The pediatric dentist we used to see charged $50 for a missed or canceled appointment less than 24 hrs. before the appointment. I knew that was their policy, and understand why they have it in place. We saw them for two years and never had to cancel or miss an appointment. One morning, my son woke up with a fever and started puking. I called the dentist to say we wouldn’t be in later that morning and explained the reason. The receptionist reminded me of the $50, and I asked if they would waive it under the circumstances. We’d never missed an appointment, and I reminded her that I’d paid them almost a thousand dollars the week before for dental work my daughter needed. She flatly refused to waive the fee. Her attitude completely pissed me off, so I informed her we would not be returning and to cancel any future appointments we’d set up.
They sent me a bill for the $50 and I threw it away. For a long time I expected another bill or a call from a collection agency, but I never heard from them again. We see another pediatric dentist who has the same policy but is more understanding. If you need to cancel for an unavoidable reason, they don’t charge you. I love them for acting like human beings and being so understanding.
If I were you, I would make sure to talk to a person in the office and explain your circumstances. Maybe they will be reasonable, but if you seem to have a pattern of last-minute cancellations they might not make an exception.