ACE Dental is a veteran in the field of dental software. In fact, it dates back to 1993 and can claim the longest ownership of a software company by the same owner in this competitive segment. Over all these years, user feedback has undoubtedly shaped this company and its product. ACE Dental is committed to providing the best value for money in the industry, which it originally did in the 1990s by gaining efficiencies through the early Internet, with cost savings passed on to its users.
Features
We believe that ACE Dental is clinically sound. For example, as part of your electronic dental record, there is the 3D Restorative Chart, which allows you to enter a treatment plan, with teeth represented as on an odontogram (ie visual representation of teeth with numbers for non-dentists). This is a vast improvement over the forms that most dentists have been using for years, as through this tool the dentist can enter the current condition of the tooth, the treatment completed, as well as any pending treatment. . There are even buttons that prompt the dentist to easily enter any dental issue, such as a bridge, crown, veneer, or seal. Thanks to the 3D presentation, it also allows you to document tooth movements, such as a drift or rotation problem. Finally, the documentation is also complete with mapping of all periodicity issues also enabled.
The main office is essential to any dental practice. ACE Dental can handle it easily too. Appointment booking is easy to use with many useful value-added features, with patient images displayed in the appointment block for easy identification by staff and patient-friendly. With the ease of a drag and drop maneuver, patient appointments can be changed with minimal work. There's even support for advanced scheduling needs that lesser quality software can't handle, like pre-locking clinic sessions for appointment scheduling when the dentist is available.
ACE Dental also stands out commercially. This includes expediting payments to seamlessly move patients after their appointments. Dental offices often treat multiple family members, and ACE Dental's Patient and Family Registry meets this challenge, which can actually coordinate appointments between multiple family members, to improve overall office efficiency.
ACE Dental also verifies any remaining dental benefits for the individual, which then prompts the front desk staff to create an insurance claim. This is then submitted to the insurer via a traditional paper claim or the faster electronic claim as both are compatible. There is an electronic complaint batch, with all cases for that day filed when the office session ends. No insurance, no hassle, with X-Charge credit card integration: Directly from the checkout screen, patients can be billed for their portion of the payment to improve cash flow and keep accounts current.
Communication in the office is also optimized. The Call Light feature can locate providers throughout the office to narrow your search. There is also a room-to-room chat feature for instant messaging between office members to improve direct communication between vendors.
Disadvantages
One serious limitation is that ACE Dental is designed for the browser only. That means no support for the ever-popular mobile apps. Also keep in mind that most dentists find smartphone apps useful for accessing patient records when they're not in the office, such as when they're on call.
Another criticism to be made is that the included initial learning for onboarding is through videos, not in person. We can certainly see the benefit of cost savings, this process frustrates some offices that would prefer to have in-person training, with demonstration on their own equipment, of the work process. There is a one-on-one live online training option, which is included in the top tier of the plan and costs €75 per hour on the lower two tiers.
Finally, the option to customize the reports according to the tastes of certain users is missing.
Support
ACE Dental is supported by a variety of methods. We appreciate the toll-free number provided for direct contact, which is available for support hours from 9 a.m. to XNUMX p.m.
There's also an email address, though it's not HIPAA compliant, and since it starts with "Sales," we're guessing it's more for purchasing the product than getting help afterward. A support portal is also available and issues with account information can be submitted to initiate contact.
You'll also find plenty of self-guided help, including a quick start guide and a series of how-to videos. There's a comprehensive topic list ranging from "Digital Signature Documents" to "Make Appointments" as well as "Perio Charting."
Pricing
Unlike most of its competitors that go the opaque pricing route, ACE Dental has a detailed and welcome price list. It revolves around three levels of plans.
At the lowest tier is the ACE Basic plan, which costs €99 (€82) per month, for unlimited users via the cloud version. There are many features such as appointment scheduling, prescription writing, lab case tracking, and visual treatment planning. It also includes three months of free eReminders and eRecall for follow-up patients, although no price is provided for the cost after the trial period.
The top tier is the ACE Advanced plan, which costs up to €199 (€164) per month. This adds a number of features including period charts with graphs and comparisons, automatic clinical notes, and 3D tooth restoration charts. The free eReminders are also increased to four months.
The top tier is the ACE Package for €299 (€247) per month. This plan includes everything from the lower two plans, and also includes an additional €99 (€82) clock with the lower plans, digitally signing documents, and a scanner bridge for TWAIN scanners. Electronic reminders are also increased to six months, and digital signatures are also supported on documents such as patient consents and treatment agreements.
final verdict
ACE Dental offers a full range of services to support any dental practice, whether general or specialized. Benefits include instant messaging between vendors and office workers, generally transparent pricing with a choice of three tiers of plans, and support for digital document signing. The downsides are the lack of mobile apps, the lack of in-person integration included except on the highest plan, and the lack of a support chat option. In short, compared to its competitors, ACE Dental literally has decades of experience in this field and offers a dental office management software package that is certainly competitive.
Also check out our full list of the best dental office management software