Resources for dental offices
Unpaid claims can hide in plain sight. Every day they linger, cash flow tightens and stress rises across the team. Missed follow-ups, unclear notes, or a single coding error can leave weeks of production sitting in limbo instead of in the bank account. When that happens, payroll, supply orders, and growth plans all feel the squeeze. This guide explains exactly what dental aging reports are, why they're critical to practice success, and how to use them effectively. Practice managers will learn what each column means, why timing matters for different types of claims, and how to build a repeatable routine that keeps money moving. Financial clarity connects directly to patient trust: when balances stay current, treatment schedules stay on track and conversations stay positive.
Aug 29, 2025
What Is a Dental Aging Report?
A dental aging report is a financial snapshot that categorizes all outstanding practice revenue by how long it has remained unpaid. This report organizes every unpaid claim and patient balance into time-based categories, providing clear visibility into cash flow patterns and collection priorities.
Practice management software automatically sorts outstanding balances into four standard time periods: 0–30, 31–60, 61–90 and 91-plus days. This time-based categorization provides immediate visibility into which money is fresh (and likely to be collected) versus which balances are becoming stale and at risk for write-off.
The report contains critical data points that make it actionable: patient demographics and contact information, insurance carrier details with contact numbers and claim reference numbers, service dates and procedure codes, original billed amounts versus current outstanding balances, days outstanding calculations updated automatically by software, and claim status indicators showing whether claims are pending, processed, or denied.
Most systems separate the report into two distinct views. Insurance aging tracks claims that practices have submitted to carriers but haven't been paid, including everything from routine cleanings waiting for processing to complex periodontal treatments under review. Patient aging shows what patients still owe after insurance processing, including copays, deductibles, and non-covered services.
This separation allows practices to focus collection efforts appropriately. Chasing a slow-paying insurance company requires different tactics, documentation, and follow-up timelines than working with patients on outstanding balances. Every major practice management platform generates these reports with automated aging calculations based on service dates for insurance claims and statement dates for patient balances.
Why Aging Reports Matter for Practice Health
Aging reports provide essential data about practice financial performance and operational efficiency. These reports directly impact practice sustainability, growth potential, and day-to-day operations by revealing patterns in revenue collection and identifying areas that need attention.
Cash Flow Predictability
The bulk of receivables should stay in the 0-30-day column, with the 90-day bucket under 10% of total accounts receivable. This distribution indicates healthy cash flow patterns that support predictable monthly income. When aging patterns shift toward older buckets, cash flow becomes unpredictable, making it difficult to meet payroll, pay suppliers, or invest in practice improvements. Practices with healthy aging patterns can accurately forecast monthly collections and plan major purchases. Those with poor aging patterns face constant financial uncertainty, often requiring lines of credit to maintain operations during slow collection periods.
Revenue Protection
Most insurers impose strict timely-filing limits, typically ranging from 90 days to one year depending on the carrier. Claims that age beyond these limits become uncollectible, regardless of care quality. Patient balances also become harder to collect as they age, with studies showing collection rates dropping significantly after 90 days. Balances over six months old have less than a 20% collection rate, making early intervention critical. The aging report identifies these at-risk balances while collection efforts can still be effective.
Operational Efficiency Indicator
Aging patterns reveal bottlenecks in practice workflows that might otherwise go unnoticed until they become costly problems. A spike in 31-60-day insurance claims might indicate verification problems at the front desk or training gaps in claim submission. Growing patient balances could signal unclear financial communications or inadequate treatment plan presentations. Smart practices use aging data to spot trends early, whether it's a new employee struggling with insurance verification or a carrier changing its processing requirements.
Practice Valuation and Lending
Banks and practice brokers use aging reports to evaluate practice financial health during loans, refinancing, or practice sales. High percentages of aged receivables signal poor management systems and reduce practice valuations significantly. Lenders specifically look for practices with less than 15% of receivables in the 60+ day categories as indicators of strong management. During practice transitions, buyers often negotiate price reductions based on aged receivables that may prove uncollectible.
