Practice Web vs Open Dental: The Fun, Edgy, Irreverent (& Actually Helpful) Dental Software Showdown

January 30, 2026
Written by: Keilani

🎯 “Practice Web vs Open Dental”? Let’s Cut Through the Nonsense 🤯

If you’ve ever asked:

“Should I pick Practice Web or Open Dental for my dental software?”

Then you’ve probably spent far too many hours scrolling reviews, digging through feature charts, and tasting more acronyms than a dental conference after‑party.

“Practice Web vs Open Dental” sounds like a techie decision…
…but it actually determines how your practice runs and, more importantly, how it grows.

Let’s be honest — calendars and charting are table stakes.
What you really want is:

👉 Fewer no‑shows
👉 Happier patients
👉 Predictable revenue
👉 Loyal people who say “yes” to treatment
👉 A practice that scales, not struggles

And spoiler alert: choosing the right software is just the opening act. The real story is how you use it to grow revenue per patient — and we’ll get there too.

Buckle up. This is going to be fun, educational, and downright profitable.


🧠 Practice Web vs Open Dental — The Basics You Need to Know

Here’s the quick, no‑fluff breakdown before we get into the juicy stuff:

🖥️ Open Dental

  • A widely‑used, customizable dental practice management system built for modern clinics.

  • Known for being cost‑effective and flexible with a strong feature set for charting, billing, scheduling, and reporting.

  • Offers a traditional practice management backbone — robust, integrated-friendly, and reliable.

🧠 Practice Web

  • Another solid practice management platform with a strong reputation for customer support and operational features.

  • Praised for its appointment management, patient communications, automated reminders, and billing tools.

  • Generally scores high in user satisfaction, often slightly ahead of Open Dental in reviews.

User Score Snapshot:
👍 Practice Web: ~4.9*/5
👍 Open Dental: ~4.6*/5

Both are capable. Both are proven.
But which fits your practice best?


🧠 THE REAL DIFFERENCE — Not Just Features, But Flow

When comparing Practice Web vs Open Dental, it’s helpful to look beyond feature lists and consider the user experience, growth potential, and adaptability for your goals.

🧠 Open Dental — Flexibility & Power 🔧

💡 Open Dental stands out for its customizability and integration power. Practices can tailor workflows, connect with third‑party tools, and tweak reporting to their exact needs.
It’s a solid backbone that doesn’t force you into one way of doing business.

Pros:

  • Highly customizable

  • Strong core feature set

  • Great for practices that want control

Challenges:

  • Can be overwhelming initially

  • Some users report occasional glitches or a learning curve

💡 Practice Web — Usability & Support 🤝

Practice Web often scores higher in user satisfaction thanks to ease of use and customer support.
It’s strong in appointment management, reminders, and workflows that make daily ops smoother.

Pros:

  • Excellent support

  • Intuitive interface

  • Great for busy offices

Challenges:

  • Some features require deeper exploration

  • Can be pricier depending on setup


😞 The Catch with Traditional Software

Here’s the truth:

Software like Practice Web vs Open Dental keeps your office organized — but doesn’t automatically make your practice more profitable or loyalty‑driven.

You still can end up with:

📅 Full schedules
📂 Neat charts
💸 Bills processed

…but:

📉 Revenue still swings month to month
📉 Patients still drift away
📉 Treatment acceptance doesn’t get better

Why? Because operationsgrowth.

This is where the membership revolution changes the game.


🔥 How One Practice Turned Software Into a Growth Engine

Meet Bright Valley Dental — a thriving practice stuck in the hustle:

They had Practice Web managing appointments and billing, and Open Dental running charting and claims in a secondary office.

Ops were clean. But revenue was unpredictable — and every quarter felt like a high‑stakes guessing game.

Then the office manager asked:

“What if our software could help us grow our revenue — not just manage it?”

That’s when they added BoomCloud™ to the mix.

BoomCloud™ didn’t replace Practice Web or Open Dental.
It was built on top of them — layering a membership engine that turned operations into predictable income.

Here’s what happened next:

📈 MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) increased 65%
📈 ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) became forecastable
📈 Membership patients started spending 2X to 4X more annually
📈 Treatment acceptance jumped
📈 Patient loyalty became measurable (and profitable)

Their team still used Practice Web vs Open Dental for day‑to‑day tasks — but BoomCloud™ became the growth strategy.


🧠 From Management to Predictable Growth

Most dental practices use software for two purposes:

🔹 Manage appointments, charts, and billing
🔹 Keep admin sane

But the smartest practices use software to:

💥 Increase revenue per patient
💥 Forecast income
💥 Build patient loyalty
💥 Grow predictable recurring revenue

And that means pairing your operations software (whether Practice Web or Open Dental) with tools that drive profit.

BoomCloud™ is one such tool — not a replacement, but an amplifier.


