Simplify Selling Products in Open Dental

Does your practice offer retail items like mouthwash, toothbrushes, or specialty toothpaste? If not, you might be missing out on an opportunity to boost revenue and provide added convenience for your patients. And if you already sell products, you’ll want a system that makes the process seamless for both your team and your patients.

Adding retail items to patient accounts doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. With the right setup in Open Dental, you can streamline the entire process—from tracking inventory to collecting payment—making it as easy as clicking a button.

Let’s walk through the step-by-step process to get your practice “retail ready” in Open Dental, so you can focus on what matters most: providing exceptional care to your patients.

Create Retail Items as Procedure Codes

Start by setting up each retail item as a unique procedure code. This allows you to quickly add the items to patient accounts and ensures accurate reporting for your records. For example, you can create a code like “TTHBRSH” for toothbrushes or “MTHWSH” for mouthwash.

Why it’s important: Procedure codes keep your inventory organized and make it easy to track sales and payment trends over time. Plus, they integrate seamlessly into Open Dental’s reporting tools.

Add Items to the Quick Add List

The Account Procs Quick Add feature is your shortcut to adding retail items with speed and accuracy. Once set up, your team can easily pull up items from a dropdown menu in the Account Module, making checkout a breeze.

How to Set Up Quick Procs:

1. Navigate to Setup → Definitions → Account Procs Quick Add.

2. Click Add to create a new entry or double-click an existing one to edit.

3. In the Edit Definition window:

   • Hidden: Check this box if you want the item to be hidden from the dropdown but still available in Definitions.

   • Name: Enter the item description (e.g., “Deluxe Whitening Kit”). This name will appear in the Quick Procs dropdown.

   • Procedure Codes: Enter the code or multiple codes (separated by commas, no spaces). This is case-sensitive, so match it exactly to the Procedure Code list.

4. Click Save to apply your changes.

Pro Tip: Instead of scrolling through the dropdown list, you can type codes directly into the field for faster selection.

Set Up Sales Tax

If your practice charges sales tax for retail items, Open Dental offers options to automate the process or apply it manually when needed.

Automating Sales Tax:

• Go to Preferences to enable Automate Sales Tax and set your tax percentage.

• Mark taxable items in the Procedure Code settings.

Manual Sales Tax:

• In the Account Module, highlight the completed procedure.

• Click the Adjustment dropdown, then select Apply Sales Tax.

Either way, Open Dental calculates the tax and attaches it directly to the procedure, ensuring accuracy and compliance. As an additional bonus, you can easily pull your sales tax report, by using the Adjustments report and filtering to only the Sales Tax adjustment type.

Don’t forget: Check your state’s regulations to confirm whether retail items are taxable. If sales tax isn’t required in your area, skip this step.

Why This Matters

By streamlining retail item sales in Open Dental, you’re not just making life easier for your team—you’re also creating a better experience for your patients. With everything tracked in one place, there’s no confusion about inventory or payments, and you can focus on delivering top-notch care. Plus, retail sales can add a steady stream of supplemental income to your practice.

Ready to make retail a seamless part of your operations? Follow these steps and get your practice "retail ready" today!