Patient Feedback for Dental Clinics

Asking a patient how it went is almost impossible. During treatment they can't speak, and by the time they can, they're numb, glad it's over and already at the door.

AskHedgy solves that simply: at the end of the visit the patient scans a QR code and answers anonymously — at reception while booking the next appointment, or later at home if they'd rather not right then. Five questions, half a minute.

So you learn what the appointment was actually like, instead of reading a nod at reception.

Think of it as an early-warning system for dental practices. You see the same day that someone left unhappy, in time to put it right before they book somewhere else.

No app and no account. A low rating reaches you by email the moment it arrives, and each location can run its own code and its own dashboard.

How it works

Set up once. Works continuously. No integrations, no technical setup.

What your patients see

This isn't a single star rating like the one on Google. It's a short survey of a few different questions: a rating on comfort, a yes/no on whether things were explained, an optional line about the visit. Patients answer anonymously: some at reception on the way out, some at home once the day has settled. No app to install, no account to create, around 30 seconds.

Why patients don't tell you

A patient can't judge your clinical work. They don't see the tooth, the X-ray means little to them, and they have no way of knowing whether the crown was well made. So they judge everything else: the tone, the pace, whether anyone explained what was about to happen. And they judge it while frightened.

A meta-analysis of 25 studies covering 72,577 adults put the global prevalence of dental fear and anxiety at 15.3%, with 12.4% experiencing it at a high level. Roughly one adult in eight walks in already braced for it.

Then there's the sentence nobody means unkindly. "This has been left a long time." The condition does have to be communicated, but that particular wording doesn't, and from the chair it lands as a verdict on the person, and the patient hears that they've been careless, feels ashamed, and says nothing. They finish the treatment, thank you politely, and quietly look for a practice where they'll feel less judged. None of it reaches your notes: the treatment went well, the patient was cooperative, the file closes.

A dental patient isn't a single visit. They're the check-ups, the hygiene appointments, the treatment that comes years later, and often their whole family. Losing one quietly costs far more than the appointment that was booked.

A 5% increase in customer retention can increase profits by 25–95% — Bain & Company research, published in Harvard Business Review.

AskHedgy won't make a root canal pleasant. But it tells you the same day when someone left uneasy, early enough to change how the next patient is treated.

Dental patient survey questions your patients answer

One overall rating tells you a visit went fine. The library splits it into things you can act on: whether the plan was understood, whether the patient felt able to stop you, whether the discomfort was taken seriously.

Choose the handful that matter to your practice this season. A live survey holds attention for about five questions; past that, patients start dropping out before the last screen.

Loyalty

• How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague? (0 = not at all, 10 = definitely)

Communication

• Was the diagnosis, treatment or recommendation explained in a clear and understandable way?
• How tactfully did we discuss the condition of your teeth with you?
• Were you kept informed and updated at each stage of your appointment?
• Did you receive clear aftercare or follow-up instructions after your visit?

Service Quality

• Was your pain or discomfort taken seriously when you mentioned it?
• What could we do better?

Atmosphere

• How comfortable was the procedure or examination for you?
• Did you feel any pain during the treatment?
• Did you feel able to signal us to pause if you needed a moment?

Quality

• How would you rate the competence and professionalism of the specialist you saw?

Speed

• Did your visit start at the scheduled time?
• Did the appointment feel too long to you?

Outcome

• Was your concern or health issue fully addressed during this visit?

Cleanliness

• How would you rate the overall cleanliness and hygiene of the clinic or practice?

The library goes further than this. It also covers booking a slot that actually suited the patient, how fast someone picked up the first enquiry, the wait before the chair, whether anyone noticed the equipment or methods you've changed since their last visit. Swap questions in and out as your practice changes.

What makes AskHedgy different

You hear about an uneasy patient the same day, not from a review. The moment a low rating comes in, an email alert reaches you, while you can still picture the appointment. And patients rarely tell a dentist to their face that they felt embarrassed, rushed or frightened: saying it out loud means criticising the person who just treated them, and admitting to a feeling they'd rather not have had. Anonymity removes both pressures at once, which is why the anonymous answer and the face-to-face answer to the same question so often differ. It reaches you instead of your listing.

Hear what a star rating never captures. Every survey automatically includes one insight question, designed to surface what a generic "rate us" form misses: whether the patient understood what they were agreeing to, whether they felt rushed through the explanation, whether they were too embarrassed to ask what it would cost. Five stars tells you the appointment went to plan. It doesn't tell you why they haven't booked the follow-up.

See whether a change in the practice actually landed. Mark the day you changed something: "New hygienist", "Moved to 40-minute slots", "Digital scans instead of impressions". Then watch how ratings move from that point on. And if you have more than one location, give each its own survey, since every survey has its own QR code and dashboard.

Get the quiet patients to answer, not just the upset ones. Offer a small reward for finishing the survey, such as an oral care kit or a discount on the next hygiene appointment, claimed by showing the final screen at reception. More people complete the survey, so you also hear from the ones who would otherwise just not rebook.

Where to put your QR code in a dental clinic

• On the appointment card for the next visit, handed over at checkout.
• On the aftercare leaflet that goes home after a procedure. It gets read a few hours later, which is when the honest verdict forms. Patients in for a check-up or hygiene visit find it easier to answer on the spot.
• At the reception desk, where patients settle up and book their next appointment.
• Inside the folder with the treatment plan, for the patient who leaves with a plan rather than finished work.
• On a card handed to the parent waiting while a child is treated. They watched the whole visit from the corner of the room and nobody ever asks them.

Questions dental practices ask

Common questions

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