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, you will no longer be able to send text messages to your patients. 

Am I affected by 10DLC?

If you send text messages from your business to your patients, yes, you are affected.

What is the deadline to register?

You should complete your registration as soon as possible. Mobile carriers will begin blocking texts from unregistered 10DLC numbers on July 5, 2023. Registration verification can take several weeks, and if your registration has not been verified by July 5 your messages may be gradually blocked by the carriers. All texts from unregistered numbers will be blocked on August 31, 2023.

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 in your Henry Schein One bill.

Is there a penalty if I wait to register?

Yes. To encourage registration, mobile carriers are raising rates for unregistered phone numbers. You'll begin seeing these carrier rate increases in your Henry Schein One bill soon. You'll continue seeing them 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.

    • Company Stock Ticker Symbol - If your business is a public company (Public is selected as the Company Type), this box is available. Enter the letters of your company's stock symbol.

    • Stock Exchange - If your business is a public company (Public is selected as the Company Type), this list is available. 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 days to complete. When registration is complete, the symbol on the SMS Registration button changes to a green checkmark.