The Thriving Dental Software Ecosystem

Recently, we published our first-ever Dental Software Ecosystem Infographic containing nearly 80 of the biggest names in the dental software industry. This infographic showcases all the different software companies in the dental software ecosystem.

A New Way to Practice Dentistry

Back when Planet DDS was founded in 2003, many dental offices were still using color-coded paper files, and the idea of streamlining practice management through software was still in its infancy. Many practices were still using traditional film X-rays instead of digital. Since then Planet DDS, among others, have helped revolutionize the dental industry through new advances in software technology.

Through our infographic, we want to recognize the growth and innovation in the dental software space, including practice management solutions, imaging software, patient relationship management, analytics, claims, teledentistry, financing, artificial intelligence, memberships, call tracking, and more.

Software Categories

In our infographic, we divided the ecosystem into several categories based on the type of solution they provide:

  1. Practice Management Solutions: These solutions, offered both on-premise and cloud-based are designed with numerous functions that help run dental practices. In contrast to all other categories listed on our infographic, which may serve a narrower purpose, practice management solutions are considered a “system of record,” meaning it provides the authoritative data source for a business. Many practice management solutions are all-in-one solutions with native versions of the other software that you’ll see on this list.
  2. Imaging Software: Included here are cloud-based and on-premise imaging software. Imaging software continues to evolve, allowing practices the ability to manipulate and access 2D and 3D images in the cloud and use AI technology to improve diagnostic accuracy.
  3. Membership Plans: Practices may offer a membership plan as a payment option for their patients as an alternative to belonging to an insurance plan.
  4. Teledentistry: Even before COVID, teledentistry was already being used to connect patients and providers virtually. Teledentistry companies are making it easier for providers to virtually connect with patients more easily to provide education, consultation, and care.
  5. Call Tracking: To provide practices with more analytics to drive higher revenue, these software help track the patient’s journey through monitoring and measuring patient calls.
  6. Artificial Intelligence: An area that’s sure to transform the practice of dentistry is artificial intelligence. AI will enable practices to use data to improve clinical outcomes and streamline their practices.
  7. Analytics: Analytics software helps dental practices make sense of their data to make better business decisions.
  8. Claims and Financing: Claims processing and financing companies help practices process insurance claims and offer patients flexible payment options.
  9. Patient Relationship Management: Practices leverage patient relationship management tools to maintain and nurture their current and new patients. These tools include marketing software, communications tools, scheduling software, and others that helps practices provide a better experience for their patients.

Planet DDS solutions integrate well with many of these products, and we offer many of these products bundled natively in our all-in-one solutions as well.

Looking Ahead in the Dental Software Ecosystem

One of the lasting effects of 2020 was the acceleration of software adoption, owing to increased remote work, safety concerns, hiring crises, and changes in patient expectations. Dental practices that had previously adopted various technologies to help in these areas were more resilient during the pandemic.

There’s no doubt that more players will join the dental software ecosystem in years to come with new products and innovations. We at Planet DDS will continue to lead through our innovative solutions help our clients practice smarter and deliver the best patient care.

About Planet DDS and Our Solutions

Find out why hundreds of practices move to Planet DDS solutions each year. To learn more about our all-in-one cloud-based practice management solution Denticon and how it takes the place of many third-party software to save your practice time and money, learn more here or get a demo. To find out about our imaging software with cloud-capabilities Apteryx Imaging XVWeb, click here or get a demo.