Training

Training resources are available to help you and your staff learn the program. If your practice wants to sign up for online or on-site training, make sure to plan in advance.

Webinars

Webinars are free online tutorials that cover a variety of topics and are made available to all users.

Pre-recorded webinars are available online to review at your convenience. A list of recommended topics is provided on our Webinars page. A full playlist of tutorials can be found on our YouTube Channel.

For an overview of Open Dental, see our Open Dental Basics Demo.

Online Training and Setup

Customers on support and those who have scheduled a final conversion may schedule online training or setup appointments with a trainer from the Open Dental Support team. See Fees for Software, Support, Services for rates.

Setup Appointments

The following setup appointments are available to help new practices get started with Open Dental.

• Post Conversion Setup: Typically a two-hour appointment dedicated to setting up a converted database. This is highly recommended for offices who have recently converted to Open Dental. During this appointment, you will work with a dedicated Open Dental technician to go through database setup, including many steps on the Post-Data Conversion Setup Checklist.
  • The Post Conversion Setup fee is wavied if the appointment is completed within 30 days of the final conversion. See Fees for Software, Support, Services for rates.
  • If a conversion (or multiple conversions with a merge) results in a single database, only one two-hour Post Conversion Setup is needed. If you have multiple offices that are converting, and each location will have its own database, each location may want to take advantage of a Post Conversion Setup.
• Blank Database Setup: Typically a two-hour appointment dedicated to setting up a new blank Open Dental database. During this appointment, you will work with a dedicated Open Dental technician to go through database setup, including many steps on the Blank Database Setup Checklist.
  • Blank Database Setup appointments are charged at Post-Conversion Setup rate. See Fees for Software, Support, Services for rates. This fee is not waived.

Training Appointments

Online trainings can be customized to a number of different topics, depending on the needs of your practice or staff. Common training topics include:

• Basics: Review patient flow and usage of Open Dental modules. Can be a short one-hour training or a more detailed two-hour training.
• Q&A: Review a pre-submitted list of questions or concerns you or your staff have.
• Front Office: Review common front-office workflow. Generally focuses on the Appointments, Family, and Account Modules.
• Back Office: Review common back-office workflow. Generally focuses on the Chart and Treatment Plan Modules.

Scheduling Online Training

We recommend scheduling online trainings at least one week in advance, but a minimum of two business days is required. Trainings are offered starting at 7:00 AM Pacific Time. Trainings must end by 4:00 PM Pacfic Time. Contact Open Dental Support to get a training scheduled.

Trainings in Spanish may be available upon request. Due to limited resources, these trainings cannot be guaranteed and may be cancelled with short notice.

Online trainings include a dedicated Open Dental trainer for your session, and generally involve the trainer remote connecting to your workstation, so you can go through steps hands on. Multiple members of your staff can attend the training as needed.

Trainings can be scheduled for one to two hours at a time. See Fees for Software, Support, Services for cost.

All trainings are confirmed at least 24 hours prior to the appointment. If you have not received a confirmation, and you are within 24 hours of your training appointment, please Contact Us to confirm.

On-site Training

Customers on support and those who have scheduled a final conversion can schedule customized on-site trainings.
For costs, see Fees for Software, Support, Services.

On-site trainings can be customized to meet the needs of your practice. This includes determining the training topics, number of trainers, and number of training days. On-site trainings are most common for start-up or newly-converting offices, but can be scheduled for offices who have already been using Open Dental.

Scheduling On-Site Training

It is best to Contact Open Dental Support as soon as possible to get your training scheduled, but a minimum of three weeks advanced notice is generally required.

The following steps are required for offices planning an on-site training:

• Designate a point of contact for your office.
• If converting, schedule a data conversion. Conversions must be completed prior to the on-site training.
• If converting, schedule and complete a Post Conversion Setup. This is required prior to the on-site training.
• Discuss and confirm the training plan with the Open Dental trainer.
• Sign and return the On-site Expectations Document and pay for the training as early as possible. Trainer availability and travel accommodations may change, therefore we require all scheduling, payment, and accommodations be made at least three weeks in advance of training dates.
• Have Open Dental installed and accessible on all workstations. See Install on Workstation.
• Discuss any additional expectations with the Open Dental trainer.

Additional Tools and Resources

• Refer to the Help Feature. The following pages are a good place to start.
  • Using Open Dental after a Conversion
  • Using Open Dental (Blank Database)
    
• Call us by phone or use our chat portal (included with support plan).
• Practice using the Trial Version.
• Visit our User Forum.
• Read the Open Dental Blog.
• Watch our Youtube Videos.