Anyone running a dental practice knows the text. It’s usually received early in the morning, and it ranges from a fever to a sick child to a car that won’t start. But that means you’re down a dental hygienist, and there’s a day full of patients on the schedule.

While it may be tempting to cancel scheduled patients for that day, hygiene appointments are rarely only a prophylaxis. They may include radiographs, periodontal work, exams, or a discussion about potential restorative treatment. In addition, every cancellation creates more work for your front office staff, who now must shuffle patients around in a schedule that was already packed with appointments. 

When it comes to your patients, chances are they’ve made their appointment months ago and have planned their day around it. New patients may look elsewhere, finding reliability with a nearby competitor. Your patients of record may not be far behind and leave after multiple appointments are rescheduled or canceled. This is a common problem for many practices.

A 2026 survey of 1,311 dental staffing platform users found that almost two-thirds (65.7%) of office respondents needed same-day staffing coverage.¹ With this being such a common issue, one would think that there is a plan in place, but often, there is not. Here are some steps to ensure your team is prepared.

Deal with today first

First, confirm how long the employee expects to be out, and evaluate the patients on the schedule. Which visits are difficult to move to another column or reschedule? Is there a new patient who has already been waiting for several weeks or a month? How critical is that appointment? We know how important the periodontal maintenance cadence is when compared to the six-month prophy.

Next, decide how long you are willing to wait before changing the schedule, then start looking for qualified coverage right away. If appointments do need to be moved, be straightforward. Patients don’t need a long explanation, but they do need an apology and a real alternative. “We’ll call you when something opens” is not much of a solution. If a temporary hygienist or assistant is coming in, let patients know who will be seeing them if it impacts their appointment. 

It is also worth tracking what the absence actually costs. Look at the production scheduled for that column and the time the team spent rearranging the day. That number will be more useful than a generic estimate when deciding how much to spend on backup coverage.

Know who you would call again

When someone calls out, many practices rely on former employees, friends, and group texts for help. Sometimes that works, but it’s far from reliable. A stronger approach is to build a small group of temporary professionals you already know who can fill in quickly with minimal notice. Bring them in for planned coverage, or even an occasional half-day when the office is fully staffed.

Keep notes about the basics. Which practice management systems have they used? Are they comfortable with your equipment and patient population? How did they communicate with patients and the rest of the team? Would you bring them back?

Then, with this group established, direct only one team member to make the call to bring them in. This will reduce wasted time and potential miscommunications and overstaffing.

Don’t waste the first hour

Even a very experienced clinician cannot walk into an unfamiliar office and know where everything is, how the team charts, or which door to use before 8 a.m. A little communication before the shift can prevent a slow start. Use your staffing platform or another familiar channel to share the basics, including where to park, how to access the practice management system, and any clinical or infection-control protocols that may differ from those in another office. Then use a quick in-person walkthrough to fill in the rest.

It is important that a team member is ready to greet the temporary professional and give a quick tour. Include that person in the morning huddle. Help them know how to review the schedule and patient charts, note any patients who may need extra attention, and explain how the team handles questions throughout the day. These details may sound minor until they are missing. Without this information, the temporary professional spends the first hour looking for instruments or asking questions that could have been answered on a single page.

A good first shift also increases the odds that the person will return. Share appropriate patient or team feedback and invite the professional to offer feedback too. If there is someone you would like to work with again, stay in contact with them rather than wait for the next emergency.

Coverage is also a retention issue

A backup plan is not only for unexpected callouts. The same approach can cover planned gaps, such as vacations, medical leave, or especially busy seasons. Managers should own the coverage process and not expect staff to find their own coverage.

In a report published by the American Dental Association on the State of the U.S. Dental Economy for Q1 2026, practices that offer dental staff paid vacation and sick time have more adequate staffing practices.² Building a pool of temporary professionals to provide patient coverage during core staff vacation and sick time allows production to continue while office staff recharge.

Employees should be able to use earned time off without feeling personally responsible for keeping the schedule intact. Expecting employees to find their own coverage may make the manager’s job easier in the moment, but it can also discourage people from taking time off when they need it and make the practice a less appealing place to work. 

After any staffing gap, take a few minutes to talk about what happened. Did the coverage search start quickly enough? Was important information missing? Did the temporary professional have the access and supplies needed to work? What questions came up more than once?

Write down the answers while people still remember them. The next callout will come eventually. The goal for the office isn’t perfection; it’s to handle it a little better each time.

References

1. Inside the 2026 dental industry shift. State of the Dental Industry 2026 Report. Cloud Dentistry. https://go.clouddentistry.com/offices/dental-industry-report/
2. The State of the U.S. Dental Economy. 1^st quarter 2026 update. American Dental Association Health Policy Institute. https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/state_us_dental_economy_q12026.pdf