A braces-off card from an orthodontic practice is three or four handwritten lines: the patient's first name, congratulations, one detail from their months with you that has nothing clinical in it, and the first names of the people who treated them. Hand it over in the chair, or post it in a sealed envelope without naming the treatment. Seventeen notes to copy follow.
What should a braces-off card from the orthodontist say?
Say well done, and say something only your team would know. The band colors they picked every visit. The exam they were revising for in the waiting room. The dog that waited in the car. Sign it from the people who saw them: the orthodontist, the assistant, the front desk. Skip the retainer lecture. That belongs on the instruction sheet.
There are two versions. A card handed over on the day can say "braces" because only the patient sees it. A card that goes by post should not name any treatment. Both kinds are below.
Braces-off day notes, handed over in the chair
Dear Maya, braces off! Twenty-two months and you chose purple and teal bands every single time. We will miss your playlists. Go and eat some popcorn. Dr Patel, Jess and Carmen
Dear Ethan, you did it. You walked in as a seventh grader and you are leaving taller than Dr Kim. Congratulations on the new smile. Dr Kim and Alex
Dear Sofia, today is the day. Thank you for always asking how our weekends were, even with your mouth full of cotton. Smile for every photo this summer. Tanya and Dr Reed
Dear Mr Brooks, congratulations. You told us at the start that you had wanted this since you were fifteen. It was a pleasure to help, and the 7 a.m. appointments were worth it. Dr Patel and Jess
Congratulations notes posted afterwards
These name no treatment, so they are safe for anyone who opens the envelope.
Dear Maya, congratulations on the big day last week. The whole team is still talking about your happy dance in reception. Come and show us the school photos. Dr Patel, Jess and Carmen
Dear Ethan, well done. You turned up on time for nearly two years, which is more than we can say for some adults. We are proud of you. Dr Kim and Alex
Dear Mr Brooks, it was a pleasure having you with us. Thank you for the coffee you brought the front desk on Fridays. We will miss that most. Carmen
Welcome notes to a new patient
Dear Liam, welcome. It was great to meet you and your mum on Tuesday. Next time bring the drawing of the dragon you told us about. See you soon. Dr Reed and Tanya
Dear Mrs Alvarez, thank you for choosing us for Isabella. She was brave and funny, and she now knows where we keep the stickers. We look forward to getting to know you both. Jess
Thank-you notes to a family who referred someone
Dear the Nguyen family, thank you for recommending us to your neighbors. A kind word from you means more than any advert. We are grateful. Dr Patel and the team
Dear Mrs Okafor, a little bird tells us you have been saying nice things about us at the school gate. Thank you. It made our week. Carmen
Dear Ben, thank you for sending a friend our way. We will look after them as well as we looked after you. Dr Kim
Dear the Hart family, three children and now a cousin. Thank you for trusting us with half the family tree. Dr Reed, Tanya and Alex
Do not name the person who came in unless they have said you may. Our guide to thank-you cards for dental patients explains how to thank a referrer without breaching privacy, and has birthday and anniversary notes that suit an orthodontic practice as well.
Why is braces-off day the moment to write?
Because it ends a long relationship, and the family will talk about it. A review of 22 studies with 1,089 patients found fixed braces took 19.9 months on average, and five of those studies put the number of visits at about 18 (Tsichlaki and colleagues, 2016, summarised by the National Elf Service).
The studies were in university clinics, so private practice may be quicker. Either way, few businesses see a customer 18 times.
It is also a family moment. The American Association of Orthodontists estimates 3.9 million children are orthodontic patients in the United States, and says one in three orthodontic patients is an adult (AAO press room).
And families are where new patients come from. In the Levin Group's 2024 survey with Orthodontic Products magazine, practices said 30 per cent of referrals came from parents of existing patients and 12 per cent from adult patients (Orthodontic Products). That is practices reporting their own numbers, and the article gives no sample size.
Do not attach a reward to the thank-you. In a field experiment with 1,232 customers of an online retailer, a handwritten thank-you note roughly doubled later spending, a typed one did nothing, and the effect shrank or vanished when a coupon or gift came with the note (Kim, Choi and Kim, 2022, summarised by Science Says). A shop is not a clinic, but the lesson is cheap to follow.
