Congratulations future smile-makers, you’ve survived dental school!

There’s good news, and bad news. The good news is, you made it! The bad news? 80% of you graduated with over $287,000 in student debt. Combined with the cost of starting or purchasing a dental practice, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed.

But don’t fret, there’s more good news. With Open Dental, you can take the enormous cost burden of Dental Practice Management software off your list of worries!

Dr. Jordan Sparks founded Open Dental Software on the belief that powerful, flexible software should be within reach of every dentist, and that great software doesn’t need to cost a fortune. This was true when we were founded in 2003, and it is still true today. Watch our “Meet Open Dental” video to see what we’re all about.

Your choice of Dental Practice Management Software can have an enormous impact on you and your staff. As a practice owner, you need to work smart, measure success, and plan for growth.

Open Dental shares your goals, and we’re committed to your success!

• Open Dental is a complete practice management software. (Charting, treatment planning, scheduling, billing and account management, insurance estimates and claims, patient communication, and much more.)
• There is no upfront cost for the software, you just pay a nominal monthly fee for support.
• Support fees include software updates (with hundreds of new features each year), CDT codes, and access to affordable training, eServices, the feature request system, and top-notch technical support.
• Open Dental gives you the freedom to choose:
  • Your imaging software – we bridge to practically anything.
  • Your claims clearinghouse – several are integrated with Open Dental for e-claims, electronic benefit eligibility, electronic patient billing, etc. – check our clearinghouse page for more info.
  • Your dental supplies vendor – use anyone you’d like!
  • We’re Open Source, which means lots of companies have created ways to interface with our software. Interoperability means you can connect Open Dental to loads of other software, so you can manage your practice your way.
• Automation features and other tools available in the software help maximize productivity, efficiency, and profitability.
• As your practice grows, Open Dental grows with you!

If we could offer just one piece of advice as you go forth & create healthy, beautiful smiles, it would be:

Don’t do it alone!

There is a huge community of supportive, seasoned veterans you can tap into.

The American Dental Association – be sure to check out your local chapter!

dentaltown.com is a community website and forum created so that No Dentist Will Ever Have to Practice Solo Again®. This site offers everything from continuing education courses, a free monthly magazine, podcasts and posts from industry leaders, and hundreds of discussions on everything from case acceptance to real world use tips in Open Dental. Register today to join over 230,000 registered dental professionals on their forums!

Open Dental User Forums
Ever wonder how other Open Dental Users are tackling unusual situations or requirements? Want to get more support for your Feature Request? Join the conversation on one of several Open Dental User Forums. Go to opendental.com and click on Forum. Sign up, and start learning/sharing!

The Open Dental Users Facebook group was started by Nomi Waters and is co-run by Kevin Rossen, Founder of Divergent Dental Resources. It’s a thriving online community of Open Dental users who share their experiences, best practices, and real world tips & tricks. This is also a great place to gain support for a feature request you’d like implemented.

Stay tuned to this blog, and subscribe to our user newsletter for announcements, updates on new features, software tips & tricks, and more.

Congratulations to the Dental School Graduating Class of 2018: our future smilemakers!