Switching From Dentrix to Open Dental? Here's What Actually Happens

Quick note before we get into it... this is for standard, server-based Dentrix. Not Dentrix Enterprise, not Dentrix Ascend. Those are different products with different conversion paths, so if that's you, this isn't your map.

If you're on regular Dentrix and eyeing Open Dental, here's the honest rundown. Some of it converts clean. Some needs cleanup. A little bit just doesn't make the trip.

What Comes Over Without a Fight

Dentrix actually has one of the smoother conversion profiles we work with. Patient demographics come over fully, names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, birthdays, account info. Provider and treatment history transfers as part of the patient record. Procedure codes and treatment plan data convert. Clinical notes transfer in most cases too, though the formatting shifts a bit, so plan on your team reviewing note layouts during training rather than assuming they'll look identical.

Insurance plan information and ledger balances convert. And here's a genuine Dentrix perk... primary claims specifically DO convert. That's not true of every system we work with, so if you're coming from Dentrix, that's one less manual entry headache waiting on the other side.

Payment plans come over too, but only partially. The remaining balance and payment schedule transfer, while the plan structure itself needs a review pass.

What Comes Over... But Needs a Second Look

Fee schedules for out-of-network plans come over one per plan, same pattern we see on other conversions. Expect a volume of fee schedules that'll need consolidation once you're in cleanup mode.

Adjustment types come over in bulk too. A large volume converts, and most of them will need to be hidden or cleaned up so your team isn't scrolling through options that don't apply anymore.

What Doesn't Come Over At All

Assigned benefits and non-primary claims don't convert, remember, primary claims are the exception here, not the rule, so anything beyond that needs manual entry.

Treatment plan templates, recall intervals, and auto notes don't transfer either. Budget time to recreate these inside Open Dental before or shortly after go-live.

And then there's images, the big one for Dentrix conversions specifically. Dentrix stores imaging in a separate folder structure completely outside the SQL database, and it encodes image file names in Base 41. That means images need careful path validation on the other side, since broken image links are the single most commonly reported post-migration issue. Don't skip this step and hope for the best.

The Known Landmines

Recall appointments lose their D-code procedures during conversion, so each one needs to be manually edited and the correct procedure re-attached. Setting up Appt Procs Quick Add groups in Definitions ahead of time makes this a lot less painful when you get there.

Hygiene appointments need providers and operatories set up first, then you'll run the Update Provs on Future Appts tool on each operatory to fix provider and hygienist assignments.

Image conversion is often billed as a separate line item, and it catches people off guard. Confirm with Open Dental's conversions team upfront whether image conversion is included or billed on top, since this is one of the most common budget surprises we see.

Aging reports won't match exactly between the two systems. The 0-30, 31-60, 61-90 day totals aren't built identically, and individual family member balances may differ even when the total family balance lines up. The Family Balancer Tool exists specifically to help reconcile this, so use it.

And the same rule from every conversion... don't run historical reports out of Open Dental. Pull anything historical from Dentrix through your conversion date instead.

One more small one, scanned images may lose their category organization during conversion and might need to be re-sorted afterward.

Timeline and Cost, For Context

Budget $800 to $1,400 for Open Dental's conversion service, plus another $500 to $1,000 if imaging needs separate conversion. Most migrations run two to four weeks from first contact to go-live, and that includes the test conversion, staff training, and the final cutover.

What People Are Actually Saying

One analysis tracked unprompted endorsements of the Dentrix-to-Open Dental switch across dental forums over the past couple years, and cost savings plus data freedom came up again and again as the deciding factors. Most people said the same thing... they wished they'd made the switch sooner.

On the support side, Open Dental's paid support consistently shows up as the most cited positive across dozens of independent reviews. It's billed hourly in short blocks, so practices only pay when they actually need the help, not for a subscription they're not using.

The Part Where We Tell You What To Do Next

If you're on Dentrix and weighing this move, the pattern above is exactly why we don't hand clients a generic checklist and wish them luck. Fee schedule consolidation, image path validation, recall rebuilds, this is the stuff that turns a "smooth conversion" into a three-month cleanup project if nobody's watching for it.

That's what our Conversion Package is built for. We handle the parts that go sideways when nobody's watching, get your data validated, your fee schedules consolidated, your team trained on a system that actually makes sense from day one.

Ready to make the switch without the horror stories? Book your conversion with us and let's get it done right the first time.

👉SKF Practice Solutions