Best Dental Software for Solo Dentists (2025)
Ranked for 1-doctor practices. We weighted value, ease of use, scheduling power, and total cost of ownership — not features a solo dentist will never use.
What Solo Dentists Actually Need
A solo practice doesn't need DSO-scale reporting or multi-location management. You need: scheduling that fills the chair, insurance billing that doesn't require a dedicated biller, and charting that syncs with your imaging. Everything else is noise.
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tab32
🏆 Best Overall for SoloFlat-rate pricing with no per-user fees, a clean UI that solo practice staff can learn in days, and built-in teledentistry. There's nothing to add on — scheduling, charting, billing, and patient communication are all included at one price. Perfect for a dentist who wants to focus on patients, not software.
- ✓ $299/mo flat — no surprises
- ✓ Built-in teledentistry
- ✓ Responsive onboarding team
Curve Dental
⭐ Best SchedulingCurve's scheduling module is the best in the business for a solo practice. The online booking widget alone can reduce no-shows by 15–20%. If you're a solo dentist who sees 15–20 patients a day and scheduling efficiency is your primary concern, Curve is worth the extra $50/month over tab32.
- ✓ Best-in-class scheduling
- ✓ Automated recall campaigns
- ✓ ERA auto-posting
Open Dental
💰 Best Budget PickIf budget is your primary constraint and you're tech-comfortable, Open Dental delivers full-featured dental software at the lowest cost. The UI is dated, but it works. The user community is large and helpful. Your data is always yours.
- ✓ Lowest total cost
- ✓ Open-source — full data ownership
- ✓ Strong community support
Dentrix
Dentrix makes sense for a solo dentist only if you're taking over an existing practice where Dentrix is already installed and staff are trained on it. Starting fresh, the per-operatory cost and server hardware make it hard to justify for one chair.
- ✓ Largest trained staff pool
- ✓ 400+ integrations
- ✓ Mature Medicaid support
Eaglesoft
Similar to Dentrix for solo practices — valid if you're inheriting an Eaglesoft setup or buying supplies from Patterson. Otherwise, the server + licensing cost doesn't compete with cloud alternatives.
- ✓ Patterson ecosystem integration
- ✓ In-person support option
- ✓ Reliable imaging bridge