October 6, 2026 · 9 min read

Dental Case Presentation: Template, Format and Examples (2026)

A dental case presentation is a structured explanation of a patient's diagnosis, treatment options and plan, or of a completed case, designed so the audience can follow the clinical reasoning and either make a decision or learn from it. The term covers two different jobs: presenting a treatment plan to a patient, and presenting a finished case to colleagues, a study club, a portfolio or social media. This guide gives you the format, a template, scripts and example outlines for both.

Turn your cases into videos and posts with DentalReels

Everything in this guide takes minutes with DentalReels: pick a dental template, add your before/after photos, and export a vertical HD video ready for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Free on iOS and Android.

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What is a dental case presentation?

For patients, a case presentation is the conversation where findings become a plan. It turns the examination, radiographs, photos and scans into a clear story: what we found, why it matters, what the options are, what each involves and what happens next. Its success is measured by understanding and an informed decision, not by a yes at any cost.

For colleagues and online audiences, a case presentation documents a completed treatment: the starting point, the diagnosis, the reasoning behind the plan, the steps and the outcome with follow-up. Its success is measured by clarity and credibility. The same records, above all a consistent photo series, feed both versions, so building them well at the start saves work at the end.

How to make a dental case presentation for patients

  1. 1

    Prepare before the patient sits down

    Review the records, choose the three to six images that tell the story and decide the order. Have the intraoral photos, radiographs, scan and any model ready on screen or on the tray.

  2. 2

    Start with the patient's goals

    Repeat what they told you at the examination: their concern, their priorities and any constraints such as time or budget. This frames the plan around their reasons, not yours.

  3. 3

    Show findings by priority

    Present health first, such as infection, pain or active disease, then function, such as broken or missing teeth and the bite, then aesthetics. Use their own photos and point to one finding at a time.

  4. 4

    Present options with honest trade-offs

    For each problem, explain the recommended option and the realistic alternatives, including a phased approach and the likely consequences of no treatment. Cover benefits, limitations, maintenance and the number of visits.

  5. 5

    Explain sequence and timeline

    Show what happens in which order and give time ranges that depend on healing and response. A simple visual timeline helps patients plan around work and family.

  6. 6

    Hand over fees and financing

    Many clinics let the treatment coordinator cover fees, insurance and payment options in a calmer, separate conversation, with a written estimate.

  7. 7

    Confirm and follow up

    Invite questions, use teach-back and send a written summary with images and any explanatory video. Agree a clear next step, even if that step is time to think.

Dental case presentation template for treatment plans

Use this one-page format as a printed or digital handout. Write it in plain language; clinical terms can follow in brackets for patients who want them.

  • Your goals: two or three lines in the patient's own words.
  • What we found: the key findings, each with one image and one sentence.
  • What this means: the diagnosis in plain language and what may happen if it is not treated.
  • Your options: the recommended plan, alternatives and a phased option, with the pros, cons and maintenance of each.
  • Sequence: numbered phases with the visits involved and realistic time ranges.
  • Investment: fees, insurance and financing options, prepared by the treatment coordinator.
  • Looking after the result: home care, maintenance visits and what to watch for.
  • Questions and next step: space for the patient's notes, contact details and the agreed next appointment.
  • Consent: a reference to the separate informed consent form signed before treatment begins.

Treatment plan presentation tips and scripts

How you present matters as much as what you present. Sit the patient upright at eye level, face them rather than the screen and take your mask off while you talk. Give them a model or a mirror to hold, pause after each key point and resist the urge to fill every silence.

Words carry weight. These swaps keep the conversation honest and calm:

  • Instead of you need a crown, try: I recommend a crown for this tooth, and here is why.
  • Instead of it is just a filling, try: this filling stops the decay before it reaches the nerve.
  • When cost is the concern: let us look at what is urgent and what can be phased, so you can plan.
  • When fear is the concern: ask what worries them most, then explain exactly what that step involves and how you manage comfort.
  • When they want to think: that makes sense. I will send you the summary and photos today, and we will call in a few days to answer any questions.
  • Avoid absolute words such as permanent, painless or guaranteed, and never use limited-time pressure for clinical care.

Dental case presentation format for study clubs and conferences

Peer presentations follow a predictable structure so colleagues can judge the reasoning, not just admire the result. Anonymise the patient, keep one idea per slide and show the same views before, during and after treatment.

  • Title and learning point: the case in one line and what the audience should take away.
  • Patient background: age range, relevant medical and dental history and the chief complaint in the patient's words.
  • Clinical examination: extraoral and intraoral findings, periodontal and occlusal assessment.
  • Records: the standard photo series, radiographs, scans and any CBCT, clearly labelled.
  • Diagnosis and problem list, in order of priority.
  • Treatment objectives and options considered, including why the alternatives were not chosen.
  • Treatment plan and sequence: phases, materials and techniques.
  • Clinical steps: the key moments, photographed with consistent settings.
  • Result and follow-up: final photos in the same views as the start, with the follow-up period you actually have.
  • Discussion: limitations, complications, what you would do differently and the literature you relied on.

Case presentation for social media and your portfolio

On social media, a case presentation becomes a story people can follow in seconds. The structure stays the same, problem, plan, process and result, but each part is compressed into one image, one line of text or one moment of video. Viewers should understand what was done and why without clinical overload.