Can a braces-off card go in the post?
Yes, in a sealed envelope, addressed to the patient or, for a child, to the parent. Never on a postcard. The fact that someone is your patient is health information, and an envelope from an orthodontist already hints at it. So the card inside should not add more: no "braces", no aligners, no surgery, no dates.
Use the mailing address the family gave you, put no photos of the patient in the card, and send nothing to a family that has asked for no post. We are not lawyers, and privacy rules differ by country and state, so ask your own adviser if you are unsure.
Timing is forgiving. Debond dates move, so order the posted card once the day has happened. Our cards are posted from India. Inside India they arrive in days. Abroad they take one to three weeks (how long mail takes).
What should a med spa write to a patient?
Less than you think, and nothing about what was done. A med spa note thanks the person for coming in or says they have been missed. It never names a treatment, a product, an area of the face or a result. Post it in a plain sealed envelope. Many patients have not told the people they live with.
Med spas live on return visits. The American Med Spa Association's 2024 industry report, built on a survey of its own field, says an average of 73 per cent of med spa patients are repeat patients, and counts 10,488 med spas in the United States (AmSpa). Those are the association's own figures.
After a first visit:
Dear Nicole, thank you for coming in on Saturday. It was lovely to meet you, and I hope the drive back to Oakville was easy. We are here if you have any questions. Renee
Dear Mr Alvarez, thank you for choosing us. I enjoyed hearing about the restaurant opening. Good luck with the first week. Dr Shah
To someone you have not seen for a while:
Dear Claire, it has been a few months and we have missed your stories about the twins. No reason for this card other than to say hello. Renee
Dear Dana, I hope the new job in Denver is going well. You crossed my mind this week and I wanted to say so. Whenever you are back in town, the kettle is on. Dr Shah
No offer, no "time for your next session", no price. A lapsed-patient card with a discount on it is a flyer, and it tells the household what the envelope is about.
How do you send these cards without adding to the front desk's day?
Hand the braces-off card over yourself. For the posted cards, keep one list and let it trigger the writing.
| Moment | When it should arrive | What starts it |
|---|---|---|
| New patient | One to three weeks after the first visit | A new row in a Google Sheet |
| Braces-off day | Handed over in the chair | Written by the team that morning |
| After braces-off | One to three weeks later | A row added once the day has happened |
| Referral thank-you | Within a month | A row in the Sheet, or a Zapier step from your form |
| Med spa first visit | One to three weeks after | A new row, or a Stripe payment |
| Lapsed patient | Any quiet week | A monthly batch from the Sheet |
MailMyCard writes each card with a real pen held by a plotter, in real ink, and posts it in an envelope. We do not connect to practice management or patient record systems. A watched Google Sheet, Zapier or the API is the way in, and only a name, an address and your message need to go in it. Nothing clinical.
One card is $14.99. For 50 or more we agree a per-card price, from $8.99 for a pilot of 50 and lower with volume. See For business or the developer docs. For yearly cards, our client birthday messages work for patients too.
Common questions
Should the card go to the teenager or the parent?
Hand the braces-off card to the patient. It is their day. Address anything posted for a child to the parent or to the family.
Is it fine to put a before-and-after photo in the card?
No. Photos of a patient need their written permission, or a parent's, and they do not belong in the post. Give printed photos by hand if the family asks.
Should we ask for a review in the card?
No. Ask in person on the day or in a follow-up email. People underestimate how much a plain thank-you means to the person who gets it (Kumar and Epley, 2018). Let the card be only that.
Sources
- American Association of Orthodontists, press room statistics: aaoinfo.org
- Tsichlaki, A. and colleagues (2016), "How long does treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances last? A systematic review", American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, as summarised by the National Elf Service
- Levin Group and Orthodontic Products, findings from the 2024 orthodontic practice survey: orthodonticproductsonline.com
- Kim, S., Choi, J. and Kim, S. H. (2022), Journal of Interactive Marketing, as summarised by Science Says
- American Med Spa Association, 2024 Medical Spa State of the Industry executive report recap: americanmedspa.org
- Kumar, A. and Epley, N. (2018), "Undervaluing Gratitude", Psychological Science, via the Association for Psychological Science
