Ortho Patient Flow & Conversion

How to Read the Ortho Conversion Funnel

Orthodontic conversion looks different from general dentistry because of one structural reality. Not every patient who walks in is ready to start. About 20% of exams should move to the pre-treatment observation pool. That's not a failed conversion. It's a future start. The exam-to-start target of 65 to 75% only counts patients who are treatment-ready at the time of the exam.

Annual starts of 287 is the AAO industry average per doctor. The funnel that produces that number has four stages. New patient calls at 100%, exams scheduled at ~85%, exams completed at ~75%, and treatment starts at 50 to 65% end-to-end. Each stage gives you a different lever. Scheduling rate is a front-desk question. Completion rate is a confirmation and reminder question. Start rate is a treatment coordinator question.

The Treatment Coordinator Effect

70% of ortho practices employ a dedicated treatment coordinator, per the AAO Economics Survey 2024-2025. Practices without a TC typically convert 50 to 60% of exams. Practices with a trained TC consistently hit 75%+. That's a 15 to 20 point swing tied to one role. At 300 exams per year and an average case fee of $6,121, a 15% improvement is roughly $110,000 in additional revenue. The TC isn't a nice-to-have. It's the single highest-leverage hire in the practice.

The observation pool deserves its own attention. About 20% of exams go there, and 20 to 25% of those patients should convert monthly. A healthy start mix is roughly 80% from new exams and 20% from observation. If less than 10% of your starts come from observation, the recall system isn't working. Patients are likely going to a competitor when they become treatment-ready.

If conversion is below the 65 to 75% target, the issue is almost always presentation or follow-up, not marketing. Industry average is 64 to 68%, so most practices have real room to grow. Top practices hit 80%+. Gaidge Analytics recommends tracking each funnel stage monthly to spot bottlenecks early. The data on this page comes from the AAO survey, Gaidge, and Bentson Copple.

Key Conversion Metrics

The Orthodontic Conversion Funnel

New Patient Calls

100%

Exams Scheduled

~85%

Exams Completed

~75%

Treatment Starts

50-65%

Gaidge recommends tracking each stage to identify conversion bottlenecks. (Source: Gaidge Analytics 2024)

The Treatment Coordinator Advantage

70% of orthodontic practices employ treatment coordinators. Practices with dedicated TCs consistently outperform in case acceptance. (Source: AAO Economics Survey 2024-2025)

70%

Practices with TCs

+15-20%

Higher case acceptance

30-60min

Consult time per patient

Where Starts Come From

Healthy Start Mix

New Exams: 80%

Observation: 20%

Warning Signs

• • Observation pool growing but not converting
• • <10% of starts from observation
• • Observation patients lost to competitors
• • No structured observation recall system

Sources: AAO Economics Survey 2024-2025, Gaidge Analytics, Orthodontic Products Practice Survey, Bentson Copple & Associates