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Apr 21, 2020

Complete Guide of Developing a Dental Practice Management Software

Any type of project needs a wise and experienced team to lead it. However, medicine is a complicated sphere, and even skilled programmers need consultation from medical staff and professional experts. This type of project is relevant now and has a big potential in the future too.

 

We consulted professional dentists to get the best tips about developing such a project. Software for dental practices is obligated to have certain features. If you want to start your own project, we are ready to help you. We will offer you the latest updates in pricing, show the stages of development, and demonstrate examples of successful applications.

It is hard to create dental practice management software without a thorough plan. You can concentrate on the main five peculiarities you need to keep your eye on while developing a project:

Efficient functions

Remember that your customers are not professional programmers. The best dental practice management software is the one that has efficient yet simple functions. The interface has to be used intuitively; access to the functions must be fast. The main tools have to be connected with clients’ data and maintaining appointments.

Simple user interface

Many modern applications are trying to stand out to gain more clients. They attract possible customers with unusual features. However, huge clusters of functions lead to poor performance. High-quality dental practice management system development means understanding which tools are necessary. Trendy functions and tools are fun, but concentrating on basics guarantees high performance and utilization for years.

Accurate database

There are many tools that need a database. You have to track appointments and records, and notify both doctors and clients. It is hard to maintain these tasks manually. That is why it is important to create cloud-based software with automatic features. Regular updates and backups will be perfect for management.

Special options

The best way to make your project relevant to the market is to create two types of features. If your app can integrate with other software, it will be more popular. The platforms with in-built digital pictures of intraoral, panoramic, or X-ray results are the most relevant nowadays. Billing, patients’ health records, and appointments are mandatory functions for modern medicine. However, dental practice management software development requires creativity and innovations. Your profit will be higher if your team creates new useful functions for dentists.

Security

There will be a lot of personal data on your software. The responsibility for its safety lies with you. If you plan to build cloud-based dental practice management software, try not to forget to add automatic backups and protection. Before working on the interface or functions, concentrate on security. There are certain ways to keep information safe. For example, advanced encryption will be perfect if your software is installed on several devices.

Development may seem tricky, but if you concentrate on the main points of the process, it will be easy for you to create perfect software for dentists.

Why you need to start dental practice management system development

Technologies implement into many spheres of life, especially medicine. Professional dentists earn their reputations very quickly, and it is getting harder to keep the information properly with loyal customers. There are many hospitals and private organizations with web-based software for data storage. Patients demand feedback from the doctor, and you need to have some personal information.

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According to statistics, growth of the market will increase at the rate of over 13%. By 2025, it will hit more than 2 billion dollars. The United States and Germany will get large shares of this profitable market. There are many web-based types of software; however, it seems that cloud-based systems gain more popularity nowadays.

Best Dental Practice Management Software Features

Before you dive into the development, it is better to plan out every step thoroughly. Think about the options that will make your project outstanding on the market. There are certain features you can add to your project, such as:

  • Prescriptions writer
  • Appointment reminder for patients
  • Online chat for the patient and receptionist
  • Patients’ profiles with the necessary information stored in the database
  • Digital documents
  • Billing system
  • X-ray imaging

The development of such functions will demand certain investments. You can consult a specialist to find out about the possible price of the product. Be ready for unexpected expenses – even after thorough calculations, there will be tasks for additional payments, such as bug fixing and regular updates. Investments usually occupy themselves – people will gladly choose one application with necessary functions over a system that requires buying additional tools.

How to Create Dental Practice Management Software

Write down the main plans for the project. It will be better to have a step-by-step strategy. If the plan works, you will be able to use it for your future startups.

  • Consult the specialist. It is good to know dental practice software development costs in advance to create a budget.
  • Choose a perfect integration system. This step is crucial if you want to customize unique functions. There is a wide range of possible options, but you need to choose the best. Think what is better for the business – if you choose an integration system, you may use it in the future as well.
  • Start development. There will be a lot of work ahead: the codebase preparation, the use of the right tools, the user’s interface design, etc. If you don’t have a team of specialists, you can try the outsource strategy. Some specialists can be less expensive and more experienced.
  • Do the final testing. This includes UAT (User Acceptance Testing), security check, licensing, etc. At this stage, you are almost done with the development.
  • Wrap up. After the necessary testing is done, you can launch a beta version of your project.

