Open Dental is a practice management software that’s packed full of features, and as a result, we have a team packed full of experts. In this blog series, we’ll interview Open Dental Experts with various specialties.

In this post, we are interviewing Amber, who is the go-to expert for all things conversions, and a Conversions Supervisor.

How long you have been with Open Dental and what’s your specialty?

I was a Dental Assistant for Jordan Sparks, DMD, and then transitioned to Open Dental when the Dental office was sold, so 21 years in total. My specialty is Conversions, I am a Conversion Supervisor.
FUN FACT: Amber has been with Open Dental longer than anyone else!

What are some common questions you get from offices wanting to convert from another practice management software to Open Dental?

Q: Does everything convert?
A: The data that transfers over varies by what software the practice is currently using. A test conversion will give a good representation of what will convert and how it will look in Open Dental. We have compiled a comprehensive list of the data that converts over from different software programs so practices know what to expect.
Q: Do x-rays convert?
A: No, but we have bridges to most x-ray solutions. We do have a couple of image conversions for x-rays, but most offices simply bridge from Open Dental to their current x-ray application.
TECH TIP: Open Dental’s Imaging Module now has features that allows offices to capture radiographs directly in Open Dental.
Q: Do scanned documents convert?
A: Yes, we have an Image conversion for scanned documents and Patient Pictures. This is separate from the data conversion and incurs an additional fee.

What is the biggest misconception about the conversion process?

Offices often assume the actual process of getting connected and running the data conversion will take days or weeks to run. In reality, most can be run in about three hours.

Converting can be stressful for an office – what do we do to help practices through the transition?

The whole conversion process involves much more than the data conversion where all the data is moved over from the previous software into Open Dental. The Conversions Team works with practices over the course of several weeks to:

• Do a (free) test conversion so the practice staff can see how their data will convert over into Open Dental
• The practice completes a pre-conversion checklist which gives them the opportunity to assess the test conversion and look closely at how the data has come over, to identify any issues and resolve them prior to the final conversion.
• We get connected with the customer’s server and do a final conversion to move data over from their old software to Open Dental.
• Following the final conversion appointment, the office can then schedule a 2-hour post-conversion setup session (cost included in conversion fee) to help the practice get everything set up and establish a solid foundation for their growth as they use Open Dental.
• When an office converts to Open Dental, they are assigned to a New Customer Onboarding Coordinator. This experienced technician is their single point of contact from the start of the conversion process through post-conversion cleanup; answering questions, providing various support and training resources, and helping the office maximize all the tools available in the software.

Anything else you’d like to share with offices?

We have a very friendly conversion team, so please don’t hesitate to ask questions. The test conversion stage is designed to help ease the transition to Open Dental, so it’s important to spend adequate time evaluating the test conversion to make certain the data has converted over as expected. If changes need to be made, that is the time to do it!

Want more information about converting to Open Dental? Our support team is always here for you – reach out anytime.