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Get the specialist's exact fax number from your dentist, then fax the signed referral form plus any X-rays the specialist asked for, with a cover page naming the patient. Keep the confirmation page and call the specialist's office to confirm it arrived, since a fax proves transmission, not that anyone filed it.
Most dental referrals are sent office to office, and patients only get involved when something stalls. If your dentist hands you the form and asks you to send it, or if you are switching dentists and need records moved, the steps below cover it. The single most common failure is a wrong number: many specialist practices have one fax line for referrals and a different one for billing, and a referral sent to billing can sit for days.
A standard referral packet has four parts. First, the referral form itself, signed by the referring dentist, naming the specialist, the reason for referral (for example, wisdom tooth extraction, root canal, or gum surgery), and the urgency. Second, the patient's details: full name, date of birth, phone number, and insurance information if the specialist needs it to book. Third, recent X-rays and any photos or chart notes the specialist asked for. Fourth, a cover page stating who the fax is for, how many pages follow, and a callback number.
X-rays deserve special care. A faxed X-ray is a black-and-white copy of an image that already lives as a digital file, so fine detail can wash out. Many specialists prefer X-rays sent through their secure upload link or by email, even when the referral form itself goes by fax. Ask the specialist's office which route they want for images before you send anything. If fax is the only option, send the clearest copy you have and note on the cover page that originals are available on request.
| Item | Include it? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Signed referral form | Yes, always | Unsigned forms are often sent back |
| Patient details and insurance | Yes | Needed to book the appointment |
| X-rays and chart notes | If requested | Ask whether images should go by upload instead |
| Cover page | Yes | Name, page count, callback number |
Use the number your dentist gives you, not one found through a web search. Practice websites are often out of date, and a number that belonged to a practice two years ago may now belong to someone else entirely, which is a real privacy problem when the pages contain health information. If your dentist does not have it, call the specialist's front desk and ask for the referrals fax line specifically, then read the number back digit by digit.
Double-check the area code too. Dental practices near a state or provincial border often have patients and specialists on both sides, and a single wrong digit sends the referral nowhere useful. In Canada, the same pattern holds: specialists in one province may hold a fax line with another province's area code from an earlier office move.
Keep the confirmation page, which lists the number dialed, the page count, and whether each page went through. Then call the specialist's office within a couple of business days and ask whether the referral was received and filed. This call matters more than the confirmation page: it catches the referral that arrived at the right machine but was never attached to the right patient file.
If the specialist's office says nothing arrived, check three things before resending: the number you dialed, whether your fax service or machine reported all pages as sent, and whether the office has a second fax line. Resending the same packet to the same wrong number twice is a surprisingly common way to lose a week.
LetterAgent's fax service is currently available in testing for US and Canadian fax numbers. You describe the fax to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted total, and pay once through Stripe. Fax is still in testing and activation is in progress, so do not treat it as a same-day guarantee for a time-sensitive referral.
Ready to fax it? Fax with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is sent.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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