Team Morale and Patient Relationships
When aging reports are managed proactively, front desk teams spend less time on crisis collection calls and more time on patient service. Patients appreciate clear, timely communication about their balances rather than surprise collection calls months after treatment. Well-managed aging also reduces awkward conversations that occur when patients return for treatment with large outstanding balances. Proactive aging management creates a more positive environment for both team members and patients.
How Different Types of Claims Age Differently
Understanding why different types of dental claims age at different rates helps practices prioritize follow-up efforts and identify systemic problems before they become widespread.
Routine Preventive Claims (D0120, D1110, D4910)
These claims typically process within 14-21 days because they're well-understood by insurance processors and rarely require additional documentation. When preventive claims start aging into the 31-60-day column, it usually indicates submission errors, eligibility issues, or carrier processing delays. Since these claims represent high-volume services, delays can quickly impact cash flow even though individual claim amounts are smaller. Quick resolution of preventive claim issues prevents larger revenue disruptions and maintains steady cash flow.
Restorative and Periodontal Claims
Restorative work often requires preauthorization or additional documentation, especially for posterior composites or multiple surfaces. These claims naturally age longer but should process within 30-45 days under normal circumstances. Periodontal therapy claims face the highest scrutiny from insurers due to higher fees and require comprehensive periodontal charting, X-rays, and narratives explaining medical necessity. Most periodontal claims take 30-60 days to process due to additional review requirements.
Major Restorative Claims
Crowns, bridges, and implants almost always require preauthorization and extensive documentation before treatment begins. These high-dollar claims naturally age longer during review processes, often taking 45-90 days for final processing. However, practices should track them carefully because missed deadlines on major cases can result in significant revenue loss. Major restorative cases often benefit from dedicated tracking systems due to their complexity and value.
Reading the Report Components
Modern aging reports contain multiple data columns that provide actionable information for collection efforts. Understanding each component helps practices prioritize follow-up and identify patterns.
Patient and Financial Information
Patient information includes name, account number, and contact information that forms the foundation for collection efforts. Practices should verify that this information is current because outdated addresses or phone numbers make collection impossible. Financial summary columns show total charges, insurance payments, patient payments, adjustments, and current balance, providing the complete financial history of each account. Accounts with multiple partial payments often indicate payment plan opportunities or financial hardship situations requiring different approaches.
Aging and Activity Tracking
Aging columns (0-30, 31-60, 61-90, 91+) break down current balances by age, allowing practices to prioritize collection efforts based on urgency. The distribution across columns reveals collection efficiency and identifies accounts at risk for write-off. Last payment and activity dates indicate recent account activity and help prioritize follow-up efforts based on the likelihood of successful resolution. Accounts with no recent activity require immediate attention, while those with recent payments may need different approaches.
Insurance and Procedure Details
Insurance information includes carrier name, policy numbers, and claim status to help determine appropriate follow-up actions. This section identifies which claims need resubmission, appeals, or additional documentation. Service dates and procedure codes help verify claim accuracy and determine medical necessity documentation needs for appeals. This information is crucial when appealing denied claims or responding to carrier requests for additional information.
Taking Strategic Action Based on Aging Data
Treat the aging report as a strategic priority matrix, not a passive financial statement. Every line item represents money waiting to be collected, and the goal is to move it off the list beforethe timely-filing windows close.
Systematic Review Process
Run aging reports every Monday to capture weekend claim processing and establish the week's collection priorities. Sort by largest balance first to maximize the financial impact of collection efforts. Most successful practices work their aging reports daily, focusing on different sections each day: Mondays for new entries and high-dollar claims, Tuesdays for 61-90-day insurance claims, Wednesdays for patient balances and payment arrangements, Thursdays for follow-up on previous contacts, and Fridays for clearing small balances and updating notes.
