Smooth Workflows and Seamless Access to Care

For more than 30 years, Dentrix practice management software has been a trusted name in dentistry. Used by thousands of practices nationwide, its success stems from a constant ability to evolve with advancing dental technology. With a suite of integrated tools that streamlines both clinical and administrative workflows—from revenue cycle management and insurance verification to voice-activated perio charting and patient engagement—DPS readers count on Dentrix to power their practices and enhance the patient experience.

Dentrix Hits the Road

Kwane Watson, DMD, who is CEO of Kare Mobile, relies on the Dentrix Ascend cloud-based practice management software to support both his patients and the clinicians operating his fleet of mobile dental units.

Providing dental care to underserved communities across rural areas in 6 states—Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Oklahoma—Kare Mobile has grown significantly since its launch in 2017. Today, the mobile DSO employs 40 team members and has logged more than 120,000 miles in just the past 10 months.

Treat Patients from Anywhere

“Kare Mobile’s single-chair, dental-equipped vans travel to communities and become the dental homes of people in very rural areas,” said Dr. Watson, who has practiced for 26 years. “And in those vans, we are utilizing technology like Dentrix Ascend, which makes it more efficient to serve our patients.”

With an easy-to-use interface, Dentrix Ascend allows users to customize daily to-do lists, monitor business and financial metrics, submit and track insurance claims, create treatment plans, and access patient data across practice locations. The software eliminates paper consent forms and enables 2-way text messaging with patients, online appointment scheduling and confirmation, digital billing statements, and online payments.

“Because Dentrix Ascend is cloud-based, I can view x-rays and charting and other patient treatment data from anywhere,” Dr. Watson explained. “In Kentucky, our hygienists can work under general supervision, so during the actual treatment appointment, I can virtually review x-rays, images, charting, and other treatment data in real time as the hygienist is treating the patient,” he said, adding that Kare Mobile vans are equipped with multiple screens, and he routinely uses FaceTime to talk with the patient and clinician during appointments.

A Second Set of Eyes

For Dr. Watson, a critical piece of the Dentrix Ascend puzzle is Detect AI, powered and manufactured by VideaHealth, which brings artificial intelligence x-ray analysis to his imaging workflow. This gives him real-time decision support in the form of AI- enabled caries detections and interproximal radiographic bone-level measurements. Working seamlessly within the imaging workflow—and as soon as he opens the images within the Dentrix Ascend patient chart—Detect AI analyzes the findings, displaying the results in seconds.

“I love the fact that as soon as we take the x-ray, the Detect AI findings show up immediately, so I can easily explain to patients why I’m recommending certain treatments,” Dr. Watson shared.

Boosts Patient Acceptance

With its easy-to-understand color tools and graphics, Detect AI helps patients better understand their oral health conditions and diagnoses, thereby boosting treatment acceptance.

“We’ve been able to incorporate this AI technology and find that it’s made the patient experience better, and it’s allowed us to be more proficient in delivering patient care,” he shared. “It’s an amazing tool that doesn’t just aid the dentist, but also informs the patient, which equates to in-creased patient acceptance of treatment.”

Keeping Patients ‘Engaged’

Dentrix-connected technology also is a popular staple on the business side of dentistry, as illustrated by Amy Kaminski, business manager at Dawson Family Dentistry in Danville, IN, and a Dentrix user for more than 15 years.

Kaminski enjoys using the Dentrix Patient Engage feature, which includes a variety of tools that automate and improve the way she communicates with patients and also keeps chairs full day after day. 

Users can automatically send appointment and recare reminders, send patient surveys and newsletters, and leverage an Online Booking feature, which lets patients self-schedule appointments anytime and from anywhere, while the practice maintains control over the schedule.

Efficient Way to Keep in Touch

“What I like most about Patient Engage is that it doesn’t time me out or make me open a separate webpage,” Kaminski shared. “It’s easy to see if there’s a patient message or appointment confirmation. It stays on my screen, is always running in the background, and automatically updates. It’s simplified and easy to use."

She added that patients often use the messaging feature to report emergencies and submit images of dental issues.

“I can take a look at the next day’s appointments, and if someone hasn’t confirmed, I can quickly use the 2-way texting option to find out if they're still coming in and just forgot to respond," Kaminski said. "If they need to cancel, I can easily find patients who are waiting for appointments and refill the opening. It's a technology that's simplifies our life as front office staff and makes the dental experience easier for patients."