💰 Why Membership Programs Work (And Why Software Alone Isn’t Enough)

Modern patients want:

❤️ Value
❤️ Simplicity
❤️ Predictable care
❤️ Loyalty programs that make sense

And here’s the secret:

📊 Patients in membership programs spend 2X to 4X more annually than non‑members.

Why? Because memberships:

✔ Reduce price resistance
✔ Encourage continual care
✔ Build a sense of belonging
✔ Make financing predictable

Software for dental practices (like Practice Web vs Open Dental) doesn’t do this by itself.
You need systems that bridge ops with growth.

Membership engines like BoomCloud™ deliver:

📈 Automated recurring revenue
📈 MRR & ARR dashboards
📈 Member engagement tracking
📈 Easy billing & renewals
📈 Loyalty boosters + communication tools

BoomCloud™ turns software into a strategy.


📈 The Money Stuff: MRR & ARR Made Simple

Here’s where things get exciting — numbers that actually move your bottom line, not just your schedule board.

📌 MRR — Monthly Recurring Revenue

This is your baseline predictable income every month from membership plans.

Instead of:

❓ “Will we make enough this month?”

You get:

✅ “We know how much revenue is coming.”

That’s business confidence.


📌 ARR — Annual Recurring Revenue

Take your monthly numbers and multiply them by 12.

Suddenly:

✔ Your year isn’t a mystery
✔ You can plan hires, expansion, and equipment purchases
✔ Your growth becomes measurable

Software for dental practices gives structure…
Membership revenues give certainty.


🧰 What the Best Software Stack Does

Here’s the recipe for modern clinic success:

🔹 Core Practice Management

🔹 Revenue & Loyalty Engine

  • BoomCloud™ membership plans

  • Automated billing

  • Renewal tracking

  • MRR & ARR dashboards

🔹 Patient Engagement Tools

  • SMS/email reminders

  • Appointment confirmations

  • Perks for members

  • Referral incentives

🔹 Analytics & Decisions

This isn’t just software — it’s strategy.


📖 CASE STUDY — From “Ops Centered” to “Growth Powered”

Let’s revisit Bright Valley Dental:

Before:

🟥 Ops software (Practice Web & Open Dental)
🟥 Full schedules
🟥 Charts in order
🟥 But unpredictable revenue

After adding BoomCloud™:

🟩 Membership tiers launched
🟩 Recurring billing automated
🟩 MRR grew steadily
🟩 ARR forecasting became reality
🟩 Treatment acceptance increased
🟩 Patients became loyal members

💡 Result?
📈 Membership patients spent 2X–4X more annually
📆 Revenue became predictable
📊 Growth became strategic

Software technology + membership strategy = unstoppable growth.


🧠 Pick Software That Helps You Grow

When you ask:

“Practice Web vs Open Dental — which should I choose?”

Remember:

✔ Both are excellent foundations
✔ Both handle daily operations
✔ Both keep your office running smoothly

But growth doesn’t come from operations alone.

Growth comes from how you use your software to increase patient value, loyalty, and recurring revenue.

That’s the strategy behind pairing Practice Web vs Open Dental with a growth engine like BoomCloud™.

BoomCloud™ helps you:

📈 Predict income (MRR/ARR)
📈 Increase revenue per patient
📈 Build loyalty that lasts
📈 Free your team from admin burnout

That’s the modern practice blueprint.

Boom. 💥


📎 Helpful Growth Resources

👉 Download the million‑dollar membership plan ebook
https://boomcloud.myclickfunnels.com/million-dollar-book

👉 Take The Six‑Figure Patient Membership Plan Course
https://www.boomcloudapp.com/six-figure-membership-course

👉 Schedule a Demo of BoomCloud™ & Learn how to manage & grow your membership plan
https://boomcloudapps.com/demo-schedule/

👉 Create Your BoomCloud™ Account For FREE
https://www.boomcloudapp.com/main-online-demo-and-sign-up-page

👉 Explore Dental Membership Software
https://boomcloudapps.com/dental-membership-software/

My Top Podcasts

How Smart Practice Owners Attract, Retain & Create Recurring Revenue

Get the book that’s helping over 65,000  practices ditch insurance, boost cash flow, and create financial freedom with a patient membership program.

Membership Plans For Optometrists

vision-membership-plan-ebook Creating a patient membership plan is the smartest strategy to implement in your practice. You will increase patient satisfaction & loyalty, Increase predictable recurring revenue & increase sales!

Fire The PPOs!

Say goodbye to PPOs and hello to a thriving, independent dental practice. Don’t miss out – your journey to financial freedom starts here!

Subscribe to Our Podcasts!

Jordon Comstock

Author Bio

Jordon Comstock is the Founder & CEO of BoomCloud™, a software that allows practice, clinic & spa owners to build, manage and scale a membership program. This helps practice & clinic owners to create recurring revenue & improve loyalty via membership programs. Jordon is passionate about Music, Hawaii, Healthcare businesses like: dentistry, optometry, med spas and massage spas. Schedule a demo of BoomCloud™ and learn how membership programs can improve your business. Here are more dental books to improve your practice

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