Run a Consultation Start-to-Finish

A consultation takes the patient from template to a shared plan with AI extraction, plan generation and a data-completeness checklist, the clinic's first step in dental case management in Cympha.

When you're with a patient and want a structured treatment plan you can share with them at the end of the visit, the consultation module is what you use. This how-to walks the buttons in order.

What you need before starting

A clinical case open on Cympha (status: Clinical)
Patient seated, chart up
At least one photo or radiograph attached, OR a clear clinical note describing what you saw

Step 1 — Add a consultation

On the case detail page, find the Consultations section. Click Add consultation and pick the consultation type that matches the visit.

You're routed to the consultation page.

Step 2 — Fill the text sections

Work through the sections in order:

Chief Concern — the patient's words, brief.
Relevant Medical / Dental History — anything that matters for this case.
Clinical Notes — examination findings, radiographic observations, dictated exam.
Records — tick the case files relevant to this consultation. Photos, scans, radiographs. The picker shows every confirmed file on the case.
Diagnosis, Options, and Plan Notes — your clinical reasoning.

Step 3 — Run AI Extraction

Click Run AI extraction. Cympha reads your notes and the selected records and drafts a structured summary of the consultation for your review.

Review the extracted content inline. Edit anything wrong. Add anything that was missed. Nothing goes into a plan without passing through you.

Step 4 — Generate Plans

Click Generate plans. Cympha helps you draft two documents:

Internal Plan — your clinical record of the consultation.
Patient Plan — a plain-language version for the patient, covering their concern, what you found, the options, your recommendation, the risks, and next steps.

Both open in an editor. Edit freely, and attach pictures from the case to either plan via the "Attach pictures" panel. No cost or fee content appears in either plan; cost stays an offline conversation.

Step 5 — Share with the patient

When the plans read how you want, click Share with patient. Enter the patient's email (or caregiver's email where appropriate). Cympha creates the share for that email and sends the patient an email from Cympha.

The patient gets a phone-friendly link. They read the plan, see attached pictures, and can approve it or ask you questions — the patient's chat thread goes only to you; no lab staff can see it.

You see their response on the consultation page (Patient Review section) and in the case activity log.

Step 6 — Update a shared plan

If you edit the plan after sharing it, re-share to send the updated version so the patient reads the latest text.

Step 7 — Branch to a lab case when treatment requires it

If the recommended treatment needs lab work (crowns, aligners, surgical guides, implant prostheses), go back to the case detail page and click Branch this case. Pick the consultation. The new lab case is seeded with:

Patient demographics from the parent case
The consultation's chief complaint and treatment notes
The files attached to the consultation, pre-selected

Adjust the file selection, pick a lab, pick a service, submit.

Tips

Don't fight the AI extraction. If the extraction got something wrong, edit it inline before generating plans — the plans build on what you approved, not on the raw draft.

How a Dental Assistant Prepares a Case for the Doctor
How to Branch a Clinical Case Into a Lab Case
Cookbook: How Consultations Work on Cympha