Dental IT
IT support for dental practices, where a full list cannot wait
A dental practice runs a list that is booked weeks ahead, and the software is in the room with the patient rather than in an office down the corridor. If practice management or imaging is unavailable, the surgery stops and every appointment behind it moves.
- On-site visits included
- Imaging and PMS support
- Backups tested, not assumed
The software is chairside, which changes everything
In most small businesses the critical software sits on a desk and a fault costs one person an hour. In a dental practice it sits in the surgery, and a fault stops treatment with a patient already in the chair. The list behind is booked, so the cost is not one hour but a cascade through the rest of the day.
That puts a practice closer to a small manufacturing site than to an office of the same headcount. Response time matters more than almost anything else, on-site matters because imaging hardware cannot be fixed remotely, and maintenance has to happen outside surgery hours rather than in a quiet moment.
The equipment mix is unusual too. Sensors, scanners and imaging units connected to specific machines, often running software with particular requirements, and frequently supported by the equipment supplier rather than by a general IT provider. Knowing where that line falls, and dealing with the supplier when it is theirs, is part of the job.
The plans, coverage and response times sit under business IT support.
What we cover in a practice
- Practice management software kept working, with the vendor handled directly when a fault is theirs
- Imaging workstations and the machines that sensors and scanners are tied to, treated as critical rather than as ordinary PCs
- Maintenance and updates outside surgery hours, because a patching window during a list is not a window
- Patient data protected properly, with access limited to the people who need it and recorded
- Backups of clinical records with restores tested on a schedule, and the date of the last test available on request
- Multi-factor authentication and account control, including the associates and locums who come and go
- Clinical correspondence and referral routes kept working
- On-site visits included in the monthly plan, so a surgery fault gets somebody in the building the same day
The machine nobody is allowed to touch
Most practices have at least one machine that runs an imaging unit and cannot be updated, replaced or interfered with, because the software will not install on anything current and the supplier is unhelpful about it.
The answer is rarely to force an update. It is to isolate the machine on the network, protect it, take a full image of it so a failure is an afternoon rather than a shutdown, and be honest with you about the residual risk and what the eventual replacement plan needs to be.
- Isolated and protected rather than forced to update
- Imaged, so a hardware failure is recoverable
- A written note of the risk and the plan
Patient data, without the scare tactics
Dental practices hold health records, which are special category data under UK GDPR, so the standard is higher than for an ordinary business and the consequences of getting it wrong are more serious. That does not mean a practice needs enterprise security tooling.
It means the basics have to be genuinely done rather than nominally done. Individual logins rather than a shared surgery account. Multi-factor authentication on anything reachable from outside. Backups that have been restored to prove they work. Access removed when an associate leaves. Encryption on anything portable. Those five close most real-world risk, and in the practices we audit at least two of them are usually missing.
Cyber Essentials is worth considering as a forcing function, because the controls it checks are the ones worth having anyway and the certification is achievable for a practice of any size.
The detail on those controls is under cyber security for small businesses.
We are straight about the proof here
Dental is a sector we understand technically, and one where we do not yet have a named practice to point you at. We would rather say that than imply otherwise.
What we can offer is our work in care and healthcare-adjacent settings, on-site visits included in the plan, and a written review before you commit to anything.
Get in touch
Talk to us about it support for dental
A few lines is enough. We will tell you straight whether we can help, what it would cost and how quickly we can be there. No hard sell, and no follow-up sequence if you decide against it.
- We reply within one working day
- A straight answer, including when it is no
- Free process review available, before any money changes hands
Would rather just ring? 01623 354250, Mon–Fri, 9am–5:30pm.
Frequently asked questions
If the answer is not here, ask us. You will get a straight one, from someone who does the work.
Mon–Fri, 9am–5:30pm
Do you support dental practice management software?
We keep it running: the machines, the network, the data, the updates and the access control. Where a fault belongs to the software or equipment vendor we deal with them directly rather than leaving you to relay messages between two suppliers.
How quickly can you attend if a surgery goes down?
Within about fifteen miles of Mansfield, the same working day for anything stopping treatment, and usually inside the hour. On-site visits are included in the monthly plan rather than charged as a call-out, which matters when the alternative is a full list moving.
What about the imaging machine that cannot be updated?
It gets isolated on the network and protected rather than forced to update, with a full image taken so a hardware failure is an afternoon rather than a shutdown. You get a written note of the residual risk and what the replacement plan needs to be.
How should patient records be backed up?
Copies held in more than one place, with restores tested on a schedule rather than assumed. We can tell you the date of the last successful test, which is the question worth asking any provider.
Do we need Cyber Essentials?
It is worth considering. The five controls it checks are the ones that close most real-world risk, and having the certification is increasingly useful where a practice works with NHS bodies or larger organisations.
Do you already work with dental practices?
Not yet, and we would rather say so than borrow a testimonial from another sector. We work with care providers and healthcare-adjacent businesses where the data and response requirements are comparable, and we are happy to put you in touch with them.
