The Feature That’ll Save Your Front Desk’s Sanity

(And Your Schedule)

Ladies and sons of ladies... Welcome back to another episode of Underutilized Features in Open Dental That Deserve a Trophy. I’m your host, Brittany Rogars, and today we’re tackling a little gem inside your software that has the power to absolutely change the game in your practice.

A Little Backstory (Trigger Warning: This Might Sound Familiar)

I just left a dental office where the front desk team member, bless her heart (in an authentic non southern way), was printing off the schedule for the next day and manually combing through every single patient. She was checking if insurance was verified, if treatment plans were signed, if there were balances owed, if the family had recall scheduled... you name it, she was highlighting it.

I had to physically pick my jaw up off the floor.

Because not too long ago? That was me. I called it my “three-day report” and it ruled my life. It was boring, time-consuming, and worst of all…. completely unnecessary.

Now, we’ve automated every bit of that process using something that’s been hiding in plain sight:  ✨ Appointment Views. ✨

Wait, What Are Appointment Views?

Think of Appointment Views like different lenses you can look through when viewing your schedule. With the right setup, each team member can have their own customized view of exactly what they need, nothing more, nothing less.

That means:

• The hygienist sees hygiene.

• The insurance coordinator sees verification needs.

• The doctor sees production info and recall alerts.

• You see efficiency and clarity.
  

And the best part? You can create as many views as you want. Tailor them by team, by provider, even by role or workflow.

Examples of Game-Changing Appointment Views

Here’s just a few of our favorite ways to set up views that make a difference:

Insurance View
Includes a [V] if insurance hasn’t been verified, and a [!] if there’s a procedure that hasn’t been sent to insurance. No more guessing or sticky notes on monitors.

Balance View
Shows [$] if the family has a balance—great for helping the team know when to gently bring up payments before the patient walks out.

Recall + Production View
Flag overdue recalls and see production totals for the day—all from the appointment screen. Because yes, we can be organized and profitable.

Late Arrival + Lab Case View
Add fields to see if a patient is late, or if lab work is back. This is a HUGE help for doctors juggling tight schedules.

Color Coding Procedures
Yep, you can make your SRPs pop red, or mark high-dollar procedures in bold colors (thanks to Proc Appt Colors). Who said your schedule can’t be both functional and fabulous?

Where This Magic Shows Up

Inside the Appointment Box (Main List)
In the Upper/Lower Corners of the appointment
In Mobile Views (for those of you using OD Mobile)
Filtered by provider, op, or clinic
And paired with Field Defs for even more customization (yes bestie, go read that post too)

What This Actually Means for Your Team

No more sticky notes
No more late-night paper prep
No more “did anyone call this patient?” chaos
Less burnout, more clarity
More time for what actually matters—like patient relationships and hitting your goals

Ready to Ditch the Chaos?

Here’s your permission slip to stop overcomplicating your life. Appointment Views aren’t just a fun feature—they’re a system-saving tool that can give your team back hours every week.

If you’re not using them yet, or yours haven’t been touched since your post-conversion training in 2018 (👀 you know who you are), it’s time.

Need help setting them up? Want us to audit your current views and give you a customized plan that aligns with your workflows and goals?

That’s literally what we do.
📲 Reach out or slide into our DMs on Instagram.

You don’t have to keep doing it the hard way.