Open Dental
Comprehensive, highly customizable dental practice management software at an affordable price for practices of any size.
By Open Dental Software · 3.0/5 verified-buyer score
Positioning guardrails
Best for
- Dental practices of any size that want a highly customizable practice management system
- Multi-provider and multi-location dental groups standardising on one PMS
- Practices that lean heavily on insurance claims and clearinghouse connections
- Buyers who prefer optional add-on modules (patient portal, eClipboard, texting, mobile) over an all-in-one cloud suite
Ideal size: 2–50 staff per practice people · Single or multi-location dental practice replacing a legacy PMS
Not for
- Non-dental healthcare organisations; the product is purpose-built for dental workflows
- Buyers who need published list pricing before evaluating
- Teams looking for a zero-configuration, out-of-the-box tool
- Organisations that require vendor-published SOC 2 or ISO certifications during procurement
Value metrics scorecard
Time-to-Value
About 1 month
~30 days to first production value
Total Cost of Ownership
$0/yr
Starts at $0 · Not published on the vendor website; optional eServices modules can be bundled at a discount — contact the vendor for a quote
Implementation Friction
3/5
Engineering + admin effort required
Buyer Score
out of 5 · verified buyers
Full cost breakdown
Mandatory implementation fee
None
Seat tiers
Not published on the vendor website
Add-on costs
- eServices bundle: Patient Portal, Payment Portal, Web Forms, Web Sched, Secure Email, texting, automated messaging, ODMobile, ODTouch, eClipboard, Message-to-Pay, Mass Email
- Optional services: conversions from 200+ dental PMS, sheet design, custom query writing, replication support and incident support
Company & support
Who is behind Open Dental, and how your team gets help once it is live.
Company
- Founded
- Not recorded
- Headquarters
- Not recorded
How you get support
- PhoneNot listed
- EmailPlan not stated
- Live chatNot listed
- Support portal / ticketsNot listed
- Community forumPlan not stated
- Help centre / docsPlan not stated
- Dedicated account managerNot listed
- In person / on-siteNot listed
- Hours
- Not recorded
- Response time
- Not stated
Vendor publishes a service address ([email protected]), user forums and a user newsletter, plus pre-recorded webinars and tutorials. Plan-level support terms are not stated on the page.
“Not listed” means the vendor’s public pages don’t mention that channel, not that it is unavailable. Ask about it during evaluation.
Market position
Where Open Dental sits relative to every other solution in the database. Toggle axes to compare on cost, speed, friction, or buyer score.
Quadrant view
Typical annual cost × Time-to-value
Stack fit signal
Compatibility with standard B2B ecosystems.
No supported MCP path today, so it cannot be driven from an AI client.
AI & MCP readiness
What Open Dental ships in AI, and what it asks of your ecosystem.
Industry verdicts
How Open Dental speaks to each vertical it serves — same data, sector lens.
HealthcareMore patients, less paperwork.
Best for in Healthcare
- Dental practices and small dental groups needing deep customization of charting, scheduling and billing
- Practices with heavy insurance workflows, supported by 20+ clearinghouse connections and preauthorization tools
- Multi-location or growing practices wanting patient-facing add-ons such as portals, eClipboard and texting
- Teams that want third-party interoperability, with hundreds of bridges to other dental programs
Not for
- Non-dental medical specialties or hospital systems; workflows are dental-specific
- Buyers who need transparent, self-serve pricing before a demo
- Organisations that require published security certifications before shortlisting
- Clinics with no appetite for configuration or third-party add-on management
Open Dental is purpose-built for dental offices rather than general healthcare. The vendor positions it as quality, highly customizable practice management software at an affordable price for practices of any size, with electronic prescriptions, graphical tooth charting, discount plans, digital forms, queries and email in the core product. Interoperability is a stated strength: hundreds of third-party bridges, 20+ clearinghouses and native integrations, plus optional eServices for patient portals, payment portals, web forms, scheduling, secure email, texting and ODMobile/ODTouch/eClipboard. Buyers should confirm security certifications, hosting model, per-practice pricing and conversion effort directly, since none of these are stated on the public site.
Compliance attestations
* IAPP AIGP certifies individuals, not products. It means named staff hold the credential — not that the platform does.
Bottom line
Open Dental is a highly customizable dental practice management system covering charting, scheduling, billing, insurance claims, e-prescriptions and patient communication. It emphasises interoperability (hundreds of third-party bridges, 20+ clearinghouses) plus an optional eServices bundle for patient portals, eClipboard, texting and mobile access, and ships new versions on a rapid release cycle. It suits dental practices of any size that want deep configuration and flexible deployment.
Frequently asked questions
What does Open Dental include in the core product?
The vendor lists discount plans, electronic prescriptions, a graphical tooth chart, built-in graphical and user queries, email and digital forms as core features, alongside practice management functions such as scheduling, billing and insurance handling. Optional eServices add patient portals, payment portals, web forms, web scheduling, secure email, texting and mobile tools.
Does Open Dental publish its pricing?
No pricing is published on the pages reviewed. The site invites prospects to order the software or contact the vendor, and states that eServices modules can be bundled for savings. Buyers should request a written quote covering licences, eServices add-ons and any conversion or design services.
Can Open Dental connect to the other systems our practice uses?
The vendor advertises interoperability, including hundreds of bridges to other programs, connections to more than 20 clearinghouses, native integrations and a catalogue of third-party services and vendors. It also offers data conversions from more than 200 dental practice management systems.
How long does implementation take?
The vendor does not publish implementation timelines on the pages reviewed. It offers conversion services, sheet design, custom query writing, replication and incident support, which suggests a configuration project rather than an instant switch. Confirm a timeline and cutover plan with the vendor before committing.
Does Open Dental hold SOC 2, ISO 27001 or HIPAA certifications?
No security, trust or compliance page was available in the material reviewed, so no certification claims can be confirmed. Practices with strict procurement requirements should ask the vendor directly for current attestations and a signed business associate agreement.
What support and community resources are available?
The vendor publishes a service email address, user forums, a user newsletter and an Open Dental users Facebook group, plus pre-recorded webinars and tutorials. Support hours, response-time commitments and plan-level entitlements are not stated on the site and should be confirmed during evaluation.