Your practice is growing and you’re adding new employees and new workstations – congratulations! Installing Open Dental on additional workstations is a simple process. We’ve listed a few prerequisites to help your installation go smoothly, and a few follow-up steps after the installation so the user can hit the ground running.

This post is for existing Open Dental users who are installing Open Dental on additional workstations. If installing Open Dental on the server, please see this manual page. 

Follow the steps in our handy infographic or read the post for more detailed steps.

Work with your IT

Before you start installing Open Dental, there are a few steps you’ll want to work with your IT on.

1. Verify the workstation meets the computer requirements. If you want to install Open Dental on a tablet, or if the workstation will be used as a Kiosk, see our manual for some additional considerations.
2. Connect the workstation to your office network.
3. Verify the server and database names, as well as any server credentials. You can find the server and database names in Open Dental by going to Help, About. Your IT should be able to provide you with any required credentials for the server. The user installing Open Dental should have server access. Ensure the user has server access credentials saved.
4. If the new workstation will need to take x-rays, figure out if the imaging software needs to be installed locally or accessed via the server. If a local installation is needed, it’s best to do that before installing Open Dental so images can be taken as soon as the installation is complete.
5. If the workstation will be used to send claims, determine if any clearinghouse software needs to be installed locally or if it is accessed via the server. If a local installation is needed, it’s best to do that before installing Open Dental.

Install Open Dental on the New Workstation

1. On the new workstation, navigate to the server on your network using File Explorer. Open the A to Z ( e.g., OpenDentImages) folder. If prompted, enter server credentials. You may want to check “Remember my credentials”, so these do not need to be re-entered each time you try to access the server. 
2. Locate the Setup.exe file, then right-click and select “Run as Administrator”. 
3. Proceed through the installer, and click through the prompts until installation is complete. An Open Dental shortcut is created on your desktop.
4. Right-click on the Open Dental shortcut, and select “Run as Administrator”
5. In the Choose Database screen, enter the Server Name and Database name and click OK.
   1. (optional) Before clicking OK, Check the “Do not show this window on startup” if you don’t want this window shown every time you launch Open Dental on this workstation.

TECH TIP:  When you click OK after entering the server name and database name, you may be prompted to update the Open Dental Version. Click OK. Your workstation’s version will be updated to match the database.

After Installing

Set the preferred Appointment View

1. Log in to Open Dental
2. In the Appointment Module, choose the appointment view for this workstation/user from the View dropdown under the Pinboard.

The Appointment View that was last active when a user logs out will be selected the next time the user logs in. For new users who have never logged in to Open Dental, the last active view selected on the workstation will open by default.

(optional) Prepare the workstation to send Claims

1. Go to Setup, Family/Insurance, Clearinghouses.
2. Find the Clearinghouse you use (it will say Dent in the “Is Default” column).
3. Double-click to open your Clearinghouse, and click.
4. If prompted to create a claim export path or report path, click OK.
5. Close the Clearinghouse window. You’re all set!

Open Dental is powerful and scalable: It is designed to grow with you. In this post, we’ve discussed adding new workstations, but if your practice is growing and expanding to additional locations, Open Dental can help you manage that growth with features like Clinics, the Central Enterprise Management Tool (CEMT), Open Dental Cloud, and options to structure your database connections in a way that works best for you.

If you’d like any help, just give us a call – we’re here to help you as you grow!

Information in this post reflects features available in Open Dental Version 24.1. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our manual.