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 Emily, a Technical Writer.

How long have you been with Open Dental and what do you do?

Seven years! My first two years at Open Dental were spent as a Support Technician. When a position on the Technical Writing team opened, I jumped at the opportunity and applied. I’ve been a Technical Writer for the last five years here. My primary job is to document new features and keep our User Manual up to date. I also assist with internal documentation, train our technicians on new features, and write content for the Open Dental Blog.

Did you have a dentistry background?

I worked as an office assistant for a dental practice after class when I was in high school. But it was a short-lived gig and I mostly organized charts and fed the fish. Nearly everything I know about dentistry I learned as a patient and during my time here at Open Dental. There are a few dental assistants and a hygienist on staff here who have helped us have a better understanding of the clinical side of dentistry.

Are there features you have documented recently that you are particularly excited about?

We recently added tooth graphics for orthodontic treatment in Version 22.2. Even if a practice doesn’t do ortho treatment in-house, they can still accurately track changes to their patient’s teeth on the tooth chart. Our awesome media team put out a webinar on these changes.

What do you like most about your job?

The people! My position allows me to work with a variety of people every day. I get to work with our owner, the CEO, our engineers, the media team, the marketing team, the escalation team, and everyone in between. When I first started as a Technical Writer, I thought it would get lonely, but I actually get to collaborate with others on a daily basis. This has led to some long-lasting friendships and an environment I enjoy showing up to.

What resources are available to Open Dental customers?

The Manual is updated daily. In Open Dental, a user can click the question mark icon in the upper right of a window. The manual page that corresponds with the window will open. It’s a great tool to quickly get the information you need.

Naturally, Support is a great resource for questions and problems. We are always telling our customers, call us, call us, call us! For an immediate answer to a simple question, Online Chat is a great option!

Lastly, our media team has done a fabulous job keeping our webinars up to date. Our YouTube Channel is packed with helpful videos.

Anything else you’d like to share with offices?

Every team at Open Dental works to make things easier for the user. Our engineers make improvements and add time-saving features. Our media and writing teams document these features so they are easy to understand and implement in a practice. Our support team works to answer questions and solve problems.

No matter what question you have about Open Dental, there is somebody here who can answer it.