10 January 2023

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The most important technology decision you will make as a dentist

Travis Rodgers

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Growing up my parents always told me, “Travis, the most important decision you make in your life is who you marry.” Just like a relationship, the most important technological decision you make as a dentist is what practice management system you use in your dental practice. 

Here are some tips on how to find the right one the first time.

What is dental practice management software?

It may seem self-explanatory but dental practice management software is a tool for dentists and teams to oversee day-to-day operations. The capabilities of these products can include charting, scheduling, treatment planning, document storage and more.

Evaluation process

First you want to put together your list of requirements. The more detailed you get the more likely you are to get it right from the start. 

Work with your team to put together a list of requirements of your ideal system. This will make your evaluation process less biased. The more time you spend here, the more time you will save later and the happier you will be. 

The second step is to explore what is out there. You may try a few products or a lot. Get as many demos and free trials as you can manage. Prior planning can be time consuming, but it is worth it in the end if you take your time and make a decision based on data and not just emotions. Depending upon your experience, you may make a quick decision to select one or if you are like many dentists, you will take your time and follow a detailed selection process.

Where to start

If you Google “dental practice management systems,” hundreds of links will show up describing the “top” systems. Beware, since most of these reviews are biased or could be paid ads. 

If you base your decision on which company has the most dental clients or has been around the longest, you may get stuck with out of data technology. If you choose something too new, you may find that many of the add-on services you love don’t integrate or worse yet, some systems may make it hard or costly to integrate; this one I will never understand.

Dental integration revolution

You should demand that your dental practice management system (DPMS) easily integrates openly and at no cost to other systems. Not only does integration improve the product but it also helps you comply with the 21st Century Cures Act. One of the keys to finding a good practice management system is to know who is the most open to integrating other systems into their systems. After all, just like when you make the decision of what mate to choose, you also want to go “all in” with the system you choose to run your practice on, and you want to make sure the system works well with others.

Type of systems

There are a variety of things to consider when choosing your dental software. There are two major categories. Do you want an in-office system with a client server system, or would you prefer to be cloud-based? 

The size and type of your practice is a factor as well. Software platforms designed for larger practices have different setups and capabilities than the ones used in smaller practices.

Here are a few of the most popular dental management systems you can choose from, based on your needs.

In-office systems

• Dentrix – The very first dental management software from Microsoft, Dentrix remains one of the best. Their document center allows for the quick and easy creation, storage and transfer of documents of all types, from medical records to insurance claims to x-rays, and anything else you may need to know about a patient at a glance.
• Eaglesoft – Meaningful Use and ONC-ATCB certified, Eaglesoft has a clear and easy interface for scheduling and viewing appointments, clinical charting, billing and accounting and much more. It allows dentists to customize the treatment plan for each patient and keep track of health records at a glance.
• Open Dental – Open Dental is great for electronic prescriptions. Simple templates allow you to find and prescribe a specific medication for your patient quickly, and automatically creates a report that allows you to track that prescription after it’s been filled.
• Easy Dental – A modular software system, Easy Dental has easy-to-use modules for charting, scheduling and billing. It also integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks and Peachtree, and exports to Microsoft Excel. 

Cloud-based systems

Note: The definitions below are derived from marketing materials. Take these “with a grain of salt,” as the saying goes.

• Curve Hero – This online platform not only helps you keep track of data but also provides real time analytics to help streamline your practice. It allows hassle-free access anywhere, at any time, and protects your data in case of emergencies, with 99.99% uptime.
• Dentrix Ascend – While the regular version of Dentrix system is run locally, Dentrix Ascend is specifically designed for use in the Cloud. This allows staff to enter patient notes and share them instantly with other team members. It also provides pop-up alerts when a patient’s chart is accessed, to keep track of any changes or updates.
• Fuse – Fuse allows you to keep track of multiple locations in one place and simplifies operational workflows for teams in each location. It also provides data insights that will help streamline operations and expand your practice.
• Carestack – While they provide several solutions for smaller practices, Carestack is designed as an all-in-one, Cloud-based dental management software solution for large and multi-location organizations.
• Planet DDS – Another Cloud-based platform, Planet DDS can cater to both large and small operations but is designed to accommodate growth and expansion of your practice, by standardizing processes, centralizing data, and more.

If you are joining a large dental practice, you will find internally built systems (home grown) or systems like Dentrix Enterprise and QSI Dental Web.

Up and comers

There are a few systems out there that are still relatively new to the scene, but they are also rapidly making headway.

Tab32 is now the #1 rated dental software among customers. It prides itself on being an easy-to-use, all-in-one platform with easy onboarding for new employees, and robust, dynamic patient engagement.

iDentalSoft, meanwhile, is the #1 Cloud management solution for dental practices. Completely paperless, it works from any device, anywhere, to keep employees and patients connected—while remaining HIPAA compliant. 

Specialty systems

The software platforms above are all designed for general dentistry practices. However, if your practice focuses on a particular dental specialty, then you may prefer to get a software management system that caters to that focus. For instance, if you’re an orthodontist, Orthotrac and Cloud9 are designed for your needs. Oral surgeons will want to check out DSN and WinOMS. And TDO Endo and EndoVision are both designed for endodontists.

Factors to consider

When looking for the perfect dental management software system to meet your needs, there are a few things you need to look at. 

First, how much does it cost? You need to know if you can afford it, and how much value it provides for the price. This is the ROI or return on investment. Many of you already know this, but you have to experience this as well to really understand it. Some call it, “learning the hard way.”

Does the system provide the features that your practice needs to function? Does the platform offer good customer support? You need to know that someone has your back if you run into a problem. Does it have good usability, and will it integrate with your current data system? Is it a cloud-based or local system, and how will that affect your practice?

Finally, you should also look at the software system’s market share: How prominent is this platform in the industry? If it’s used by a lot of other dental practices, then it likely has something worthwhile to offer.

Just like a marriage, a dental practice management software system is a major decision that will be with you for years to come. It shouldn’t be rushed. Take the time to shop around and see what’s out there before getting tied down. Make sure that the platform you choose is right for you and will meet your practice’s needs. With a little bit of courting, you just might find “The One.”

Travis’ top technologies to review

Here is a list of some technology products I suggest you consider evaluating to help your practice grow.

Dental Warranty - dentalwarrantycorp.com

Dentagraphics - dentagraphics.com

Scout Analytics - scoutdental.com

CallForce - getcallforce.com

MyDentalFiles - MyDentalFiles.com

Dentist Grader - dentistgrader.com

OneClick Referral - OneClickReferral.com

Soft Skills Institute - TheSoftSkillsInstitute.com

Schedule Widget - schedulewidget.com