Completing SMS registration

To successfully send text messages, electronic statements, automated appointment and recare reminders, and online booking verifications through Dentrix Ascend, you must complete an SMS registration form. Providing accurate company information (such as a valid EIN) for the SMS registration will reduce the chance of your messages being filtered out as spam by cell phone carriers because this information increases your "trust score," which cell phone carriers use to determine if a message is spam.

What is 10DLC and AP2 messaging?

10-digit long code, or 10DLC, is the standard format for phone numbers in the United States. Your business phone number follows the 10DLC format (for example, 801-555-5555). A2P stands for application-to-person texting. If you send text messages from your practice to patients using a solution like Patient Engage, Demandforce, Lighthouse, Sesame Communications, QuickBill Premium, or Dentrix Ascend, you are using application-to-person texting with a 10DLC phone number. To reduce texting spam, carriers have adopted a registration requirement for businesses that use 10DLC phone numbers to send texts.

If you do not register your 10DLC number, text messages sent from your practice to your patients will be blocked. 

What is the deadline to register?

The deadline has passed. All text messages from unregistered numbers are now being blocked.

Is there a fee to register?

Yes. The mobile carriers will charge you a small fee to register. Based on the information available to us, we believe most dental practices will pay $19 to register. Larger organizations with a higher volume of texting may pay a higher registration fee. This fee comes from the mobile carrier industry. It will appear on your Henry Schein One bill.

Is there a penalty if I do not register?

Yes. To encourage registration, mobile carriers have raised rates for unregistered phone numbers. These increased carrier rates will appear on your Henry Schein One bill until you register.

Note: You must complete the SMS registration for each location that sends application-to-person (A2P) messages through Dentrix Ascend.

To complete the SMS registration form

  1. If you are not already viewing the correct location, select it on the Location menu.

  2. On the Settings menu, under Patient Care, click (or tap) Patient Communications.

    The Patient Communications page opens.

  3. Click (or tap) SMS Registration.

    Note: If the registration for the current location has not been completed, or if the registration is being processed, the button has an orange warning symbol.

    The SMS Registration dialog box appears.

  4. Complete the registration form.

    Customize any of the following:

    • Legal Business Name - Your business's legal name.

    • EIN (Tax ID) - Your business's federal Employer Identification Number.

      Tip: You can do any of the following to find your EIN:

      • Contact your company's accountant or financial office.

      • Look on your company's W2 form or other tax-filing forms.

      • If your company is publicly traded and registered, use the SEC's EDGAR system.

    • Address - The street address, city, state, and ZIP Code of your business.

    • Website URL - The website address (URL) of your business's website.

    • Social Media Profile URL - The website address (URL) of your business's social media website.

    • Business Type - The legal structure of your business: Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Limited Liability Corporation, Co-operative, Non-profit Corporation, or Corporation.

    • Company Email - The email address of a contact person in your business or a general mailbox for your business. For a public company (Public is selected as the Company Type), the address must be from a domain that is associated with your company, an email message will be sent to the specified address, and a representative must click the link provided in that message within seven days to verify the email address.

    • Company Type - The type of institution of your business: Private, Public, Non-profit, or Government.

      Note: If your business is a public company (Public is selected as the Company Type), the following options are available and must be set up:

      • Company Stock Ticker Symbol - Enter the letters of your company's stock symbol.

      • Stock Exchange - Select the applicable stock exchange: NASDAQ or NYSE.

  5. Click (or tap) Save.

Note: The verification process, which is conducted by the messaging provider for Dentrix Ascend, may take several weeks to complete. When registration is complete, the symbol on the SMS Registration button changes to a green checkmark.