Why dental practices need dedicated practice management software
Running a dental practice without dedicated practice management software means cobbling together scheduling, charting, billing, and insurance claims across disconnected tools, or doing much of it on paper. That approach breaks down fast when a practice grows beyond a handful of providers, when insurance claim volume increases, or when a front desk team needs to coordinate multiple operatories simultaneously.
Dental practice management software (PMS) centralizes patient records, clinical charting, appointment scheduling, treatment planning, billing, and insurance workflows in a single system. The question is not whether a practice needs one. It is which one fits the way that specific practice operates.
Dentrix and Eaglesoft are the two platforms that come up most often in that evaluation. Both are server-based, on-premise systems with decades of market presence and a long shared feature list. But they have meaningfully different strengths, and choosing the wrong one is an expensive mistake to undo. These systems are not quick to implement or easy to switch away from.
"Dentrix and Eaglesoft both cover the core dental PMS feature set. The real difference is in which type of practice each is optimized for — and who is selling and supporting it."
Quick comparison: Dentrix vs Eaglesoft
| Feature | Dentrix | Eaglesoft |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Server-based (on-premise); Dentrix Ascend is the cloud version | Server-based (on-premise) |
| Multi-location support | Strong — purpose-built for DSOs and groups | Available, better suited to single locations |
| UI complexity | Feature-rich; steeper learning curve | Simpler, faster to learn |
| Supply integration | Deep Henry Schein supply ordering integration | Deep Patterson Dental supply ordering integration |
| Reporting | Stronger — more customizable reports | Standard reporting; adequate for most single practices |
| Third-party integrations | Large ecosystem of compatible tools | Smaller but functional integration library |
| Cloud option | Yes — Dentrix Ascend (separate product) | No native cloud version |
| Training & support | Henry Schein support network; large online community | Praised Patterson support; faster onboarding |
| Best for practice size | Multi-location groups, DSOs, larger practices | Single-location independent practices |
| Best For | DSOs, multi-location, advanced reporting needs | Independent practices prioritizing ease of use |
Dentrix — deep dive
Dentrix is owned by Henry Schein, one of the largest dental supply and services companies in North America, and it has been one of the most widely used dental PMS systems in the region for decades. The server-based Dentrix G-series is the flagship product. Dentrix Ascend is a separate cloud-based system for practices ready to move off server infrastructure entirely.
Dentrix pricing is not published publicly. Licensing fees, annual support fees, and module costs are negotiated through Henry Schein representatives or authorized dealers. Contact sales for a quote based on your number of providers, workstations, and required features.
Where Dentrix wins:
- Multi-location and DSO support is the standout strength. Dentrix handles the reporting, permissions, and operational complexity that comes with managing multiple practice locations under one system.
- Reporting is more robust than Eaglesoft's. Practices that need customizable production reports, provider performance tracking, or consolidated group-level analytics will find Dentrix more capable here.
- The third-party integration ecosystem is larger. More patient communication platforms, imaging systems, and add-on tools have built Dentrix integrations, giving practices more flexibility when choosing complementary software.
- The user community is large. Dentrix has broad market penetration, so there is a substantial online community sharing tips, workarounds, and answers to operational questions.
- Dentrix Ascend provides a cloud path for practices that want to eliminate on-premise server maintenance without switching vendors.
- Deep integration with Henry Schein supply ordering lets practices connect purchasing directly to patient care workflows.
Where Dentrix has limitations:
- The learning curve is steeper. Dentrix's large feature set means more time in training before staff are fully productive, especially for smaller practices that do not need most of the advanced features.
- For a single-location independent practice, many of Dentrix's multi-location capabilities are features you pay for but never use.
- Implementation and setup complexity is higher than Eaglesoft's, which adds to the total cost of adoption.
Pricing note: Neither Dentrix nor Eaglesoft publishes pricing. Both require contacting the respective dealer — Henry Schein for Dentrix, Patterson Dental for Eaglesoft — for a quote based on your practice's specific configuration. Factor in software licensing, annual support contracts, training, and hardware costs when comparing total cost of ownership.
Eaglesoft — deep dive
Eaglesoft is owned by Patterson Dental and is widely used by independent dental practices. Its reputation rests on two things: a user interface that is faster to learn than most competing systems, and solid support from the Patterson Dental network.
Like Dentrix, Eaglesoft pricing is not listed publicly and must be obtained through Patterson Dental representatives. Contact Patterson for a quote based on your specific configuration and needs.
Where Eaglesoft wins:
- The user interface is consistently cited as simpler and more intuitive than Dentrix's. Front desk and clinical staff get up to speed faster, which reduces the productivity hit that comes with any new software implementation.
