#2. Device Operating System Dependent Pre-Designed Dental Practice Management Softwares

Continuing with from our previous page, now we will see the second type of dental practice management software.

These are the predesigned dental practice management software that is sold by software companies and vendors as a one time purchase. After that, you will need to pay for the regular maintenance and after sales service. These type of dental practice management software are sold based on the operating system of the computers you use in your dental practice. This software come in two versions – for Windows operating system & Macintosh (Mac). You will need to purchase the version that matches the operating system in the computers of your dental practice.

In the majority of the countries (more in Asian & South Asian countries) Microsoft Windows is still one of the most widely used computer OS. In Western countries also Windows OS has an equal market share along with Mac OS.

Pros:(Advantages)

• Still a widely available used version of dental practice management software.
• You will have many vendors providing this type of dental practice management software. So more options to choose from.
• Price is a big factor. You just need to pay one-time purchase fees and then nominal subsequent maintenance fees.

Cons:(Disadvantages)

Need for regular up gradation of computer hardware (resulting in more expenditure for the dentist): One of the major drawbacks is the consistent up gradation in the computer hardware. The computer processors, rams, chips, monitors get upgraded every 6 months or less. Every dentist has a computer with a different configuration. All this gets very tough for the software company to make their dental practice management software compatible with all the different computer configurations.

Challenge to make the software on every computer configuration: The challenge for the software developers is to make sure that their programs will run on all systems and all configurations, even on systems that may be older and outdated.

Also if a particular version of the software (for example the Windows version) does better, then the software company gives more time to the windows format, overlooking the Mac version of the dental practice management software. Not a good news for dentists who own the Mac version.

The need to have regular backups (time-consuming for the dentist): With the increasing number of patients over the years, the storage details keep increasing. So you, the dentist, need to keep upgrading the storage capacity of the computers in your dental practice.

The problem of Data Loss: One day suddenly your computer crashes and with it all your dental practice data of last 10 years GONE! (Unless you have a regular backup stored somewhere). This is one of the major drawbacks of  OS dependant dental practice management software.

The problem of being sold outdated service: 

This is one the major issues many dentists face in type 2 dental practice management software. Many dentists buy the practice management software from a 3rd party vendor along with the computer. They fall prey to the tall claims of the vendors that as they are providing both the software and hardware, they can provide a better after sales service. But many times the 3rd party vendors just want to clear out their stock of computer/hardware. Once the deal is done, any query for the software they will tell you to refer the official website without providing any help. Simply because they don’t have the dedicated staff to help you manage your dental practice management software. So, be careful of such vendors.

Due to these reasons, the 3rd type of dental practice management software is getting popular.

The Online Cloud-Based Dental Practice Management Software

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#3. Online Cloud-based Dental Practice Management Software