Choosing denturist software in Canada

Denture software has lagged behind dental software for decades. Dental practice management software kept getting better, and most denturists were left with programs that work the way they did twenty years ago.

What denturist software is

Denturist software is practice management software for a denture clinic. It sends claims electronically, and it helps the clinic run smoother with scheduling, notes, lab tracking and recalls.

It cannot simply mirror dental software. The certification is different: denturist claims go through DACnet. The patient profile is different. And visits are infrequent and as needed, which makes a denture clinic quite unlike a dental office.

Recalls show it best. A denture patient should be asked at six months or a year whether they need a reline. If everything is fine, they don’t even need an appointment. That clashes with the strict scheduling of dental recare systems, and the result is unnecessary visits or, more often, missed appointments and broken dentures.

In MapleDent Cloud, check-in texts go out on the schedule you set. They ask whether the denture is fitting right, the patient replies to the same number, and your team answers from inside MapleDent. The patient who needs a reline gets back in the chair. The patient who doesn’t is left alone.

At home and mobile care

Denture patients skew heavily geriatric. Because of this, many denturists offer care at home, travelling to patients’ homes or to nursing homes so that care stays within reach of the people who need it.

Many denture software vendors charge per installed computer. That leaves the denturist with a tough decision: pay extra to have the software on a laptop, or go without and resort to paper. Modern denturist software, like MapleDent Cloud, doesn’t charge for extra screens or computers, which makes those visits practical.

On-premise or cloud denturist software

A lot of denture software only runs on premises, on a hefty and cumbersome server that needs maintenance and adds to the ongoing cost. Modern denturist software has moved to the cloud. There is no server to look after or pay for, and the denturist can focus on more important matters in the clinic.

Where that data is stored, and who manages it, matters a great deal. Many cloud products either host their data in the US or rely on American giants like Amazon, Google or Microsoft to host it. That puts patient data in the hands of foreign companies. It also exposes it to US authorities: the US CLOUD Act lets them demand data from American companies wherever in the world it is stored, and that includes the confidential records of Canadian patients.

This should never be accepted. Every denturist should check the subprocessors of the cloud software they use. MapleDent Cloud publishes its subprocessors, and it uses no US companies for patient data.

What it has to do day to day

Claims come first. Check that the software is on the Denturist Association of Canada’s list of DACnet certified vendors. Maple Dental Software is certified for DACnet, and in MapleDent Cloud you send the claim from the appointment, check eligibility, and see each patient’s claim history.

A denture is rarely one visit. There are impressions, try-ins, delivery and adjustments, with the lab in between. The software should let you set a lab status on an appointment and follow a case from start to finish, so a step doesn’t get missed.

Many denturists run the front desk themselves, so small things count:

• Patients fill in and sign their forms on their own phone or on a clinic tablet.
• Two-way texting, with appointment reminders sent for you.
• An Undo button. Delete or move the wrong appointment and it puts it back.

What denturist software really costs

The headline price is unfortunately not always the actual price. Much of the software out there is plagued by extra charges: messaging, installation, onboarding, training, additional screens or computers, and more. A program advertised near $100 can balloon to over $300 for even a small denture office. Many denturists end up cutting the number of computers the software is installed on to keep the cost down, and pay for it in lost efficiency.

Ask for the full price in writing, with every screen you use today.

MapleDent Cloud publishes its pricing. For denturist clinics it starts at $180 a month paid yearly, or $200 month to month, and each additional denturist adds $45 a month paid yearly. There are no hidden fees, no fees for SMS, and no fees per computer, screen or user. The only thing that changes the price is the number of denturists. The first month is free, and there is no setup fee and no fixed-term contract. The rest is on the pricing page.

Moving from your current software

Migration is always a sticky topic for denturists. They are rightly concerned about losing patient data and losing productivity.

Modern denturist software handles migration well. It restructures the data as it comes across, and the gain in efficiency over outdated on-premise software, along with the lower cost, more than makes up for any training period.

With MapleDent Cloud, moving your data over is part of onboarding, to the maximum extent possible. Every new clinic gets two private onboarding sessions for its team, and a live group training session runs every week. Your clinic owns its records, and you can export them at any time.

Questions to ask before you buy

• Is it certified for DACnet?
• Can recalls be asked for when needed, not only booked on a fixed cycle?
• What does one more computer cost? What does a laptop for home visits cost?
• Does it need a server in the clinic?
• Where is the data stored, and who are the subprocessors?
• What is the full monthly price, with messaging, training and setup included?
• What happens to our patient records when we move over?
• Can we export our data whenever we want?

See how MapleDent Cloud handles a denturist’s day on the denturist page.