- Onboarding and training time is typically shorter. For independent practices that cannot afford extended downtime or a prolonged learning period, this matters.
- Patterson Dental support is frequently praised. Practices that rely on a single vendor for both supplies and software tend to value the integrated support model Patterson provides.
- Deep integration with Patterson's supply ordering system gives practices already buying through Patterson a cleaner purchasing workflow.
- Core dental PMS features — scheduling, charting, treatment planning, billing, insurance claims — are solid and cover what most independent practices need day to day.
Where Eaglesoft has limitations:
- Multi-location support is less robust. Practices managing multiple offices will hit limits in Eaglesoft's reporting and administrative tools compared to Dentrix.
- There is no cloud version. If you want to move off server-based infrastructure, Eaglesoft has no path for that. You would need to switch platforms entirely.
- The third-party integration ecosystem is smaller. Practices that rely on specific patient communication, imaging, or analytics tools should verify Eaglesoft compatibility before committing.
- Reporting customization is more limited than Dentrix's. That can be a real constraint if you need detailed production analysis or provider-level reporting.
"Eaglesoft's simpler interface is not a limitation — it is a deliberate design choice that serves independent practices well. The trade-off is that you outgrow it faster if you expand to multiple locations."
How we choose at Aplos AI — when we recommend each
When working with dental practice clients, we look at two things before weighing in on platform choice: the current and anticipated scale of the practice, and where operational friction is actually occurring in the day-to-day workflow.
We lean toward Dentrix when: The practice is already operating multiple locations, is part of a dental service organization, or has concrete expansion plans. We also lean Dentrix when the practice has complex reporting requirements, uses a wide range of third-party tools, or is planning a future move to the cloud via Dentrix Ascend.
We lean toward Eaglesoft when: The practice is a single-location independent office with no near-term expansion plans, the front desk team is not highly technical, onboarding speed matters, and the practice already has a strong Patterson Dental supply relationship. High staff turnover is another reason to lean Eaglesoft — the shorter training curve adds up.
We flag the open question when: A practice is currently single-location but actively considering growth. In that case, the real question is whether Eaglesoft's simpler interface today is worth a potential platform migration later. Sometimes it is. But we want practices to make that call with eyes open, not discover the constraint two years in.
The decision framework
Answer these questions before you commit to either platform:
- How many locations are you running now, and how many do you expect in three years? One location with no expansion plans, Eaglesoft's simplicity is likely the better fit. Two or more offices, or concrete growth targets, Dentrix's multi-location architecture is the right foundation.
- Which supply company do you primarily purchase through? This is not a trivial question. The deep supply integration each system has with its parent company creates real workflow value if you already buy from that vendor. Less so if you do not.
- How comfortable is your front desk with new software? Practices with high staff turnover or front desk teams that struggle with complex tools will have an easier implementation with Eaglesoft. Dentrix's power comes with a real training investment.
- Do you need advanced reporting? Detailed provider production, fee schedules by payer, group-level analytics across locations — Dentrix's reporting is meaningfully more capable. If standard production and collections reports are enough, Eaglesoft covers it.
- Is moving off server infrastructure on your roadmap? Dentrix Ascend provides a cloud path within the Henry Schein ecosystem. Eaglesoft has no equivalent. A cloud migration from Eaglesoft means switching platforms entirely, not just upgrading.
The automation gap — what neither system handles
Both Dentrix and Eaglesoft cover the core operational workflows of a dental practice well: scheduling, charting, billing, and insurance. But there is a category of patient engagement work that neither system was designed to automate. That work is exactly what drives practice growth and patient retention.
Neither Dentrix nor Eaglesoft handles automated patient reactivation. When a patient has not been seen in 18 months, neither system will automatically send a personalized series of texts or emails to bring them back in. That requires manual effort from your front desk or a separate patient communication tool layered on top.
Neither system handles automated review requests after visits. Consistently collecting Google reviews — sending a request at the right moment after a positive appointment — requires either a manual process or a third-party tool outside the PMS.
Neither system automates new patient intake end to end. Getting a new patient inquiry from your website into a confirmation sequence, then intake forms, then a pre-appointment reminder is not something Dentrix or Eaglesoft coordinates on its own. Each step requires staff action or an add-on tool that someone has to connect and maintain.
This is the layer Aplos AI builds for dental practices. We build custom automation on top of whichever PMS you are running — Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or anything else — to handle reactivation campaigns, review request sequences, new patient intake, and the other patient communication your core PMS was never designed to do. Read more in our guide to dental automation.
Still manually chasing lapsed patients, review requests, or new patient follow-ups? We map your current workflow in a free audit and show you exactly which patient communication steps can be automated — on top of Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or whatever you are currently running.
Get a Free Automation Audit →