Re-care
The scheduled return visit for a patient's routine preventive dental appointment, used as an alternative to 'recall' in patient-facing communications.
Full Definition
Re-care (sometimes written as 'recare', without a hyphen) is a patient-centred term used by dental practices to describe the periodic preventive visit for hygiene services such as cleaning, examination, and radiographic review. Some practices and dental organisations prefer 're-care' over 'recall' because the word 'recall' can carry a negative connotation associated with product defects or errors. Editors must apply the client's preferred variant (hyphenated or closed) consistently throughout patient communication materials, and should not alternate between 're-care' and 'recall' within the same document. The term appears in patient letters, appointment reminder cards, and practice management software settings.
Usage
Usage note: Hyphenation varies: 're-care' (hyphenated) is standard in formal documents; 'recare' (closed) appears in some practice management software interfaces. Follow house style and apply consistently.
In Context
- "Your re-care appointment has been scheduled for six months from today — we look forward to seeing you!" — Patient appointment reminder card
- "The editorial team must not mix 're-care' and 'recall' within the same patient-facing document; choose one term and apply it throughout." — Style note for patient communication materials