What is Dental Practice Management Software & Why do You Need it to Run a Successful Business?

As a quick overview Dental Practice Management Software is a necessary and vital component of any successful dental practice.  In combination with some third party add-ons, you can expect your software needs to include documenting and updating charts and notes, scheduling appointments, patient communication, billing (both patient and insurance), employee time cards, insurance claim processing, payment processing, management tools, patient engagement, imaging tie-ins, data management and HIPAA compliant patient data sharing with authorized providers.  In short you can save both your practice and your patients time and money with the option that works best for you.

How We Curated the Best Dental Practice Management Software List

As a Dental-Specific IT Company (or MSP) we work with clients every single day facing issues with their Dental Practice Management Software.  This means we are not only well versed in every option available but we know what our clients love and loathe about each one.  On top of the feedback we get from clients we also get to experience the back-end of Practice Management Software from ease of use, troubleshooting, and integration to customer support who we work hand-in-hand with to make sure our mutual client is well taken care of.  In short, we compiled a list based on the feedback from our clients and from the experiences we have working directly with the software developers.

*Side Note: we are not separating cloud from server-based software, cloud is becoming more and more prominent, the software is improving and the concerns the industry had about cloud are slowly drifting away.  If you'd like to learn more about the benefits of cloud-based software, check out our previous blog regarding Open Dental's Cloud Software.

The Five Best Dental Practice Management Software for 2022

Whether you are an existing Dental practice unsatisfied with your Dental Practice Management software or are a startup looking to make the "best" decision, practice management software that is intuitive, fast, reliable, versatile, dynamic, and affordable may feel like hunting Unicorns (to pet not for trophy purposes) but as we all know, Unicorns are real and so is this list.

1: Open Dental/Open Dental Cloud

Open Dental now offers both server and cloud-based HIPAA compliant, Practice Management solutions and we can wholeheartedly endorse both.  Put simply, whichever version you choose (a discussion you should have with your IT provider) Open Dental offers a user-friendly experience both for the practice and their MSP.  The user interface is simple but offers plenty of options, it's flexible, can be run on a minimal server specs (for server-based), support is great and there are tons of third party integration options as well.

Highlights:

• Free demo available
• Free training: pre-recorded webinars
• Support: 7 days per week (hours vary) via phone and chat
• Low cost, support, training, features, integrations

Features:

• Appointment Management & Reminders
• Hands-Free Charting
• Patient Records Management
• Billing
• Claims Management
• Treatment Planning
• Patient Portal
• Substantial eServices

2: CareStack

Proving that Cloud is where Practice Management is heading, CareStack offers a HIPAA compliant "all-in-one dental software" for small, medium, and large practices, as well as DSOs.  Aimed at reducing the number of third-party software subscriptions a practice needs they offer a truly user-friendly experience.  CareStack features a highly regarded patient engagement system allowing practices to build targeted marketing campaigns with a strong reputation.

Highlights:

• Free demo available
• Multiple platforms for training from online to in-person
• Customer-Focused Improvements
• 24/7 support

Features:

• Scheduling
• Treatment Planning
• Billing & Collections
• Appointment Reminders
• Online Appointments
• Online Forms
• Curb Side Check-In
• Reputation Management
• Contactless Payments
• Insurance Verification
• Business Analytics

3: Oryx

The last of our Cloud-Based recommendations is Oryx, designed by and for dentists - HIPAA compliant Oryx focuses on the patient experience from engagement, to risk assessment, patient communication, and beyond.  Oryx touts it's evidence-based clinical modules and user-friendly setup as key components of their software.  Users love the generated reminders to make each stage of the patient's appointment as smooth as possible.

Highlights:

• Free Demo
• Patient focus

Features:

• Scheduling
• Billing & Collection
• Patient Engagement (Online Scheduling & Patient Communication)
• Guided Clinical Charting
• Native Imaging
• Personalized Risk Assessment
• AR Management
• Data Analytics and Dashboard
• Task Management

4: Dentrix

Dentrix has been around for over three decades and are part of the Henry Schein umbrella making them one of the largest Dental Practice Management Software options in the industry.  Renowned for having one of the more versatile collections of features Dentrix is as robust as it is reliable.  Dentrix is also considered user-friendly though, if you have not used the platform before you will want to take the time to learn it inside and out to truly get the most out of this traditional PM software.  That said, as the software has been around for so long you and your employees may already be familiar with this product.

Highlights:

• Free Demo
• Longevity
• HIPAA Compliant

Features:

• Appointment & Calendar Management
• Claims Validation
• 3D Clinical Charting
• Patient Communication
• Billing and Collections
• Patient Engagement
• Financial Planning

5: Eaglesoft

Patterson owned Eaglesoft has been around for over 25 years and is still going strong with a stellar history of front desk workflow, clinical process, patient experience, and business performance.  As with all the options on this list we view them through the lens of an MSP, Eaglesoft is easy to navigate and straight forward to troubleshoot.  Known for being as strong on the clinical as it is on the front office side due to it's longevity Eaglesoft carries the same benefit as Dentrix in that most employees may already be familiar with this PM software.

Highlights:

• HIPAA Compliant
• Great FAQ and Tutorials
• User Friendly
• Strong 3^rd Party Integration

Features:

• Appointment Management/Scheduling
• Patient Communication
• Billing, Invoicing & Collections
• Charting
• Live Chat
• Records Management
• Third Party Integrations
• Client Portal
• Customizable Reports
• Document Management and Templates

About Darkhorse Tech

Whether you're just starting out or a well-established organization, Darkhorse Tech has the experience and technology to help get you moving, cut costs, and streamline your operations via unlimited IT support. We are here to help you do what you do best: focus on providing top-notch care and service for patients - not dealing with IT problems, lag time spent talking with technical support, or complicated technological mishaps. Unlimited IT support services help the whole team work efficiently without worrying about significant system issues or constant interruptions.

Our additional security services include:

• Unlimited Remote and/or On-Site IT Support of All Your Hardware and Software
• Improved Network Performance and Security
• HIPAA Compliant Off-Site and Local Backup Service (Darkhorse Secure Backup)
• Managed Antivirus, Anti-Malware, and Anti-Ransomware (Darkhorse Security Products)
• Compliance & Security Laws Standards
• Microsoft Security Patch Management
• Vendor Management: We will be on the phone, not your employees
• Secure, Remote Access to Your Office
• Firewall Management
• Network Management
• Long Term Planning and Budgeting

Contact us anytime if you want to learn more about our dental-specific solutions and unlimited support packages. Our friendly customer service team will get back to you in no time.

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Darkhorse Dental IT Is Here For You

We understand that caring for your patients is your top priority. Dealing with a computer issue, slow IT response time or HIPAA compliance requirements just aren’t high on your list of to-do’s. That’s where Darkhorse Dental Tech comes in. Our team of Dental IT specialists are experts when it comes to running a great, secure and successful practice —and so much more. Whether you’re looking for IT services for startups, or existing support and security services for your practice, Darkhorse can do it all for you, so you can get back to your patients.

Have questions? Looking for ideas? Just want to talk teeth? Drop us a line at sales@darkhorsetech.com to get the conversation started! Or head to our Contact page to send us a message. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

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