The development of such functions will demand certain investments. You can consult a specialist to find out about the possible price of the product. Be ready for unexpected expenses – even after thorough calculations, there will be tasks for additional payments, such as bug fixing and regular updates. Investments usually occupy themselves – people will gladly choose one application with necessary functions over a system that requires buying additional tools.

How to Create Dental Practice Management Software

There are certain steps to follow during the process of creating software:

  • Write down the main plans for the project. It will be better to have a step-by-step strategy. If the plan works, you will be able to use it for your future startups.
  • Consult the specialist. It is good to know dental practice software development costs in advance to create a budget.
  • Choose a perfect integration system. This step is crucial if you want to customize unique functions. There is a wide range of possible options, but you need to choose the best. Think what is better for the business – if you choose an integration system, you may use it in the future as well.
  • Start development. There will be a lot of work ahead: the codebase preparation, the use of the right tools, the user’s interface design, etc. If you don’t have a team of specialists, you can try the outsource strategy. Some specialists can be less expensive and more experienced.
  • Do the final testing. This includes UAT (User Acceptance Testing), security check, licensing, etc. At this stage, you are almost done with the development.
  • Wrap up. After the necessary testing is done, you can launch a beta version of your project.

One more important thing is the pricing. Of course, the cost mostly depends on the functions, so let’s look closer at how much money your project demands. In short, the pricing mostly depends on the scope, user interface design, the niche of the project, and the country where developers work. Due to complicated features and maintenance issues, the app can be expensive.

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The prices on the development of a dental application for desktop computers are different. The more complicated it is, the higher the price. Since we are talking about dental management, the project will have obligatory functions, which are expensive to implement. The complicated apps’ pricing starts from thorough planning; this stage can continue for 100 hours, and you should pay approximately $5000 for it. After planning version approval, the general process of development begins, and it takes about half a year.

Your expenses depend on the specialists’ rates and time they will spend on the app creation. The average developer’s rate is $50 per hour. Professional analyst services will cost from $45 per hour, and QA tester/HTML/CSS-coders’ payments vary from $20 per hour. Also, you need to take into account the work of other important specialists: designers, managers, content writers, etc. The perfect project won’t be cheap. However, you can be sure of its safety, quality, and fast recoupment.

7 Examples of the Best Dental Practice Management Software

Let’s see how the most popular apps on the market gained success and analyze their functions:

  • Curve Dental
    This cloud-based application is simple, yet it has all the necessary features, such as scheduling, billing, and charting. The advantage of the software is in its flexibility – it can be used on different gadgets and supports any operating system.
  • Dentrix Ascend
    It’s the perfect choice for organizations with hundreds of loyal customers. It supports and automatically updates the database, tracks treatment plans, etc. New clients will learn the interface intuitively.
  • Denticon
    This is one of the oldest apps on the market. Denticon was released in 2003, but it is still relevant. The simple interface and the high performance combine to create a satisfying user experience.
  • Dovetail
    The application can be used on different devices, but originally it was created for tablets. This software is perfect for individual dentists, as it easily takes notes and writes prescriptions.
  • Dentimax
    An advanced app for Windows, Dentimax was designed for easy integration with your previous system. It is cloud-based software with automatic backups.
  • Maxident
    It can be installed on any operating system. There is a free demo to try out the functions.
  • Dentisoft
    Perfect administrative features made this app one of the most profitable on the market. It is simple, intuitive, and easy to use.
Dental_software_4.jpg

Our Experience

Our team has struggled with many issues during our experience in software development. The knowledge of our programmers helps a lot because it is much easier to do something the second time rather than the first. If you want to know how much it costs to develop dental practice software, we will be glad to consult you and help with any issues.

Our developers rely a lot on customers’ feedback. We make sure the final product is satisfying for our clients. If you want to contact us, make sure to leave your email or write to our team of developers. Our company values its customers a lot. It will be a pleasure if you will become our loyal client.

Conclusion

The virtual market of applications and websites is continuously growing, as it opens a new potential field for many parts of social life. Projects connected with medicine will be relevant.

Software development is not only scientific but also artistic. Creativity can attract more clients to your product. We are sure that if you hire professional developers you will be satisfied with the final results!

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