Only use cases with written consent that specifically covers social media, remove identifying details where the face is not essential and keep the after photo unretouched. Our guides on patient photo consent and on whether dentists can post before and after photos cover the details. A seven-slide carousel works well:

  1. 1

    Slide 1: the hook

    The final smile or a striking before, with one line such as chipped front teeth restored with composite bonding.

  2. 2

    Slide 2: the concern

    What the patient wanted to change, in their words, with their permission.

  3. 3

    Slide 3: the findings

    The before photo in a standard view, with one or two simple labels.

  4. 4

    Slide 4: the plan

    The treatment chosen and why, in one or two sentences.

  5. 5

    Slide 5: the process

    One clinical step, a wax-up or the mock-up.

  6. 6

    Slide 6: the result

    The after photo in exactly the same view and lighting as the before.

  7. 7

    Slide 7: the invitation

    A neutral call to action such as ask us about bonding, plus your clinic name.

Dental case presentation examples

These example outlines show how the same structure adapts to different audiences. They are frameworks, not real cases; fill them with your own records.

  • Patient plan, missing lower molar: the goal of chewing comfortably on that side; findings on the radiograph and an intraoral photo; options of an implant crown, a bridge, a partial denture or no replacement, with the risk of neighbouring teeth drifting explained; the implant sequence shown with a 3D animation; a written estimate and a follow-up call.
  • Patient plan, worn front teeth: the goal of a fresher-looking smile; findings including wear facets and a deep bite; options of orthodontics then bonding, bonding alone or veneers; a mock-up tried in the mouth and photographed; a phased plan offered.
  • Study club case, anterior composite restorations: background, shade selection photos with shade tabs, layering steps, the final result and a follow-up photo series, with a discussion of polish retention and maintenance.
  • Instagram carousel, aligner case: a hook slide with the final smile, the patient's concern, before and after retracted frontal views in identical framing, a slide on wearing retainers afterwards and an invitation to ask about aligners.
  • Reel, veneer case: a short hook on the before, a smooth reveal to the after, one on-screen line naming the treatment and the clinic name at the end.

Tools to build a dental case presentation faster

For treatment plans, use your practice management software for estimates, a presentation app such as Keynote, PowerPoint or Google Slides for a clean visual summary, and your scanner or smile design software for 3D views and mock-up designs. Save a master template so every dentist and coordinator presents in the same order.

For social media and portfolio cases, DentalReels turns a consented before and after pair into a vertical reveal video for Reels, TikTok and Shorts with your clinic name at the end, and its Posts section includes before and after card templates for carousels. Its eye-hiding privacy templates help when the smile is the story and the patient's identity is not.

Common dental case presentation mistakes

  • Leading with the fee instead of the findings.
  • Showing every finding at once rather than prioritising.
  • Presenting only one option, which undermines informed consent.
  • Using clinical jargon the patient cannot repeat at home.
  • Inconsistent photos, so the before and after cannot be compared.
  • Over-retouched after photos, or simulated images shown as results.
  • No written summary, so the patient has to remember everything.
  • No follow-up, so undecided patients quietly drift away.

Frequently asked questions

What is a dental case presentation?
A dental case presentation is a structured explanation of a patient's findings, diagnosis, treatment options and plan, or of a completed case. With patients, it supports an informed decision about treatment. With colleagues, study clubs, portfolios and social media, it documents the starting point, the reasoning, the steps and the result of a finished case using consistent photos and records.
What should a dental case presentation include?
For patients: their goals, the findings with images, the diagnosis in plain language, options with benefits and limitations, the sequence and time ranges, fees and financing, after-care and the next step. For colleagues: background, examination, records, diagnosis, objectives, options considered, the treatment plan, clinical steps, the result with follow-up and a discussion of limitations.
How do you present a treatment plan to a patient?
Start with the patient's goals, show the findings using their own photos and radiographs in order of priority, then present the recommended option and realistic alternatives with honest trade-offs. Explain the sequence and timeline, let the treatment coordinator handle fees, check understanding with teach-back and send a written summary with images, so the patient can decide without pressure.
Is there a dental case presentation template I can use?
Yes. A simple one-page template covers your goals, what we found, what this means, your options, the sequence, the investment, looking after the result, and questions and next step. Build it once in your presentation or practice management software, add the patient's photos to each section and use the same template for every case so the whole team presents consistently.
How do I present a dental case on Instagram?
Use a carousel or a short vertical video that follows problem, plan, process and result. Open with a strong image, show the before and after in identical views, explain the treatment in one or two sentences and end with a neutral invitation to ask. Only post cases with written social media consent, and never retouch the after photo.
How many slides should a dental case presentation have?
There is no fixed number; the rule is one idea per slide. A patient treatment plan summary may fit on a handful of screens, a social media carousel works best when every slide earns its place, and a study club case grows with the number of clinical steps. Cut any slide that does not move the story forward.

Turn your cases into videos and posts with DentalReels

Everything in this guide takes minutes with DentalReels: pick a dental template, add your before/after photos, and export a vertical HD video ready for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Free on iOS and Android.

App StoreGoogle Play

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