Understanding the best way to present treatment in your practice is essential for creating a smooth, professional patient experience that supports case acceptance and practice growth. Confident, well-informed communication keeps the schedule moving and turns everyday interactions into opportunities for retention, revenue, and trust-building.
In this guide, you’ll review common dental office scenarios to better understand how and when to use ‘Consent’ and ‘Present’ treatment plan views in Flex.
Present or Consent? What’s the Difference?
- The Present view is used most frequently and is typically displayed on the day treatment is diagnosed. It is commonly presented at check-out, while Consent view is often used at check-in to review the treatment plan with the patient.
- Within the top left toolbar of the Present view, an icon allows you to easily attach images when presenting treatment plans in the office. When using this view, payment options can be accessed under the plus (+) icon on the left side of the screen. Payment options, such as discounts, in-house payment plans, and third-party financing, are often presented at check-out to reduce financial barriers and support immediate case acceptance, helping patients complete care while strengthening practice revenue.
- The Consent view is typically presented on the day of treatment. Many offices present this version of the treatment plan using a tablet. You can choose to 'Display Informed Consent Text' directly in the presentation, or display the linked consent form after the patient signs the treatment plan on the tablet. This ensures signatures are captured for both the consent form and the plan in one streamlined process.
- If you offer Nitrous Oxide in the practice, an option can be added within the Consent version of the treatment presentation so that patients can easily add nitrous when they’re feeling anxious. This small addition helps patients feel more at ease — and makes the process efficient for the team.
- For offices utilizing FlexPayments or Flex Integrated Payments, patient payments can be processed on either the Present or Consent versions of the treatment plan. Both versions can also be sent to the patient via text or email, along with consent forms. Note: The ability to make payments directly is available to practices using an integrated merchant partner and have enabled the proper settings.
If you have additional questions about this information, these resources should be helpful to you:
- How to Access and Use Flex on Tablet Devices.↗️
- How Do I Search For A Patient?↗️
- Treatment Plan: Text Guides.↗️
- Treatment Plan: Video Guides.↗️
- FlexPayments: Need to Enroll? Click Here!↗️
- Payments Users: Payments via Treatment Plans.↗️
- Payments Users: Enable Payments and Automatic Billing.↗️
Real-World Scenarios: ‘Present’ vs. ‘Consent’ in Practice:
Exam Visit | Treatment Diagnosed
Scenario:
A patient — whether new or existing — comes in for an exam. During the exam, the dentist diagnoses treatment that needs to be scheduled.
What type of treatment plan should you use?
In most practices, this is the ideal time to use the Present version of the treatment plan. Once the provider finalizes their diagnosis, your team will enter the recommended treatment into Open Dental.
The Present view is especially useful here because it emphasizes the need for treatment, giving you options like itemizing, attaching images, offering payment arrangements, and more. These tools make it easier to show the patient the full scope of their recommended care and start a clear conversation about how they can move forward financially — all while they are still in the office and engaged. Compared to the Consent version, which is better suited for review, the Present version allows you to present both the treatment details and payment arrangements in one seamless view. By offering financial or payment options at this stage, you reduce barriers to scheduling and help patients feel confident about committing to their care plan.
What if the patient moves forward with treatment same-day?
When this happens, the patient typically signs the treatment plan on-site, and the team then brings up the consent form separately for signature. An option many offices find even smoother is to text or email the treatment plan directly to the patient's device. When the patient receives it with a linked consent form, they are prompted to review, sign, and save everything seamlessly from their own device — reducing the need to pass around the tablet and keeping the process clean and efficient.
💡Pro tip: If your practice uses FlexPayments or Flex Integrated Payments, this is where it shines—streamlining both treatment presentation and payment planning.
👉🏻For a detailed walkthrough on how to present treatment plans effectively during this stage, check out: How Do I View/Show Treatment Plans? and "Present" Treatment Plan View.
👉🏻To learn how to set up and present payment options, view these resources: Discount Option, Payment Plan Options, 3rd Party Financing Defaults, Treatment Plan Payment Options Video Overview.
