The verdict in three sentences
A dental group with 6 to 20 chairs in London or Dublin already has practice software for patient records, billing and claims: replacing it is rarely the right move. The real gap lies in management reporting: chair utilisation, accepted treatment plans, revenue per dentist, which the practice owner rebuilds in Excel every month. A custom module connected to the existing software and the online booking tool (20,000 to 40,000 EUR, hosted on health-grade compliant infrastructure) often pays for itself within a few months through recovered treatment plans.
Off-the-shelf software, custom module or Excel
Off-the-shelf dental software (Dentally, Software of Excellence, and their equivalents) covers the clinical and administrative core very well. It is less suited to a group with several associate dentists, shared nurses and targets per chair.
| Criterion (2026 order of magnitude) | Dental software alone | Dental software + Excel | Dental software + custom management module |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recurring cost | 150 to 400 EUR per dentist per month | Same + 2 to 4 days of data entry per month | Same + 300 to 600 EUR per month (compliant hosting and maintenance) |
| Upfront investment | Data migration 2,000 to 8,000 EUR | 0 EUR | 20,000 to 40,000 EUR |
| Chair utilisation | Diary per dentist, little view per chair | Manual calculation, often late | Real time per chair, slot and day |
| Treatment plan tracking | List of plans issued | Manual record of signatures | Acceptance rate per dentist, automatic follow-ups |
| Revenue per dentist | Exports to rework | Hand-built tables | Consolidated dashboard, associate fees calculated |
| Online booking data | Separate | Copied by hand | No-shows and waiting times integrated |
| Health data compliance | Handled by the vendor | Excel files outside any controls (risk) | Compliant hosting mandatory (UK GDPR, GDPR, HDS in France) |
The legal point is clear: as soon as a tool processes identifiable health data on behalf of the practice, it falls under special category data rules, with a DPIA and appropriate hosting. An Excel sheet with patient names and treatments on a laptop or a consumer cloud is a compliance risk.
The revenue lost on unsigned treatment plans
In a multi-chair group, 30 to 50% of prosthetic and implant treatment plans are never signed. Some reflect patient choice, others simply a lack of follow-up.
| Indicator (10-chair group, 2026 estimate) | Without reporting | With management module |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment plans issued per month | 220 | 220 |
| Average plan value | 2,400 EUR | 2,400 EUR |
| Acceptance rate | 55% | 63% |
| Signed revenue per month | 290,400 EUR | 332,640 EUR |
| Monthly difference | Baseline | + 42,240 EUR |
| Chair utilisation | 68% | 76% |
| Owner's reporting time | 3 days per month | 2 hours per month |
Gaining 8 points of acceptance is a reasonable assumption when every unsigned plan triggers a follow-up at D+10 and D+30, and when each dentist sees their own rate compared with the group average.
What a management module contains
| Component | Function | Indicative budget |
|---|---|---|
| Practice software connector | Reads treatments, plans and payments (API or scheduled export) | 5,000 to 10,000 EUR |
| Diary and online booking connector | Appointments, no-shows, waiting times | 3,000 to 6,000 EUR |
| Chair dashboard | Utilisation per chair, slot, day, dentist | 4,000 to 8,000 EUR |
| Treatment plan tracking | Statuses, SMS and email follow-ups, rate per dentist | 4,000 to 8,000 EUR |
| Revenue and associate fees | Cash collected per dentist, associate fee calculation | 3,000 to 6,000 EUR |
| Security and compliance | Strong authentication, audit logs, compliant hosting | 1,000 to 2,000 EUR |
Delivery takes 8 to 14 weeks. The main dependency is the quality of data access from the practice software: some vendors offer an API, others only exports.
Mini case study
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Dr O'Connor, owner of a 12-chair dental group in Dublin, employs 9 associate dentists. She issues 260 treatment plans a month with an average value of 2,200 EUR and 52% acceptance. She invests 32,000 EUR in a management module, plus 450 EUR a month for compliant hosting and maintenance.
After 4 months, acceptance rises to 58%. Six points on 260 plans means about 15 more plans, i.e. 34,300 EUR of additional signed revenue per month. Even at a 25% net margin, the gain exceeds 8,500 EUR a month: the investment pays back in under 4 months.
FAQ
Do we need to change dental software to manage the group better?
Rarely. A migration costs 2,000 to 8,000 EUR and disrupts the team for several weeks. A connected module uses existing data without changing clinical habits.
Is specialised hosting really required for a dashboard?
Yes, as soon as the dashboard contains identifiable health data, even a name linked to a treatment. Dedicated compliant hosting usually costs 150 to 400 EUR a month.
Can we pull data from our online booking tool?
Yes, through the exports or integrations provided by the booking platform and your practice software. The most useful data is no-shows, which often represent 5 to 10% of slots.
How long before we see an effect on treatment plans?
Automatic follow-ups have an effect from the second month. A gain of 5 to 8 points in acceptance over 6 months is a realistic order of magnitude.
Can the module calculate associate dentists' fees?
Yes, from cash collected per dentist and the rules in your associate agreements (often 40 to 50% of fees in the UK and Ireland). This removes a frequent source of errors and disputes.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of chairs, your practice software and the indicators you track: we will price the management module, compliant hosting and an 8 to 14 week plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
