In the previous slides, we discussed the various types of dental practice management software available in the market.

So, now the question comes – how to choose one that will benefit your dental practice?

Choosing a good dental practice management software that suits your dental practice is difficult. With so many options available in the market it does get confusing. DentalOrg.com discussed with more than 1000 dental practitioners (both new and experienced) regarding this and here is the conclusion.

At DentalOrg.com we always advocate being in alignment with the future changes. That is the only way to take your dental practice successfully into future.

So our choice for the dental practice management software will be Cloud Based Dental Practice Management Softwares.

In the last slide, we discussed in detail about the advantages and disadvantages of a cloud-based dental practice management software. (if you missed it see the previous slide).

Though we did mention some disadvantages, but we also feel that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Biggest Advantage: The biggest advantage of online/cloud-based dental practice management software is that it sets the dentist free.

• The dentist doesn’t need to worry anymore about upgrading his computer processor or ram to accommodate the software.
• The dentist is also free from the calls he has to make to service persons to update or maintain the dental practice management software.
• The dentist is free from the worry of loss of dental practice & patient data due to a sudden hardware crash of the computer.

All the dentist needs to do is to pay the monthly subscription and forget all the worries related to the dental practice management software.

So before you decide on a dental practice management software, you need to take care of the following points: 

Carefully check for the necessary features: Do not get overwhelmed seeing so many features in a dental practice management software. Developers many times add too many features into a software, some useful and some not so useful. But as a dentist you should keep a watch on the following features first – patient registration, scheduling, treatment planning, insurance estimation and processing, recall patient management, SMS/Phone/E-mail reminder to the patient, treatment payment record. Then you can assess other features.

If confused, then take suggestions: Before deciding on any dental practice management software take suggestions from your colleagues, practice staffs, and senior practitioners. Read the reviews of the software. Ask for a trials period and in that time take suggestions from practitioners who have been using a dental practice management software.

Check that the practice management software has administrative and financial features: Managing a dental practice is not only managing patients. It also involves managing administration and finance too. So, keep a watch that the dental practice management software also provides you the features to maintain a tab on the monthly dental supplies, finances invested and revenue earned, salaries paid to the staffs & pending finance to distribute.

Do not ever take a dental practice management software that does not provide patient reminder and recall system: The reminders can be in the form of automated messages or emails reminding about the upcoming treatment appointment, payments that are due, birthday wishes & compliments on festivals. Patient reminder system is perhaps the must have feature for any dental practice management software.

Ask about the storage capacity to manage high-quality patient images: In the course of running a dental practice, you will end up accumulating photos & videos of your patients’ treatments (pre-treatment & post treatment). So, before deciding on a dental practice management software, always think about the storage capacity you will require 3 to 4 years down the line. If you choose a type 1 & 2 type dental practice management software then you will need to keep a check of the storage available on your computer. If choosing a cloud-based dental practice management software, then enquire regarding the storage spaces and how much you will need to pay for extra space if required.

Always ask for a free trial period to assess how easy it is to use the dental practice management software? However nice looking it may be but never decide on a dental practice management software by just looking at an attractive appearance or random user reviews. Always ask for a trial period and in that period use the software extensively. Check the ease of using, the display interface & the must-have features we discussed few lines before. All major dental practice management software usually provide a trial period.

Enquire about the after sales service: Before you finalize on a dental practice management software, ask properly regarding the status of the after sales service. Especially in type 1 & 2 type of dental practice management software. You will need on-site servicing. In the case of cloud-based dental practice management software, there must be a robust online support system.

We will soon roll out a detailed analysis of all the top dental practice management software.

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The conclusion on Choosing a perfect dental practice management for your dental practice.