When you add an appointment type in the portal, you choose between two options: Offer Type and Custom Type. They're both bookable appointment types — but they appear in different places and serve different goals.
Offer types: priced and searchable
Offer types are the priced packages that make Fixed Price Dental different from other booking platforms. Each offer has:
- A service category (e.g. checkup, filling, dental crown, emergency)
- A name
- An inclusions description (what's covered)
- A terms / disclaimer (any conditions)
- A total fee
- An optional consult fee (counted as included in the total)
- An optional No Gap flag (no out-of-pocket for patients with private health insurance)
Offer types are searchable on fixeddental.com.au. When a patient searches for "dental crown in Bondi", your offer types in that service category appear in their results.
Use an offer type when patients should be able to find this appointment via marketplace search and the price is fixed.
Custom types: generic and only available during booking
Custom types are simple appointment types with just a name and an optional default duration. They don't have prices, inclusions or service categories.
Custom types are not searchable on the marketplace. They only appear during the booking flow once a patient has already chosen your practice — useful for things like "Existing Patient Follow-up" or "Hygiene Recall" that don't need a marketplace listing.
Use a custom type when the appointment is for an existing patient or doesn't need to be discoverable by new patients.
Quick decision rule
| Question | Use an offer type | Use a custom type |
|---|---|---|
| Do new patients need to find this in marketplace search? | ✓ | |
| Do you want to show a price? | ✓ | |
| Is it a generic / existing-patient appointment? | ✓ | |
| Is it follow-up only? | ✓ |
Visibility note in the portal
The Add Appointment Type dialog shows this reminder:
Offer appointment types are searchable by patients and appear in search results. Custom appointment types are only available during the booking flow and won't appear in search.
Both types can be linked to your practice management system if you're integrated. Both types can be enabled per-practitioner with custom durations.
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