Creating Custom Fields

Custom fields let you store information that is specific to your practice, so every patient record reflects the details that actually matter to how your team works. This article walks you through creating and using custom fields to track things like insurance carrier, treatment interest, or how a patient heard about you.

Why Custom Fields Matter

The default fields in a patient record (name, phone, email, date of birth) cover the basics, but no two practices are exactly the same. Maybe you want to flag which patients are interested in Invisalign, note a patient's primary insurance plan, or record whether they were referred by another patient. Custom fields give you a dedicated, searchable spot for that information right inside the patient record, rather than burying it in a note that nobody will find later.

Accessing Custom Field Settings

1. From your dashboard, click Settings in the main menu.
2. Under the Contacts section, select Custom Fields.
3. You will see a list of any fields your practice has already created, along with an option to add new ones.

Creating a New Custom Field

1. Click Add Field (or + New Field, depending on your view).
2. Enter a Field Label. Use plain language your front desk will recognize, such as Insurance Carrier, Treatment Interest, or Referral Source.
3. Choose a Field Type from the dropdown. The most common options are:
   • Text - a free-form single line, good for carrier names or referral names
   • Dropdown - a pick list you define, great for treatment interests or referral categories
   • Checkbox - a simple yes/no toggle, useful for things like "consent on file" or "whitening interest"
   • Date - for fields like last hygiene visit or treatment start date
   • Number - for numeric values like a patient's household size if you run family-plan campaigns
4. If you chose Dropdown, click Add Option to enter each item in your list. Add as many as you need.
5. Click Save when the field is configured.

Filling In Custom Fields on a Patient Record

Once a field exists, it appears in the Custom Fields section of every patient record. Open any contact, scroll down to that section, and click the field to enter or update the value. Your team can fill these in during a call, after an appointment, or any time new information comes up. See Understanding the Patient Record for a full walkthrough of the record layout.

Common Custom Fields for Dental Practices

Here are some fields that practices find useful to set up right away:

• Insurance Carrier (Text or Dropdown) - note whether a patient has Delta Dental, MetLife, Cigna, or is self-pay
• Treatment Interest (Dropdown) - options like Implants, Invisalign, Whitening, Veneers, or General Cleaning
• Referral Source (Dropdown) - options like Patient Referral, Google Search, Facebook Ad, Walk-In, or Doctor Referral
• Patient Since (Date) - when they became a patient of record
• Preferred Contact Method (Dropdown) - Text, Call, or Email
• Outstanding Treatment (Text) - a short note on any treatment that has been diagnosed but not yet scheduled

Editing or Removing Custom Fields

You can rename a field or update its dropdown options at any time from Settings under Custom Fields. Click the pencil icon next to a field to edit it. If you delete a field, any values already saved on patient records for that field will be removed, so double-check before deleting a field your team has been using.

Using Custom Fields with Smart Lists

Custom fields become especially powerful when you combine them with filters. Once patients have values in a custom field, you can filter your contact list to find everyone who shares that value. For example, filter by Treatment Interest equals "Implants" to build a list of patients you want to reach out to about a promotion. Learn more in Building Smart Lists and Filters.

If you need to bring a large number of existing patient records into the platform with custom field values already filled in, the fastest approach is a bulk import. See Adding and Importing Patients for instructions on how to map columns in your spreadsheet to custom fields during the import process.