient base engaged?
- Is the recall system functioning?
- Is the practice showing long-term stability or decline?
- Is the doctor underdiagnosing?
- Is the team strong enough to convert?
If 15–25% of your hygiene base is overdue (which is common), reactivating even a small portion of them boosts:
- Production
- Treatment opportunities
- Active patient count
- Practice valuation
- Trailing-12 performance
- Buyer confidence
December hygiene reactivation isn’t just about filling the schedule; it’s about strengthening the health of the practice in a way that compounds over time.
- Unscheduled Treatment Is the Low-Hanging Fruit of December
Every practice has thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of dollars in incomplete treatment sitting in the charts.
Why?
Because patients delay. They deprioritize. They forget. And sometimes… your team didn’t follow up strongly enough.
December gives you a clean, natural script: “Before your benefits reset, let’s get this taken care of.”
It’s not sales pressure. It’s a courtesy. And it works. High-value cases that patients avoided all year suddenly feel doable. Crown-and-bridge work that was “maybe soon” becomes “let’s go ahead and schedule.” Pending implants convert because the patient wants a solution before the holidays.
This is the month where a strong team can bring dormant production back to life.
- A December Reactivation Blitz Strengthens Your Practice’s Story
If you’re considering selling in the next few years or even if you just want to keep your options open this part is crucial.
Buyers don’t just look at your 2025 totals. They look at your trajectory. An active reactivation push creates a stronger:
- Active patient count
- Hygiene recall rate
- New patient ratio
- Per-patient production
- Unscheduled treatment percentage
- Overall stability
Even a modest December reactivation initiative can change the way your practice looks on paper, and your practice’s valuation increases accordingly.
Many dentists don’t realize how heavily DSOs weigh “patient retention and recall efficiency.” December is your chance to clean up that picture.
- How to Run a Simple, Effective December Reactivation Blitz
You don’t need a six-week plan or a complicated campaign. Just focus on three groups:
Group 1: Overdue Hygiene Patients
Reach out with: “Let’s get you seen before the year ends.”
Group 2: Unscheduled Treatment
Reach out with: “You still have benefits remaining. Would you like to get this taken care of this month?”
Group 3: Patients Who Said ‘Not Now’ Earlier This Year
Reach out with: “This is a great time to finish what we discussed earlier.”
Keep it simple. Keep it friendly. Keep the tone helpful, not pushy. Your team can do this in a few hours each week. And the results can reshape your December numbers and your entire 2025.
- Reactivation Strengthens the Practice You’ve Spent a Lifetime Building
You built your practice patient by patient. Visit by visit. Relationship by relationship. A December reactivation blitz honors that work. It protects your legacy. It strengthens your numbers. It elevates your valuation. It stabilizes your team and schedule. And it positions you for a smoother, more profitable 2026.
If you want to know how your patient base, hygiene metrics, or treatment conversion impact your practice value or if selling in the next few years is on your mind we can help you look at everything clearly.
December is the month to take action.
To your unstoppable success,
Your Team at Everything DSO
