Is Open Dental Right for My Practice?

Switching your practice management software is a major decision that often brings anxiety about data loss and staff disruption. If you are wondering if Open Dental is good for your dental practice, the answer depends on your willingness to embrace a highly functional, customizable system that prioritizes data ownership over a polished, "all-in-one" interface.

What Converts and What Doesn't

It is important to be honest: no conversion is 100% perfect. You are moving data from one database structure to a completely different one.

Typically, the following data converts well:

• Patient Demographics: Names, contact info, SSN, and basic status.
• Appointment History: Past and future appointments.
• Procedure History: Completed and treatment-planned procedures.
• Account Balances: Total balances (though individual family member balances may shift slightly).
• Insurance Plans: Basic plan details and subscriber information.
• Clinical Notes: These usually convert, but formatting may vary.

What typically does not convert:

• Custom Reports: You will need to recreate these using the Report Setup or custom queries.
• Letter Templates: You will need to rebuild these in the Sheets area.
• Preferences/Settings: Your specific office defaults, security settings, and user permissions must be manually configured.
• Some Image Formats: While many images convert, some proprietary formats from older imaging software may not.

The Conversion Timeline

A typical transition takes 4 to 8 weeks from your initial inquiry to your go-live date.

1. Initial Inquiry & Test Conversion: Contact the conversion department to schedule a free test conversion. This allows you to see your actual data inside Open Dental.
2. Review Period (2-4 weeks): Use this time to thoroughly check your test data. Verify balances, insurance, and clinical notes.
3. Final Conversion (3 hours): This is the "big day." Your old software is closed, and your live data is moved to Open Dental.
4. Post-Conversion Setup (2 hours): Every new customer receives a 2-hour setup session to ensure your database is configured correctly.

Cost Breakdown

Open Dental is known for its transparent, value-driven pricing.

• Conversion Fee: This varies based on your source software, typically ranging from $500 to $2,000+.
• Monthly Fee: $179/month for the first 12 months, dropping to $129/month thereafter.
• No Per-Provider Fees: Unlike many competitors, you pay per location, not per dentist.
• Imaging: Image conversion is a separate, optional fee if you need your historical scans moved.

What Will Surprise You

Even experienced office managers find a few things unexpected:

• The Interface: It is functional and data-dense, not "pretty." It takes a few days to get used to the layout in the Appointments Module and Account Module.
• Manual Setup: You will need to re-set all your preferences, defaults, and Procedure Buttons to match your workflow.
• Reporting: Some reports you relied on in your old software might not exist in the same format. You will need to learn to use the Reports menu or find a custom query in the user forums.

Your First 30 Days

Focus on these priorities immediately after your go-live:

1. Verify A/R: Run the Aging of A/R report and compare the total to your final report from your old software.
2. Insurance: Verify insurance benefits for patients with upcoming appointments.
3. Imaging Bridges: Ensure your digital imaging software is correctly bridged to the Imaging Module.
4. Security: Set up user groups and permissions in the Manage Module to ensure staff only see what they need.

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.