First, before I write anything else, allow me to preface by saying Mosaic accepts no kickbacks, incentives, etc. from any vendors with whom we work….and that includes dental software vendors. We are, however, constantly being asked for our opinion on dental software by new doctors opening practices…… as well as by established doctors searching for something that suits their needs better than the program they’re currently using. This blog, like any other, expresses opinions formed after years of consulting, and is not based on any empirical studies.
Now that we have all the disclaimers out of the way, let’s discuss what we’ve seen in software. First comes the Mac versus PC discussion. We here at Mosaic are serious Mac fans. We have a Mac, we use iPads and iPhones, but we’re not sold on the use of Macs in offices just yet. There’s no doubt that dental software for Macs will someday catch up with PC software, but right now it just isn’t there. We’ve been working recently with two different clients, one a prosthodontist and one an orthodontist, both using Mac software. The programs are most definitely usable, and have some features we’d love to see on PC based software, but they are limited, less robust and difficult for staff to learn. The question then becomes is it difficult because staff members have only “PC brains” or is it just less intuitive? Because we here at Mosaic exercise both our Mac and PC brains, we have to go with just less intuitive for those already trained on other PC based programs. That sounds so odd to say about anything Mac, but we do see it as true in the dental software.
Another question has become cloud based versus server based. Once again, good cases can be made for and against both. While we haven’t yet seen a cloud based dental software that even vaguely compares to it’s server based counterparts, the savings can be a great incentive. Not having to purchase a dedicated server for the office is a big dollar savings. In addition to the lack of robustness of the cloud based software, we have had a number of very honest IT specialists tell us the security factor is not as good as you get with a PC. This alone is a big concern for many of our clients. While you would wonder why anyone would want to hack a dental software, it does happen with a great deal more frequency all the time. Whether it’s brilliant but bored kids, or dishonest folks looking for SS numbers, dentists do get hacked.
Now we start talking about what do we see as the best of the dental software and that’s a tougher call because so much depends on what’s important to the doctor. The real top of the line dental software programs, as we see it, are Dentrix for general practice and pediatric dentistry and Dolphin for orthodontics. There is also an excellent program for endodontics, TDO that has its own cult-like following. Other good options are Eaglesoft for general practice and pediatric dentistry and Ortho II for Orthodontics. None of these are on the inexpensive end of the scale. They’re relatively pricey, but as with anything else, you get what you pay for…… and you can generally get good deals (especially with Eaglesoft and Dolphin) if you purchase other equipment and products from their owner vendors. There are many other programs that will get the job done at a lower price, and if your biggest concern is watching the budget…..as it has to be for many offices, you may want to consider one of these other products. Our best suggestion is do your research, ask your friends, and if you are working with a good consultant, let them help guide you. You and your staff will be using these programs every day you practice and they have to meet the needs of your individual office to keep things running smoothly and efficiently
