Moving your entire practice to a new management system is a major undertaking that naturally causes anxiety, but it is a manageable process when you know exactly what to expect. While the transition requires effort, many offices find that the flexibility and lack of restrictive contracts make the decision to switch Dentrix to Open Dental well worth the initial adjustment period.
What Converts and What Doesn't
When you move your data, it is important to understand that a conversion is not a "mirror image" transfer. You are moving data from one database structure to another, and some things simply do not translate.
Typically, the following data converts successfully:
- Patient Demographics: Names, addresses, phone numbers, and insurance subscriber information.
- Appointment History: Past appointments and future scheduled appointments.
- Procedure History: Completed procedures and clinical notes.
- Account Balances: Current patient and insurance balances.
- Insurance Plans: Basic plan structures and coverage tables.
However, you should prepare for the fact that the following items generally do not convert:
- Custom Reports: Any specialized reports you built in Dentrix will need to be recreated using the Open Dental Report Setup or custom queries.
- Letter Templates: Your custom patient letters and forms will need to be copied and pasted into the Open Dental Letter Merge or Sheet templates.
- Preferences and Settings: Your specific office defaults, such as appointment book colors, automatic text settings, and clinical note templates, must be manually configured.
- Image Formats: While clinical images usually move, proprietary imaging formats sometimes require a bridge or a specific export process. Always discuss your imaging software with the conversion team early.
The Conversion Timeline
A successful transition typically takes between 4 to 8 weeks from your initial inquiry to your go-live date.
- Initial Inquiry and Data Review: You submit your data for a free test conversion. This allows you to see how your data looks in the Open Dental environment.
- Review Period (2-4 weeks): Use this time to log into the test database. Check your patient charts, verify account balances, and ensure your procedure history is accurate.
- Final Conversion (3 hours): On your scheduled go-live date, you will stop using your old software. The conversion team pulls your final data, which usually takes about 3 hours to process.
- Post-Conversion Setup (2 hours): Open Dental includes a 2-hour setup session to help you configure your practice defaults, insurance carriers, and provider settings.
Cost Breakdown
The financial commitment for a conversion is straightforward, but it is important to budget for the different components.
- Conversion Fee: This is a one-time fee paid to the conversion team, typically ranging from $500 to $2,000+ depending on the complexity of your data.
- Monthly Subscription: Open Dental costs $179/month for the first 12 months, dropping to $129/month thereafter. There are no per-provider fees, which is a significant departure from the pricing models of many other systems.
- Imaging: If you have a large volume of images that require specialized handling, there may be an additional fee for image conversion.
What Will Surprise You
Even with the best preparation, a few things often catch offices off guard:
- The Interface: Open Dental is utilitarian. It lacks the "glossy" feel of Dentrix, but it is incredibly fast once you learn the keyboard shortcuts. It will take your team about a week to stop reaching for buttons that aren't there.
- Re-setting Defaults: You will spend time in the Setup menu (Setup > Appointments > Appointment Views, etc.) to make the software look and feel like your office workflow.
- Report Differences: You will likely find that your favorite Dentrix report has a different name or a different layout in Open Dental. You will need to explore the Reports menu to find the equivalent data.
Your First 30 Days
Focus on these priorities immediately after your go-live:
- Verify Insurance: Go to the Family Module and ensure insurance plans are attached correctly to patients.
- Clean Up Appointments: Check the Appointments Module to ensure all providers are set up correctly and your appointment views are configured.
- Clinical Notes: Start building your clinical note templates in the Chart Module immediately to save time on charting.
- Training: Utilize the free webinars and the manual available on the Open Dental website.
Once you're on Open Dental, DentalCanvas gives you the visual analytics dashboard that your previous software never had — and that Open Dental doesn't include.
This article is provided by opendentalsupport.com, an independent community resource. We are not affiliated with Open Dental Software, Inc.