Following up a dental treatment plan or quote in Belgium: what is allowed, and messages to copy
A patient who left with a treatment plan or a quote and has not been in touch can receive a neutral follow-up about their own care. Belgian law asks you to explain the financial consequences of a treatment beforehand, and leaves the patient free to refuse. Belgium has no legal validity period for a dental quote and no amount from which it must be in writing: you set it yourself. Below are the rules that do apply, and messages to copy.
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What must the patient know about costs beforehand?
The financial consequences of the treatment. The patient rights law, as reformed from 4 March 2024, asks the practitioner to inform the patient in advance and in good time about the planned treatment, and expressly about its financial consequences. If the patient asks for that information on paper or electronically, they get it that way. Consent is also recorded in writing if either side asks.
The patient may refuse or withdraw consent, and keeps the right to quality care. A follow-up therefore always leaves room for no.
The code of ethics published by the Flemish dentists’ association VVT goes further: when the patient’s own share is substantial, a financial estimate is given beforehand. That is an association’s code, not law: Belgium has no Order of dentists.
How long does a dental quote stay valid in Belgium?
As long as you write on it. Belgium has no legal validity period for a dental quote, no amount from which it must be written, and no standard form. So put a date on the quote yourself, and mention that date in your follow-up.
The two standardised RIZIV/INAMI documents are not quotes. They are proof-of-care documents the patient receives after treatment for their health fund or supplementary insurance, one for third-party payment and one for direct payment.
France is different: a quote is compulsory there from 70 euros, with a validity date set by the dentist. That is French law, not Belgian.
RIZIV/INAMI, dental care: two standardised documents to give the patient (in Dutch)
Is a follow-up message advertising?
Not while it is about the patient’s own care. The Belgian Data Protection Authority calls a message direct marketing as soon as it has promotional content, even alongside useful information. The rules for advertising by e-mail and SMS then apply, including prior consent, and the patient can always object.
The authority has said nothing about a dentist following up an open treatment plan. Our reading: a neutral message with a question and a way to reply is care communication. A discount, an offer, another service or a comparison with another practice turns it into advertising.
The 1958 advertising ban for dentists was repealed in 2018. What a practice tells the public must still, under the quality law, be truthful, must not push unnecessary treatment and must not aim to recruit patients.
Belgian Data Protection Authority, recommendation 01/2025 on direct marketing (in French)
Which real deadlines can you mention?
An invented deadline does not belong in a follow-up. These three are real, and you can explain them factually, ideally in the consultation or a letter, not in a text message:
- The oral care pathway. A patient aged 19 or over who had no reimbursed dental care in the previous calendar year pays about twice their usual share for fillings, root canal treatment and extractions, and about 50 euros more for a removable denture. Their health fund can tell them where they stand.
- Orthodontics. To be reimbursed, regular orthodontic treatment must start before the 15th birthday, or be notified to the health fund before that date.
- Deposits. The first deposit may be asked at the first session at the earliest, and a deposit is never more than half the amount for the next six months of treatment.
What goes in the message, and what stays out?
The practice name, the words treatment plan or quote, an invitation to call or reply, and a way to stop. Not tooth numbers, not the diagnosis, not the name of the treatment, not the amount and no photo: a text message shows on a locked screen, and even a dental appointment can be health data.
Send one follow-up, and stop at a no. Record the refusal, so nobody at the practice calls a second time.
Messages to copy
Each message fits one SMS once filled in, and works on WhatsApp too. How to keep WhatsApp in order is on WhatsApp for a dental practice.
| When | Text to copy |
|---|---|
| Two weeks after the consultation | Hello [first name], any questions about your treatment plan at [practice name]? Call [number] or reply here. No more messages? Reply STOP. |
| Quote with a validity date | Hello [first name], your quote from [practice name] is valid until [date]. To book or ask a question, call [number] or reply here. |
| When the patient says no | Thank you for letting us know, [first name]. We have noted it. If you change your mind, call us on [number]. |
What does Tilcao do with this?
At Tilcao, following up treatment plans is one of the six roles. It only sends messages the practice approved beforehand, in the patient’s language, and it stops at a no. A patient who replies with a question gets an appointment or a person. For messages around ordinary appointments, there are examples in the dental appointment reminder text templates.
Questions practices ask
How long is a dental quote valid in Belgium?
There is no legal period in Belgium. The practice sets its own validity date and writes it on the quote, so the patient knows until when the amount holds.
May I remind a patient about an open treatment plan?
With a neutral message about their own care, yes: a question, a way to reply and a way to stop. The Data Protection Authority has said nothing about this case, but under its definition a discount or another offer would make it advertising. Stop at a no.
Are the two RIZIV/INAMI documents for dentists a quote?
No. They are proof-of-care documents the patient receives after treatment for their health fund or supplementary insurance, one for third-party payment and one for direct payment. Belgium has no standard quote form.
May I ask for a deposit before treatment?
Yes, at the first session at the earliest, and never more than half the amount for the next six months of treatment. The treatment, the material costs and the deposits are agreed with the patient beforehand.
Tilcao is the operating system for dental practices in Belgium: its AI receptionist answers patient calls and WhatsApp messages in Dutch, French and English, and books, moves and cancels appointments in the practice’s own diary.