Why duration matters more than the name
The name helps Salva recognize what the caller is asking for. The duration is what it uses to find a real slot. A 60-minute cleaning needs a 60-minute opening; a 90-minute new patient exam needs a 90-minute opening.
If the duration is wrong, you'll see one of two problems:
- Too short — Salva books appointments that overrun, causing chair-time conflicts.
- Too long — Salva misses real openings and tells callers "no availability" when there is.
Sensible defaults
If you're starting from scratch, these are reasonable starting points (general dental):
| Service | Duration |
|---|---|
| Routine cleaning + exam | 60 min |
| New patient exam (with X-rays) | 90 min |
| Filling (single tooth) | 45 min |
| Crown prep | 90 min |
| Consultation | 30 min |
| Emergency / unscheduled | 30 min |
Adjust based on how your providers actually schedule.
Adding and editing services
Under Settings → Services, add an entry for every service you commonly book. You can leave specialist services off the list — Salva will defer to your team on anything not listed.
What happens if a service is missing
If a caller asks for a service you haven't listed (e.g., "I need a root canal"), Salva falls back to a default 60-minute duration. It will still attempt to book, but the duration may not match your real workflow.
The safer move is to add the service explicitly — even if you set the duration to 60 minutes and let your team adjust it on intake. That way every booking is at least flagged in your inbox.
Services and providers
The Services tab doesn't currently let you map a service to a specific provider. Salva queries every provider's availability and picks the earliest matching slot. If your practice needs provider-specific routing (e.g., only Dr. Lee does ortho consults), let the caller specify a provider name and Salva will filter accordingly. For automatic mapping, that's on the roadmap — contact support if you need it sooner.
For deeper context on how slot queries work, see How Salva fetches appointment slots.
Published April 28, 2026