Thank you letter to a referring dentist: 6 samples

A good thank you letter to a referring dentist is short, signed by the orthodontist, and thanks them for the relationship without naming a patient. Save letters for the moments that deserve paper, like a first referral, a strong year or a reconnection, and use the six samples below as drafts you make your own.

When does a letter beat a text?

When the moment is bigger than one referral. A letter takes longer to arrive, but it is something the team can hold, pass around and keep. A text is faster and fits the everyday thank you after a new patient.

How dentists like to hear from orthodontists has shifted. In a 2004 Journal of Clinical Orthodontics poll of general dentists, 89% picked mail as a way they wanted orthodontists to communicate about shared patients, and fewer than 10% picked email (JCO, 2004). By a 2019 to 2021 AAO Foundation study of 373 general dentists, email (40%) and phone (30%) were the most preferred, and the authors concluded that the best way to boost referrals was better communication (AAO Foundation final report).

So most of your thank yous can be quick, and our thank you texts for referring dentists cover those. With so much everyday contact on email and phone, a letter in the mail is the one that stands out. Use one when you want the thanks to last longer than a notification.

What goes in a thank you letter to a referring dentist?

Four parts, and most letters fit on half a page.

1. A specific thank you. Name what you are grateful for: their trust, a smooth handoff, a year of working together.
2. One detail that shows you were paying attention. Their team, a conversation at lunch, a new hygienist who helped with records.
3. Something you offer. A direct line, a quick case review, an invitation to an upcoming study club.
4. A warm close and a real signature. From the doctor, by hand if possible.

Leave out sales language, practice statistics and anything about how many patients they sent. A letter that counts referrals reads like a scorecard, not a thank you.

What are six sample thank you letters you can adapt?

Swap in your own names and details. Everything in brackets is a placeholder.

1. First referral from a new office

Dear Dr. [Name],

Thank you for trusting us with one of your patients. A first referral means a lot, and we will work hard to earn the next one. If you ever have a question about a case, my cell is [number], and I am happy to talk between patients.

I would love to bring lunch by and meet your team when it suits your schedule.

Warmly,
Dr. [Your Name]

2. A strong year together

Dear Dr. [Name] and team,

As the year wraps up, I wanted to say thank you. Working with your office has been one of the best parts of our year. Your front desk makes every handoff easy, and our patients often mention how well they were cared for before they reached us.

Here's to another good year together.

With gratitude,
Dr. [Your Name] and the [Practice] team

3. After a lunch and learn or CE evening

Dear Dr. [Name],

Thank you and your team for joining us for [topic] last week. The questions from your hygienists were some of the best we have had, and I enjoyed hearing how your office handles early screenings.

I have enclosed the handout we promised. If anyone on your team wants to talk through a case, they can call me directly.

Best,
Dr. [Your Name]

4. Welcoming a new office

Dear Dr. [Name],

Congratulations on opening [Office]. It is a big step, and the neighborhood is lucky to have you. We are [distance] away and would be glad to help with any orthodontic questions as you get settled.

I will stop by in the next few weeks to say hello in person.

Welcome,
Dr. [Your Name]

For a new associate joining an office you already work with, our welcome plan for a new dentist at a referring office covers the first 90 days.

5. Reconnecting after a quiet stretch

Dear Dr. [Name],

It has been a while since we caught up, and I wanted to reach out. We have valued working with your office over the years, and I would love to hear how things are going on your side, including anything we could do better.

Could I bring coffee by one morning next month?

All the best,
Dr. [Your Name]

Keep this one free of any mention of referrals slowing down. The goal is a conversation, and our guide to why a dentist stops referring explains what to listen for when you get it.

6. The holidays

Dear Dr. [Name] and team,

Thank you for a wonderful year working together. We are grateful for the trust you place in us and for how kind your team always is to ours. Wishing you all a restful holiday season.

Happy holidays,
Dr. [Your Name] and everyone at [Practice]

If a gift goes with it, our Christmas gifts for referring dental offices post has ideas by budget and timing.

How do you keep patient information out of a thank you letter?

Write it so that anyone at the front desk could read it aloud. That means no patient names, initials, ages, diagnoses or treatment plans. A thank you letter is about the relationship between two offices, and it often gets opened by someone other than the doctor.

Clinical updates still matter. In the 2004 JCO poll, dentists asked for written reports before and after treatment. Send those separately, through the channel your practice already uses for case communication, and let the thank you letter stay a thank you. If you are unsure what your practice may share, ask whoever handles privacy compliance for your office.

Should it be handwritten or printed, and who signs it?

Handwritten wins whenever the doctor has the time. A printed letter on practice letterhead works for longer notes, as long as the doctor signs it by hand and adds a line or two in ink at the bottom.

• The orthodontist signs. The dentist trusted your doctor with their patient, so the thanks should come from the same person.
• Reps and coordinators can draft. Have the rep write the letter from what they know about the office, then hand it to the doctor to edit and sign.
• Address the team when the team earned it. Letters to "Dr. [Name] and team" get read by everyone.
• Skip the mail merge. A form letter with a name swapped in is easy to spot and undoes the point of writing.

How do you pair a letter with a text or a visit?

Think of the letter as the middle of a short sequence, not a one off. A text the day of the referral says thanks quickly. The letter a week later says it in a way that lasts. A visit in the next month or two turns the thanks into a conversation.

Fictional example: a rep notices that a pediatric office across town sent its first patient. The doctor texts thanks that afternoon, signs sample letter 1 on Friday, and the rep books a lunch for the following month. Three small touches, each from a real person.

The hard part is noticing the moment in time. Occlu reads the referral reports you already export, shows who referred, how that is trending and who has gone quiet, and drafts a thank you text for the doctor to edit and send from their own phone. The letters stay yours to write and sign.

Know who to thank each week

We're setting up a small group of founding practices now. We take the reports you already export, do the setup, and show who referred, who has gone quiet and which new offices to welcome, with thank you texts drafted for you to send. Become a founding practice.

Or email us at info@getocclu.com

Sources

• Journal of Clinical Orthodontics (2004): JCO Survey of Referring Dentists (PDF)
• AAO Foundation: Identifying Factors that Impact General Dentist Referrals to Orthodontists, final report by Daniel Lee and Laura Jacox (PDF)