Online booking for dental practices
An empty chair is a hygienist standing still. The two things that cause it are a booking length that does not match the work and a patient who forgot.
Event types per appointment kind — 30-minute check-up, 60-minute cleaning or treatment — with a ten-minute buffer, a day-before reminder, and insured and private work named separately.
Where the chair time goes#
Practices that take everything through one "appointment" end up with a diary that is either too loose or permanently overrunning. And the single biggest question from foreign patients — whether the work is covered by insurance — is usually answered at the counter, after they have committed.
The setup to start from#
Check-ups, cleanings and treatment appointments are different lengths, and a patient who cancels an hour before leaves a chair and a hygienist idle.
| Duration | 30 minutes for a check-up, 60 for a cleaning or treatment |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 24 hours |
| Buffer | 10 minutes after, to turn the room over |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person, or a small deposit online if no-shows are a problem |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before, if you take a deposit |
Worth asking on the booking form: First visit or returning patient? · Are you in pain right now? · Do you have Japanese health insurance?
Routine dentistry is covered by insurance and 自由診療 work is not, and the difference is the single most common question from foreign patients. Make it two event types so the price is unambiguous before anyone sits down.
One event type per appointment kind#
Check-up, cleaning, treatment. Each with its own length and its own description. The diary then reflects what is actually happening in the chair.
Insured and private, named plainly#
Routine dentistry is covered by insurance; 自由診療 whitening and implants are not. Make them separate event types with the position stated in each, and the price conversation happens before the patient sits down.
Reminders, then deposits if you need them#
A reminder a day before recovers most forgotten appointments and costs nothing. If no-shows persist on long treatment slots, take a small deposit online on those event types only — there is no need to charge for a check-up.
Getting started#
- Sign in at app.marubox.jp with Google or Microsoft. There is no card and no trial clock.
- Create an event type with the settings above. Event types explained
- Connect your calendar so the surgery never gets double booked. Google · Outlook
- Set your real hours, and close Japanese public holidays in one tick. Availability
- Put the link in your bio, or the widget on your site. Adding it to your website
Common questions
How do we cut dental no-shows?
Turn on a reminder a day before on each event type, which recovers most of them. For long treatment appointments, take a small deposit online with a 24-hour refund window.
Can we show which treatments are covered by insurance?
Make insured and 自由診療 work separate event types and state the position in each description. Patients then choose knowing the price basis rather than finding out at reception.
Can patients book a cleaning without calling?
Yes. Each appointment kind has its own link, so a patient picks the cleaning and books a real slot from your actual availability.
Set this up in about ten minutes
Business Box is free for as long as you like, with no card required — booking pages, Google and Outlook calendar sync, availability, Japanese public holidays and the website widget. Taking card payment for bookings is ¥1,200 a month, tax included, with no commission on what you sell.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026.