How DentiMax saves dentists time and money

After 20 years in the Pittsburgh area, Dr. Frank Altier decided it was time to start practicing dentistry somewhere a little warmer. He moved to Arizona and opened a new office in late December 2017, and over the last few months, he’s focused on creating a practice with a small-town feel. 

“The town of Gilbert has about a quarter million people, whereas the town I was in before had about 15,000,” Dr. Altier says. “I try to incorporate the values and personalization that is sometimes lost in a big city. I’m keeping the office small, which gives me an opportunity to get to know my patients personally. It’s about offering personalized care, not the numbers.”

It took Dr. Altier about five months to build out and staff his startup. This wasn’t the first time he had opened a scratch practice, so he knew what to expect, making it a pretty smooth process. The most critical step was hiring the right people, he says. He knew he needed a team of hardworking, talented individuals who he would enjoy working with every day and who were excited to help his practice grow.

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Choosing a practice management system

When opening a startup, it’s important to invest in the right software. About six months before making the move to Arizona, Dr. Altier began using the cloud-based version of DentiMax. This easy-to-use software saves him time and money, which is critical to a new practice’s success.

Dr. Altier wanted to go strictly cloud-based with his system, and to him, DentiMax’s offering came with the best features. Everything is integrated through DentiMax, including emails, texts and printouts for postal mail. Patients are constantly connected to his practice. They can easily confirm appointments via text, and the software keeps track of how many patients respond to text messages from the practice and how many don’t. There’s no need to pay for a patient communication system - and that saves his practice about $300 a month.

The software is easier to use than any practice management system he’s had before, Dr. Altier says.

“It’s basically set up like a web page, so it’s like you’re using a browser. It’s very easy to find where you need to go,” he says. “Everything I need to see is on one or two pages.”

And because it’s cloud-based, he can access the software from anywhere and doesn’t have to worry about the power going out or his server crashing. Everything is backed up and available for him to access whenever he needs it.

What to consider when investing in software

For other dentists looking for new practice management software, Dr. Altier suggests investing in a solution that integrates with all the different communication channels dentists work with each day. Dental software also should handle a practice’s imaging needs as well as integrate with hardware such as digital sensors and intraoral cameras.

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DentiMax offers all these features and is easy for team members to master, saving practices time and money on training.

“If you’re not using dental software, you’re way behind the times,” Dr. Altier says. “It would be very difficult to grow a practice without using digital practice management software."