👉🏻For guidance on how to link consent forms to treatment plans refer to these guides: Consent Forms Video and How Do I Attach Consents To Treatment Plans?
Treatment Visit | Review Diagnosed Treatment
Scenario:
The patient returns on the day of treatment, ready to complete the care that was diagnosed during their exam visit.
What type of treatment plan should you use?
The Consent version is a better fit here because it prepares both the patient and the team for the visit in a clear, streamlined way. You can quickly review the treatment discussed at the exam, add nitrous if needed, and ensure all necessary consent forms are signed — keeping everyone on the same page and minimizing last-minute surprises before treatment begins.
For practices that collect payments at check-in and use Payments in Flex, this view is especially effective because it supports a smooth workflow: treatment is reviewed, the patient’s payment is processed, and any required consent forms are signed — all before the patient is seated for their procedure. This keeps the front desk process clean and efficient and helps avoid delays in the operatory.
What if treatment changes on the day of the visit?
This depends on whether or not payment arrangements need to be added. If no payment arrangements are needed, the Consent view makes it easy to confirm the updated treatment, review any new details with the patient, and collect signatures on revisions made to both the treatment plan and consent forms — all without disrupting the schedule. To add payment arrangements, use the Present version instead.
When to Text or Email Treatment Plans
There are several situations where texting or emailing the treatment plan directly to the patient’s device is not only convenient but also the best option for keeping the process smooth and patient-friendly.
Scenario: To collect signatures before the appointment or on the patient’s personal device
Some offices prefer to have all necessary documents signed before the patient arrives, especially when coordinating larger cases, sedation patients, or multi-step treatments. Others choose to send the treatment plan to the patient’s mobile device so they can review and sign it in-office — either because the office doesn’t offer dedicated tablets or because the patient prefers to save signed documents directly to their own device. In these cases, determine whether or not you need consent verbiage included or payment arrangements. As a reminder, only the Present version offers payment options and both versions of treatment plans will have the option to include any linked consent forms.
Scenario: When the patient requests it
Some patients ask for their treatment plan to be sent to them digitally so they can review the details at their own pace, share it with a spouse or family member, or simply keep a record for their files. If the goal is to primarily review and sign consent forms, the Consent version works well. If they also need to see payment options or explore 3rd-party financing offered in your practice, the Present version provides a comprehensive overview.
Scenario: To offer payment arrangements remotely
If payment options were discussed in-office but the patient needs more time to decide or finalize arrangements, sending the treatment plan digitally allows them to choose from the available options on their own device. When linked with a consent form, this ensures both the financial and clinical documentation is presented smoothly, even outside the office. The Present version is the only choice here as it includes one discount option, 2 in-house payment arrangements, and up to three 3rd-party financing options, with the flexibility to sign and download both the treatment plan and consent form remotely.
💡Pro tip: Sending treatment plans digitally not only increases convenience for patients but also keeps your records organized and reduces the need for printing and scanning paperwork later.
👉🏻For guidance on how to securely send treatment plans with linked consent forms and payment options, visit these resources:
- How Do I View/Show Treatment Plans?↗️
- Treatment Plan Payment Options Video Overview↗️
- How Do I Attach Consents To Treatment Plans?↗️
Collecting Payments with Treatment Plans
To process payments directly from the treatment plan — in-office or remotely — you’ll need merchant services with one of our partners and Payment Settings enabled.
FlexPayments and Flex Integrated Payments lets you securely collect payments, set up automatic recurring charges, and send automatic recurring statements to patients.
👉🏻For guidance on how to get started and enroll in FlexPayments, contact our Support Team.
Flex is designed to make the treatment planning process easier and more efficient.
The more you use it, the more confident you’ll become — and with each use, the process will feel smoother.
Dive in, take full advantage of the tools at your fingertips, and watch how it enhances both your practice’s workflow and your patients’ experience!
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If you have questions, please contact Flex Support.
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