Best Dental Software 2021

Denticon vs. Dentrix: Compare Dental Practice Management Software

Is Denticon or Dentrix the better solution for you? Here is an in-depth comparison guide to help you decide which practice management software is the best fit for your practice.

Denticon and Dentrix are popular practice management systems designed to help dental organizations by optimizing important tasks like scheduling, charting, and reporting. Deciding which software is best for you is a tricky process. We compare both software options and highlight the most important factors that you should consider before purchasing.

Denticon vs. Dentrix Comparison Summary

Denticon and Dentrix are both high-quality practice management systems with thousands of customers. Your decision will likely come down to the tool you find to be the most user-friendly, and whether you have an existing loyalty to Dentrix.

  • Denticon is the first and largest cloud-based practice management software.
  • Dentrix is the oldest player in the market with highly popular products. Two of their practice management products are: the legacy, on-premise Dentrix G7, and the newer, cloud-based Dentrix Ascend.

For in-depth analysis of each practice management software, check out our reviews for Denticon, Dentrix Ascend, and Dentrix G7.

Practice Management SoftwareWho It's Best For
Denticon
  • Practices with multiple locations who want to move to the cloud
  • Practices who want a fully-featured product with strong charting and reporting
  • Practices who want the most mature and established cloud-based offering
Dentrix Ascend
  • Practices with multiple locations who want to move to the cloud
  • Especially favorable for practices with Dentrix experience, or that prefer working with an established organization
Dentrix G7
  • Single location practices
  • Practices that want a feature-rich product that integrates with a large number of software & devices
  • Practices with staff experienced in Dentrix products

Table of Contents

Denticon vs. Dentrix: Pricing

Denticon
  • Denticon pricing starts at $280 per month for one user & one location. Other pricing details include:
  • Monthly subscription fee
  • No upfront licensing costs
  • Requires separate subscriptions with DoseSpot and Updox
Dentrix Ascend
  • Starts at $500 per month for up to 10 users
  • $995 initial setup fee
Dentrix G7
  • $6,995 price for license
  • Ongoing expense of $139 per month for support
  • Additional fees for bundles with extra functionality

Key Differences

Denticon and Dentrix are both powerful management tools that can help improve your practice. However, there are key differences you should keep in mind before making your purchase.

Design & User Flows

Although both tools have the same major components, their design and user flows differ. Overall, we recommend that you test each software to determine the one that is the best fit with your team's workflows.

In our research, we've spoken with dental professionals who prefer Denticon for generating treatment plans. Treatment planning can be found directly in the charting module, or in a stand-alone view.

denticon treatment plan

Other dental professionals have informed SoftwarePundit that they prefer Dentrix’s flexible workflow. Modules are easy to find, and there are a variety of ways to input administrative and patient care information.

Dentrix Odontogram

Product Maturity

Denticon and Dentrix G7 are both fully mature systems. They have both been around for over 10 years, and possess all the core features you need.

On the other hand, Dentrix Ascend is a newer product with many features that are being actively developed. Dentrix is investing heavily into Dentrix Ascend, so we expect the platform to be fully featured in the future.

Cloud-based vs. On-premise Systems

Denticon and Dentrix Ascend are cloud-based systems that are subscription-based services. These SaaS services are ideal for multi-location practices who want to consolidate data across their offices. Dentrix G7 is an on-premise system that is installed locally on your own computers and servers. These different types of systems come with their strengths and weaknesses.

Software TypesProsCons
Cloud-based
  • Best for multi-location practices
  • Sync your data across all locations
  • Scalability
  • No server purchase or maintenance
  • Automatic software updates & data back-up
  • Requires a reliable internet connection
  • In some cases, SaaS subscription may be more expensive than license+maintenance for on-premise
  • Must trust vendor with data security
On-premise
  • In the long run, the cost for licenses, servers, and IT support may be cheaper than a monthly subscription to a cloud-based service
  • Requires no internet connection
  • Full control over technology and data
  • Higher upfront costs for software, hardware, and infrastructure
  • Recurring cost for IT support
  • Data is only accessible on-site
  • Manual software updates & data back-up
  • Limited storage

Denticon and Dentrix Product Overviews

To support your evaluation process, we included detailed information on each solution below. We also link to our full reviews for each product.

Denticon

Denticon is the most popular cloud-based practice management software on the market. It offers many advanced features, and is equipped with exceptional charting and reporting capabilities. Because Denticon is priced lower and more feature-rich than Dentrix Ascend, we believe it is the better cloud-based solution for most practices.

Strengths
  • Cloud-based solution
  • Equipped with core features, as well as advanced features such as voice-activated perio charting and virtual business services
  • Robust charting and reporting
  • Cost-effective
Weaknesses
  • User flow requires a moderate learning curve
  • Claims can only be sent through DentalXChange. Denticon has informed us that it is working on partnering with other clearinghouses

Dentrix Ascend

Dentrix Ascend is an innovative, cloud-based practice management software used by over 20,000 customers. Dentrix Ascend is not as fully-featured as other cloud-based solutions, like Denticon. However, Dentrix is a market leader, and we anticipate that new features will be added to Dentrix Ascend in the future.

Strengths
  • Cloud-based solution
  • Modern interface is well designed and easy to navigate
  • Includes open API
  • Experienced staff are often well versed with Dentrix products, and requires less training
Weaknesses
  • Missing key features like a patient portal, business analytics, lab case tracking, employee time clock
  • Patient engagement is not fully-featured. Two-way texting only works for very limited use cases

Dentrix G7

Dentrix G7 is the most popular on-premise practice management software on the market today. It is feature-rich and integrates with most imaging devices. However, its high price point will be a barrier for many practices.

Strengths
  • Feature rich
  • Experienced staff are often well versed with Dentrix products, and requires less training
  • Integrates with a high volume of devices and hardware
Weaknesses
  • More expensive than competitors
  • Challenging to access and view data remotely
  • Doesn’t have patient status tracking
  • User interface looks dated

Bottom Line

Denticon and Dentrix are both tried-and-true products that are popular among dental professionals. The best practice management software for you depends on a variety of factors including your budget, the tool you find most user-friendly, and your preference for a cloud or on-premise solution.

  • If you want the most popular, fully-featured cloud-based system, then start your search with Denticon
  • If you want a cloud-based system and want to stick with Dentrix, you will be happy with Dentrix Ascend
  • If you have a preference for on-premise systems, then your best option is Dentrix G7
Lloyd Park

Lloyd Park is a Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit, where he conducts in-depth analyses of software markets and products. Lloyd also has experience managing the development of software platforms and is an expert in content production & media software. You can connect with Lloyd on LinkedIn.

Lloyd is an expert in several software categories including:

  • Dental software
  • Email marketing software
  • Field service management software
  • Legal software
  • Property management software

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