When presenting treatment plans to patients, clear communication is key. Clinical terminology can sometimes be difficult for patients to understand, which may lead to confusion or hesitation when accepting treatment.
Practice by Numbers now offers the ability to display procedure descriptions in layman’s terms, making treatment plans easier for patients to read, understand, and accept with confidence.
What This Feature Does
When enabled, this setting replaces standard clinical procedure descriptions with simplified, patient-friendly language pulled directly from your Open Dental system.
This helps your practice:
Improve patient understanding of recommended treatments
Increase treatment acceptance
Reduce back-and-forth questions during consultations
Create a more transparent patient experience
How It Works
Open Dental allows you to define a “Layman’s Terms” description for each procedure code
Practice by Numbers can display this simplified description when sending or presenting treatment plans
If no layman’s term is available, the system will automatically fall back to the standard clinical description
How to Enable This Setting
Navigate to your Treatment Plan Sending Settings
Locate the option: “Display Procedures in Layman’s Terms”
Check the box to enable it
Once enabled, all treatment plans sent to patients will use the layman-friendly descriptions when available.
Important Notes
Open Dental Only: This feature is currently available for practices using Open Dental
Setup Required in Open Dental: You must configure the Layman’s Terms field within your procedure codes for this to work
Fallback Behavior:
If a layman’s term exists → it will be shown
If not → the standard procedure description will be used
Why This Matters
Patients are more likely to move forward with treatment when they fully understand:
What the procedure is
Why it’s needed
What to expect
Using patient-friendly language removes friction and helps build trust—leading to better outcomes for both your patients and your practice.
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