Texts aren't sending
Who can do this: Owners and Office Managers can run the checks. NixDent fixes numbers and registration.
Start with the question: is it every patient or one patient?
If it’s every patient
Section titled “If it’s every patient”Work down the list. Stop at the first problem you find.
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Does the office have a texting number? Go to Settings → Patients and AI → AI receptionist. Under Texts to patients go out from you should see a number. If it says “No texting number yet”, click Ask for one. Nothing can send until one is set.
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Is texting registration approved? Go to Settings → Practice → Practice details, scroll to SMS Messaging, and read Verification status.
- Verified: good.
- Not Started, Under Review or a status starting with Waiting on: carriers may block texts until it finishes. See Phone numbers, porting and texting registration.
- Action Required or Rejected: read the message, then contact NixDent.
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Is your business profile complete? On Practice details, look at the banner. Profile Incomplete lists what is missing. Fill it in and click Save Practice Profile.
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Is the opt-in page live? The checklist item Texting opt-in page and policies needs your patient opt-in page to be live. The Getting started card on Settings will say if it isn’t.
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Is the automation switched on? Go to Settings → Patients and AI → Automations. Confirm booking confirmations, confirmation requests and appointment reminders are on. The checklist item Confirmations and reminders on says which are off. The item Automated texts going out warns if nothing was sent in 7 days: “Nothing sent in 7 days — check the texting number and registration.”
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Is the Open Dental connection live? Automations need the schedule. If the top bar says Practice offline, see Your Open Dental connection.
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Is the Patient Communication product on your plan? Go to Settings → Plan and billing. If it says Not on your plan, texting features are not available. See Your plan and NixNotes seats.
If every check passes, contact NixDent and include the office name, one example patient’s appointment date and time (no patient names), and what you expected to send.
If it’s one patient
Section titled “If it’s one patient”- They replied STOP. If a patient texts only a word such as STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT or OPT OUT, NixDent stops texting them. A normal sentence such as “please cancel my Tuesday appointment” is not an opt-out. The patient can text START to turn texts back on. Never re-enable it for them without their permission.
- They are marked Do Not Contact. Check the patient’s communication preferences. See Communication preferences and do not contact.
- The number on file is wrong, a landline, or has no area code. Fix it in Open Dental.
- The patient’s carrier blocked it. Ask them to check their blocked or spam message list.
If only the AI’s links aren’t arriving
Section titled “If only the AI’s links aren’t arriving”The AI texts payment links and membership links from your texting number. If those don’t arrive, check items 1 to 4 above first. The AI only sends a payment link if NixDent has switched on text-to-pay for your office.