Age-Specific Collection Strategies
Different aging categories require different collection strategies, contact methods, and documentation approaches for optimal results. Understanding the characteristics and needs of each aging category helps practices allocate resources effectively and achieve better collection outcomes. The following systematic approach addresses each age bracket with appropriate tactics and realistic expectations for resolution.
0-30 Days: Verification and Prevention
Confirm claims are transmitted cleanly without errors that could cause processing delays. Verify patient insurance eligibility and benefits to ensure claims will process correctly. Check that statements were generated and mailed correctly to patients with current addresses. This prevention stage focuses on system verification and error correction rather than intensive collection efforts.
31-60 Days: Active Follow-up
Send second notices to patients and make first calls to insurance carriers to initiate active collection processes. Verify carriers received claims and request processing timelines. Correct any missing documentation or coding errors that could prevent claim processing. This stage requires active intervention but usually resolves quickly with appropriate follow-up.
61-90 Days: Intensive Recovery
Make urgent calls to insurance carriers and request supervisor escalation to expedite claim processing. File appeals for denied claims with additional documentation to support medical necessity. Offer payment arrangements to patients and consider payment plan options. This stage requires intensive effort because claims are approaching write-off risk.
91+ Days: Crisis Management
Re-submit claims electronically if within the timely-filing limits. Request supervisory review at insurance companies to escalate beyond normal processing procedures. Consider outside collection services for patient balances that exceed internal collection capabilities. Document all efforts for potential write-off decisions if collection attempts prove unsuccessful.
Documentation Standards
Document every collection contact with specific, actionable information: "6/15 spoke with Delta rep Sarah, claim reprocessed, expect payment by 6/30, follow up 7/1 if not received." This documentation prevents duplicate efforts and provides accountability for follow-up actions. Train the entire team on aging report interpretation and collection protocols to ensure consistent approaches across all staff members.
Red Flags in Aging Patterns
Certain aging patterns indicate systematic problems requiring immediate attention and process changes to prevent revenue loss.
Claims Jumping Age Categories Without Action
When claims move from 30-60 days to 61-90 days without documented follow-up activity, it indicates gaps in collection procedures or staff training. This pattern suggests staff are not working reports systematically or lack proper follow-up protocols. Management should investigate workflow problems and provide additional training to prevent revenue loss from neglected accounts.
Carrier-Specific Problems
If multiple claims with the same insurance carrier consistently age beyond 60 days, it indicates relationship problems, credentialing issues, or systematic submission errors. These patterns require carrier-specific investigation and often benefit from direct contact with carrier representatives. Practices should track carrier-specific aging patterns to identify which relationships need attention.
Patient Balance Concentrations
When patient aging shows many small balances (under $100) aging beyond 60 days, it often indicates inadequate financial communication at treatment time. Patients may not understand their financial responsibility or may need payment arrangement options that weren't offered initially. This pattern suggests problems with treatment plan presentation or financial counseling procedures.
Seasonal and Write-off Patterns
Some practices see aging spikes during specific times of year due to insurance benefits resetting, seasonal patient patterns, or staffing changes. If monthly write-offs are increasing, the aging report can identify whether the problem is carrier-specific, procedure-specific, or related to patient communication issues. Understanding these patterns helps practices adjust expectations and implement targeted solutions.
Put Reports to Work, Then Let Teero Handle Staffing
Consistent aging report management turns spreadsheet numbers into collected cash, smoother days, and satisfied patients. Weekly follow-up keeps claims within timely-filing windows, protecting revenue that many practices lose when balances drift past 90 days. Faster payments mean front desk staff spend less time chasing money and more time greeting patients.
Aging reports also reveal when the team is stretched too thin to maintain effective collection procedures. A growing pile of old claims often means the billing specialist needs backup, or the practice is missing production because a hygienist's chair sits empty while waiting on insurance checks. Teero fills those gaps without the hiring hassle. Need someone to tackle follow-up calls or want a hygienist so the team can focus on collections? Open the app, book the shift, and get back to patient care.
Ready to fill the schedule and protect revenue? Sign up today to book a hygienist through Teero and keep every dollar and every patient on track.